Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Local deputy head on "TheTeaching Crisis"
Parents like me, with children at North Harringay Primary School, have for some time been grateful to the deputy head, Tim Paramour, for his considerable role in the success of that institution.
Now, unfortunately, he has decided, for the time being, to leave the teaching profession.
He has set out his reasons in a blog post which can be accessed here.
I recommend that everyone with an interest in education should read it.
Some of what he says I find surprising and at variance, both with my experience as a parent and as a governor of another school. But that is by the by.
What is most important is that this statement should be widely read and discussed, being as it is, the carefully thought out work of a man whose departure will represent a substantial loss to his profession.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Angela on
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A powerful but depressing read.
Mr Paramour also appeared on Question Time when it was broadcast from Tottenham last year. He asked if schools were becoming joyless exam factories. As the parent of secondary school age children, the answer is yes imo.
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Since my article (and I emphasise it was written in a private capacity making no reference to the school- I imagined it would be read by a few of my friends rather than the 200,000 it has now reached!) is now generating discussion in the local community, I want to state once again (as I did in the article) that my dismay is aimed at government policy, not in any way at the school itself. I have been extremely proud to serve as NHP's deputy head since 2013 and will of course continue to do my best for the staff and children there right up to the end of the school year. Ms Alexander is an exceptionally clear-sighted, courageous leader, our governors are extremely committed and the staff team are probably the best I have ever worked with. Whatever my beliefs about the problems this system creates, I can assure you that the children at North Harringay couldn't be in better hands.
David, I'd also like the thank you for your kind words.
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As a parent of a NHP pupil we will be very sorry to see you go. Your blog post made depressing reading but your reasons for quitting are perfectly understandable and as parents we despair of the ludicrous expectations the Government is imposing on our children. Our child loves school and skips through the gate every morning, but we can't help but worry that the pressure they are put under by Govt policies will knock that out of them as they continue their educational career. But we do know that in Ms Alexander we have a formidable and passionate head and the rest of the staff are fantastic too and they work tirelessly to make learning as fun and enjoyable as it should be at primary level. Good luck with whatever you choose to do next.
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No paramour of Nicky Morgan, then. Good!
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Quite.
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Anyone who cares about the education of our children should read Tim's post, but especially local parents. I hear of too many parents these days expecting more and more of teachers and their children. There is a mindset that children must be pushed harder and harder, segregated into socially-divisive 'sets', spend longer days at school and then, when they finally get home, sit down to homework and personal tutoring. The huge body of evidence shows that children in all societies and all cultures develop and learn through play. There is already a child mental health crisis in this country - let's not make it worse. Pushing ourselves harder and harder out of fear of failure is not a recipe for a happy, meaningful life. Why anyone who understands and cares about children would support any of the above - or vote for what is happening to our education system, including today's academisation announcement - is beyond me. If you don't know what's happening to teachers and children in our schools, please educate yourself.
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And it continues....and get worse!!!
All schools to become academies.
Parents no longer to be governors.
What are we going to DO about this?
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