Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Ode to Michael Gove (following the sacking of Downhills Governing Body)
Here's something I wrote in response to the sacking of the Governing Body at Downhills Primary School in Tottenham and how angry and disenfrachised it's making us all feel:
ODE TO MICHAEL GOVE
There once was a fella named Gove
That only his mother could love
The Downhills GB
Said ‘NO ACADEMY’
And so he just gave ‘em the shove
But that’s not the end of the story
Be you Labour, LibDem or a Tory
Democracy’s dead
You have put it to bed
And the future is looking quite gory
Revolution is not the Brit way
At least that’s what most people say
But you’ve pushed us some more
You’ve caused a furore
And Govey, you might rue the day
In Tottenham we fight for our schools
We’re not ‘Trots’, but nor are we fools
We won’t let you butcher
Our dear children’s future
Just ‘cos we don’t play by your rules
Yes, it’s ‘carve ‘em up’ time for the state
The NHS and our schools on a plate
But is it improvement
Or big assets movement?
It’s the greed and the lies that we hate
‘Sponsor’ Harris sell carpets and mats
The rug trade has made them fat cats
But kids all find flooring
Incredibly boring
And we doubt it’ll help with their SATS
So here’s one last thought, Mr Gove
Since you seem to have something to prove
Take your ‘sponsor’
And stick it up yer bum, Sir
And then let us see how you move!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Old-Age-Emporium(OAE) on
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Very good Alison - but that FOI enquiry suggests your Limerick is a city with many secret back alleys they'd prefer we didn't explore:
But wasn't this egregious Gove
And our Council all hand-in-glove?
Their quiet conversations
Ruled out consultations,
So says koberguff@harris.gov .
.
That Compton's a lickspittle cove
Run around by the minions of Gove
From March till October
Before running for kober -
From Muswell it's Downhills to Bruce Grove.
etc, etc, etc.
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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on
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The most forthright and subtle analysis
I've read of the Kober Paralysis.
But sins of Commissions
Won't repair their omissions.
Or sort out the very sad mess this is.
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Like it, Alan! Kober Paralysis indeed. And don't even start me on that Commission she's planning....
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Claire Kober's Education Commission is not just planned, Alison. It's already signed and sealed!
I'm told that Gerard Kelly announces his membership today in the TES. (It's behind a pay wall so I haven't read his no doubt wise words.)
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Nah. As the midwife said to my mum: "He's an open-minded ideologue, Mrs Stanton. He'll need sunshine, fresh air and spelling lessons."
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Very good, OAE, the points you make are absolutely spot on and borne out by the FOI emails we read and our utterly hopeless and depressing meeting with Councillor Kober a couple of weeks ago, in which she made it clear that she wasn't going to take any sort of meaningful stand on behalf of Haringey schools' targeted by the DfE. 'Sold out' doesn't even express it! I like the koberguff@harris.gov
Wonder if it's her private email address?
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Permalink Reply by Clive Carter on
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I think personalising this is a mistake; I've seen the Gove-hate, Kober-criticism and the description of another individual as a "closed minded idealogue".
None of this is conducive to informed debate and serves only to raise temperatures rather than shine light.
I don't necessarily support acadamies and/or sponsorship. However, it's time that the focus was on substantial issues; I don't know exactly what they are - and am little wiser from others' contributions here - but I think they might have something to do with:
What is the best way to improve the education of children?
Lets leave out the politics and personaIities. I sincerely hope there may yet be contributions from well-informed, constructive people so as to enlighten others.
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This is most odd, Clive. Isn't it like saying that in assessing the Thatcher and Reagan years we should ignore the personal qualities and beliefs of Thatcher and Reagan? And the fact that they both led Governments of right-wing parties with similar economic and social principles - which were clearly ideological (in the dispassionate descriptive sense).
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I think its a pity that there remains determination to personalize this.
In bringing in the politics and personalities of Thatcher & Reagan, is it possible to get any further away from the quality of day-to-day teaching in the classrooms of Haringey schools?
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I agree, Clive, that ad hominem arguments/'have a dig' verses aimed at Gove are seldom the most enlightening form of discussion (although that does not necessarily render all the points invalid) but as Seema points out below, they can be therapeutic. A bit of verbal violence is far preferable to the real thing, as last summer's sad events testifies to.
But let's get to your point about the 'quality of day-to-day teaching in the classrooms of Haringey schools'. I don't know how qualified you are to comment on this because I don't know your background, but I can only comment as a parent who has experience at one Haringey school, which happens to be the 'notorious' Downhills. As far as my son in Year 2 is concerned, we have been very happy with his teachers to date, as have the parents of his friends, but perhaps we are just lucky? I do know that some parents with children higher up the school have felt differently. Friends who have a child at Chestnuts seem delighted with the teaching there, yet sadly he dislikes school for reasons wholly unconnected. The question is: what do we really believe about the quality of day-to-day teaching in Haringey schools? Is it so much worse than anywhere else? Actually a lot better? Average? And what other factors come into play, since teaching is a two-way process that requires input from the learner as well. Nor can the importance of parental influence and social factors be ignored. So the issues of teaching and learing go beyond mere teaching methods and teacher personality, there are other complex factors at work too. Not to mention all the different languages that Haringey teachers (particularly east of borough) have to work with. And having to be a parent, social worker, mentor as well as teacher in many cases. Hats off to them, I wouldn't do their job for love nor money, it's hard in inner London (yes, I say that fully aware of the 'outer London' funding anomaly but demographically many parts of Haringey are def. like Inner London).
I don't pretend to have all the answers but it occurs to me that if we want to improve teaching in general then:
Fund our schools properly - give our pupils the extra £1, 500 per head that those in Hackney or Tower Hamlets get - for a school like Downhills that would amount to over £500, 000 per year, providing more staff and resources.
Give teachers more training, particularly ongoing training to build on their current skill snd provide mentoring from outstanding teachers.
Reduce the admin load that they have so that they can focus on teaching not paperwork and free up TAs to be in the classroom instead of at the photocopier all the time.
Stop changing the Ofsted framework all the time so that staff energy doesn't get needlessly taken up with tackling the latest fad.
I could go on but too many issues to present here. Problem is that all these solutions require money and funds, which is precisely what Haringey hasn't got. So the academy chains step in and you can be sure that they will be looking to cut costs all the way, which doesn't bode well for the quality of teaching in the future IMO. Or even the kind of people who'll be attracted into the profession.
Will just leave you with one thought. I heard the other day (won't reveal the source) that the Harris Federation had offered staff at Coleraine Park 20% discounts at Carpetright if they stay on and take out contracts with the sponsor. Is it apocryphal? I can't say, but nothing would surprise me. Does that mean that teachers who work for LA schools should get a discount on their Council Tax? LOL!
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Hello Alison, thanks for your thoughtful contribution. There's a number of thing I can agree with. Seema (whose spelling is now much better) has provided some useful links and in them, there's stuff I agree with and disagree with.
I think a lot of the language that's been used has been intemperate and over-the-top. For example, some have been appalled at particular developments. Now I too would be genuinely appalled in connection with Downhills, if it were to be turned into a Hitlerjugend camp or an al-Qaeda training camp. Let's keep a sense of proportion. I have the impression there's been dogmatism and ideologically motivated hysteria. And I still don't necessarily favour Academies!
I'm unfamiliar with Downhills or the (bluntly, bizarre) system of local council control (i.e. party political control) of primary schooling. I am vaguely aware of the external assessments of education in Haringey, OFSTED reports and the ignominious Special Measures.
I have no reason to doubt your satisfaction with your child's school. Many, probably most parents want the best for their children and I'm sure you'd say so if you weren't happy. But as an active PTA member, you probably take more interest in your child than average. Intelligent children of ability of involved parents often manage to do well in any setup and in spite of poor schooling.
But the State has to be concerned with overall standards and with the average level of performance rather than anecdotal evidence. That's the job of inspectors who visit many schools and who presumably are best placed to make comparisons. I imagine that the main test of schools is the average standard and the acid test is probably how well or poorly the bottom half are doing. I didn't attend a fee-paying school, but its sometimes said of them that they can get even the dull ones to shine a bit brighter (or words to that effect).
I wouldn't feel comfortable with the sponsorship route and regard it as only slightly more batty than having local councils in charge of schools. In Haringey, this has meant in effect that a single political party has influenced schooling for 40 years. I'm sure that some councillors regard Academies etc as a rude and brutal introduction of politics into schooling, but I would argue that, due to the current regime of council-control, politics has already been in school control for four decades. Approval or disapproval of that, might depend on one's own politics.
I favour the removal of schools from council (party-political) control altogether, but bear in mind that I have the perspective of a far outsider (an immigrant) and I appreciate that this probably will not compute for you!
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Clive, several times you've been honest enough to post on HoL explaining your ignorance of the English educational system. Can I gently suggest you do a little checking before you make sweeping statements about the influence of Haringey Labour party in how schools are run.
Start by finding out a little about the composition of school governing bodies; the statutory framework for English schools, and the National Curriculum. Seek out a couple of active members of school governing bodies who are parent or "community" governors. Or perhaps a head teacher of your acquaintance. Ask them about the importance of party political influence at council level in the running of their school.
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