Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
New Schools Champion for Haringey
Press Release from Haringey Council:
Haringey’s first ever Schools Champion, Christine Gilbert (CBE) has been announced by the Leader of Haringey Council Claire Kober.
The former Head of Ofsted will help drive improvements in school performance and pupil attainment across the borough.
The appointment of a Schools Champion was one of the highlights of a number of recommendations published earlier this year by the independent education commission, Outstanding for All.
Ms Gilbert brings a wealth of experience to the role of Schools Champion, both from her five years with Ofsted and her former roles as a teacher, headteacher and director of education. She has steered major transformation in education in Harrow and Tower Hamlets. Her appointment forms part of a package of improvements announced by Cllr Kober.
She said: “I’m delighted to welcome Christine as our official Schools Champion and look forward to working with her to accelerate the pace of improvement, and deliver on the Commission’s ambitious recommendations.
“Making education outstanding for all of Haringey’s children is a priority for the council, and Christine’s appointment marks another important step in our journey to transform school standards.
“Together with our schools, teachers and governors, I am determined that all children in Haringey will have access to the highest quality teaching and support to give them the very best opportunities in life.”
Cllr Kober has also unveiled further details of the Outstanding for All Delivery, including:
- A £250,000 Education Innovation Fund to allow schools to pilot innovative ways of delivering outstanding results
- Working with Headteachers and Governors to improve support services for schools
- A consultation on improvements to governance to ensure all schools have high calibre governors who are well trained and well supported by the council
- A pilot Pupil Passport scheme to better support children when they move between schools
- A Best of Haringey event to promote and celebrate school achievements
- Better sharing of schools data so that parents can easily access the information they need
- A Family Ambitions advocacy service
- More work to build bridges between Haringey schools and leading universities
Newly appointed Schools Champion, Christine Gilbert, said: “I am looking forward to being at the heart of developing a new and improved Outstanding for All culture that the entire borough can be proud of.”
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by ElleCarumba on
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Did they say how much she will be paid for this role?
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Permalink Reply by Hugh on
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That wasn't in the press release, but you could ask the press team or submit an FOI if you're particularly interested.
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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on
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If nobody else has time, Elle, I'll add this to my long list of F.o.I questions to be asked.
But if you do fancy finding out please consider doing so through the free public website WhatDoTheyKnow. You might wish to add a question on whether or not Ms Gilbert is being paid through a tax avoidance (i.e. perfectly legal) Personal Service Company.
You may be told that both the fee paid and the tax arrangements are "commercially sensitive".
(Tottenham Hale ward councillor)
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Permalink Reply by Clive Carter on
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I think we all owe thanks to Alan for drawing our attention to this website. This site means that one's question(s) are in the public domain along with, any answers.
Other things being equal, the council (and other bodies) are obliged to answer. There is even an obligation to be helpful (!) (Section 16 of the Act.)
However, they also have a short list of lawful excuses not to answer. Generally, where they spend public money they are supposed to answer.
Since Ms Gilbert is to be paid from public funds, I would expect this should be answered.
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The style of this press release is pure Koberfluff.
It's also very worrying when "news" on the Council's website starts to read more like a Labour Party leaflet, instead of being clearly aimed at giving balance and objectivity. The Council's website is a valuable service to residents. It should not be undermined in this way.
What will Christine Gilbert actually be doing? And how will it fit into what's done by Libby Blake the Director of Children and Young People's Services (CYPS); by Ms Blake's Senior Management Team; and with the role of Cllr Ann Waters the "Cabinet member" for CYPS?
The Action Plan based on Claire Kober's Education Commission Report says this:
"We have appointed Christine Gilbert as our new Haringey Schools Champion, to work with schools and the council to support us as we implement the commission's recommendations. The Schools Champion will be to challenge, guide and drive everyone involved to deliver Outstanding for All."
(No, that's not a misquote. I took it directly from the first page of the Action Plan on the website.)
Can I also ask for people's help in locating the bit in the Education Commission's Report which calls for this person and new role. (Paragraph 3 in the Press Release above.)
It's obviously there somewhere and I'm missing the bleedin' obvious.
____________________________
Apologies for not being able to get the links working to open the documents onscreen. They download instead.)
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Alan I agree that this announcement might better have been made in a more neutral fashion. I imagine you refer to these clauses:
... has been announced by the Leader of Haringey Council Claire Kober. ... forms part of a package of improvements announced by Cllr Kober ... Cllr Kober has also unveiled further details of the Outstanding for All Delivery
I think the fact that this was a press release from the Council's Communications Depart might have been accorded more prominence. The bulleted points are partly PR puff – (innovative ways of delivering outstanding results – what does that mean?). At least they left out securing the future!
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Yes, you're quite right, Clive, identifying the fact of it being a press release buried away as a standalone in the first sentence is almost scandalous.
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Hugh I accept that you did state the source of this piece of PR and that it was not hidden.
I would ask you to consider when taking a statement from the council’s Communications Department, that this is handled carefully (Alan also commented on the style of this press release).
For example, “Press Release from Haringey Council” (you can expect more of them!) might be put in bold; or in this instance, perhaps replacing the main heading altogether and demoting the sub-editor’s “New Schools Champion for Haringey”.
Dare I ask, whose wording was ‘Champion’?
Is this not pure PR/spin?!
Do you want to be seen as a party to it?
I hope you see this as constructive comment and anyway do also accept that as editor-in-chief, you can choose to give an item more (or less) prominence as you see fit.
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Permalink Reply by John D on
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I suppose " Schools' Tsarina " would have appeared as too right-wing ?.
But " Champion " is quite wrong. If there were a conflict between the schools and the Council, would she really take the side of the schools against the body that appoints her and pays her salary ? Will she really act the part of David against the Philistines ?
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Permalink Reply by Andrew Stillman on
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queen of schools?
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Clive, this is too serious to turn into a kvetch about HoL. Nor do you have to "imagine" what I meant, since I plainly said what I meant.
I don't agree with your past exaggeration about the Haringey People as "Pravda". I think most of it is quite useful. But there are bits which are clearly biased. And I've said several times that I'd like to see it de-politicised. Ironically this would probably give it more credibility and public trust; and even widen the readership.
But we have both been complimentary about the Council's website which is a remarkably neutral source of a wide range of information. When stuff is incorrect or out-of-date I've always found the website staff helpful and efficient in making corrections and updates.
I don't want to see the website lose its accuracy, balance and public credibility.
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Alan I couldn’t agree more that education in Haringey is a serious subject.
However, I’m not sure there’s a great deal that you can do to improve the worryingly low standards and I’m not sure that I can do much about it either.
I sincerely hope that Claire Kober can and does improve standards in Haringey’s schools. However, probably like you, I see her press release as too much about garnering good publicity for the leader and being seen to be taking action.
Little that is said or unsaid on HoL on the matter is going to make much practical difference. However, lest HoL is to become another outlet for Labour Party PR, I do think that where a Labour Party municipal press release is reproduced in full, the provenance cannot be labeled too clearly, lest there is a chance it is confused as a neutral, objective account by an unaligned public servant.
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