Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Coleraine Park Primary School - Harris Forced "Academy" - now on BBC London News
Please watch this news item on the BBC and make your own judgement.
When you do so, please bear in mind the wider context. Including the plans to hand more of our schools over to the Harris Federation.
But above all the experiences of the young children in this school. Not just the children who appear to have been manhandled, but other children in nearby classrooms who would have heard this going on. And the trust and confidence of the parents and the wider community.
Tags for Forum Posts: Coleraine Park School, Harris Federation, Ofsted, Police - community relationships, forced academy, restraining children
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Kate on
-
I didn't see the piece but have just looked it up on the BBC website:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-26685343
As the parent of a primary aged child I have to say the thought of him being restrained by three adults really upsets me. I do appreciate that if a child is at risk of harming himself or others then he needs to be safely removed from the situation - what really beggars belief is that no-one thought to mention the incident to the mother.
-
Permalink Reply by Seema Chandwani on
-
Hi Kate
You are typing as if you are speaking about one child. In the news clip I saw several different children being restrained, on several different incidents by several different teachers...
-
Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on
-
I think we all have individual and very personal responses to material like this. So I was hoping that people would watch the news item, reflect on it and share their responses.
Kate has done that so thank-you.
Seema, I hope to hear your own thoughts and feelings.
As one of the ward councillors, I was given a copy of a different and longer version of the video material just over a week ago. I found it extremely upsetting and then - as I heard more information - deeply worrying.
(Tottenham Hale ward councillor)
-
Permalink Reply by Julie on
-
Children do sometimes need to be restrained, for their own safety or the safety of others. Teachers are allowed to restrain them by law. Restraint of children can't become a substitute for positive behaviour management, though; it's an emergency measure. There needs to be an enquiry which establishes whether the incidents filmed were part of the culture at Coleraine Park, which is what is being alleged by staff and ex staff. Those allegations have to be taken seriously. The reason this film footage has ended up on television is that the usual channels of complaint and concern have not resulted in anybody being listened to properly. The chair of governors is alleged to have seen the film early in the autumn term, for example. The school seems to have used its academy status to evade enquiries from parents, LA officers, unions or local councillors. Even the MP has had trouble getting into the school. This isn't healthy.
It's also extremely suspicious that the inspection requested by the authority was announced on Tuesday for the following day but hasn't materialised. The main adviser for Coleraine Park, Sir Robin Bosher, has just got a job with OFSTED. If he has any integrity he will want to avoid any inferences that there has been any intervention in the process of inspection. The school has already had a week to prepare for a no-notice safeguarding inspection. That doesn't look good.
Coleraine Park's website had only three policies on it yesterday, although a positive handling policy sprouted last night along with a couple of others pertinent to the news coverage. If they have nothing to hide, open the doors to the authority and OFSTED and announce a full enquiry into whether the school has been dealing with behaviour issues appropriately.
-
-
Hi Alan
My thoughts are:
- I am not naive about the behaviour issues some children and young people display, I have worked with children and young people for over 16 years, predominately in Tottenham.
- Physically handling children and young people is not a grey area. There should be clear guidelines/policy in place and training, which most good organisations will ensure their staff are on. Especially as restraint as seen the death of some young people in custody.
- I was trained by Team Teach and it was clear that physical contact is the last resort. Your responsibility is to diffuse and de-escalate. This is done with your posture, voice and where you place yourself in the conflict.
- Of course, if the child is kicking another child's head in, you have a 30sec window of physical contact where the only aim is to terminate the physical contact between the two people. Then you revert back to voice, posture and position to diffuse and de-escalate
- The training was clear about the physical contact, it was centred around using your body to steer young people away from the conflict and to avoid injury to the child.
- I personally have only had to use physical contact once in 16 years and that was when a boy picked up a fire extingusher to hit another boy around the head with. It was an instinctive response and one I had to assess afterwards if was needed, I also had to report my intervention. The assessment said I was right to do so, but that maybe our fire extingushers should be in those cases to prevent future incidents. This was actioned across the borough in a week.
- There are many professionals who have never had to use physical intervention and some due to their setting probably have had to use it once or twice a year.
- The footage we saw on the BBC was of about 4 seperate incidents, involving different children, over a very short period of time in July (2 weeks I think the reporter said) by different teachers.
- I understand, the original footage shows a few more incidents during this period.
- This to me is worrying.
- This is a mainstream primary school, not one specifically for children with behavioural disorders.
- This is also a primary school whether these are children and not young people. I make this point as teenagers can be the same physical size as the adult, these children were younger and smaller.
- What I saw in those clips were teachers using physical contact to transport children to another location not an immediate breaking of contact of who they were supposingly attacking.
- In the longer version of the video (which I have seen), there was a teacher 'cradling' from behind a small child, who came up to her waist and she was on her knees or crouching down. He was crying, struggling to get free and she was holding him firm in place. He has small ribs and chest. I am concerned at this method.
- In the same clip another teacher is suggesting to give the crying child to him so they can go for a 'walk' to calm down, but the teacher is refusing to let the child go, despite how much the other teacher is asking her. I have no idea why she was not letting him go, he was posing no danger to anyone at that stage.
- In the BBC clip, there was an incident where teachers (more than one) restrained a child in the playground. The filming was of a wide shot of the playground. The other children did not seem to be intrigued by this incident. Most carried on playing and only a few looked over. This concerns me as it suggests it is not something the children are not used to seeing.
- Creating such an environment for children where physical intervention happens as often as 4 or more times in a few weeks (as the BBC footage suggests) is doing nothing to manage their behaviour, it is making it worse.
What we need now is trained professionals obtaining the voice of the children at the school. I hope the investigation the council are launching encompasses this. I also assume that any CP investigator would be picking up on the same areas of concerns I have.
It would also be interested to know what the other Primary Schools within a 10min radius are doing? Do they have to use a lot of restraint? Are their children so "out of control"? A lot of people I know who are teachers in Primary and Secondary schools were disturbed at the BBC footage.
My feelings are:
- I am angry as this is unacceptable. If I saw a parent dragging their child like this in Tescos, I would intervene. If I saw a police officer dragging a child like this in the street I would intervene and report.
- I am and was very upset and distressed to watch the BBC footage. This should not be happening. Those children were screaming and crying.
- I am shocked the parents were not informed and had to find out from a Journalist.
I hope this answers your question.
-
-
I did see the news report late last night after posting here - I am horrified and was literally reduced to tears by the footage. I don't feel qualified to comment on behavioural issues/restraint procedures but to see children that distressed is just horrible. The fact that a member of staff has surreptitiously filmed and reported these incidents is telling and very worrying.
-
Permalink Reply by Philip on
-
The elephant in the room is that the school and others are run by a private company. The local authority is no longer in control of what happens in the school and the school reports only to Michael Gove, so their is no democratic oversight at all. Also the school buildings are handed over as well and we don't even know where the title deeds are. In this environment expect more of the same.
-
-
Elephants? Goats? Where is this metaphorical zoology going?
Maybe a whole menagerie? With both sloth and snake councillors, privatising wolves, and some of the most unwise expert owls I've ever seen.
My preferred metaphors are first, whistle-blowing. With praise going to staff and parents. Then fresh air and sunshine. Always welcome.
Meanwhile . . . naughty OFSTED. It's long past inspection time. Where can they be? I know they're in the story somewhere. Have they gone OFFSPOT?
Are they behind Michael Gove's door? No, the bear truth- they aren't there. Are they watching the clock? No that's a snake. Are they hiding under the stairs hoping everyone will go away? Or asleep under the carpet?
No. Unlike the children, OFSTED is safe and sound. Tucked-up with ex-Harris staffer, Sir Robin Bosher.
So perhaps someone independent will have to ensure that our primary schools are learning communities where children are safe and happy.
(Tottenham Hale ward councillor)
-
-
Wouldnt it be nice and jolly super if Labour's education spokesperson Tristran Poshboy was opposed to handing over our schools to rich Tory corporations. But no, he isn't. This is why Labour languish in the polls when they should be streets ahead, and why I won't be voting for them this time around.
-
Permalink Reply by John McMullan on
-
Doesn't he live in Seymour Rd? Go and knock on his door.
-
-
Because Philip, coming from a posh background automatically prevents anyone developing a left-wing philosophy and sensible social democratic ideas? As it plainly did with the former Viscount Stansgate son of a baronet?
-
-
Regardless of whether this is a LA run school, Private fee paying school or an Academy, children have should have equal rights and protection. Philip, you raise a good point. Has this behaviour has gone unchecked due to lack of accountability with the Academies structure is one that needs investigating. It is worrying that Julie (above) is stating
The school seems to have used its academy status to evade enquiries from parents, LA officers, unions or local councillors. Even the MP has had trouble getting into the school.
I disagree with your point:
The local authority is no longer in control of what happens in the school
The local authority always assumes the control in any child protection and safeguarding case in their borough. This political complication should not be impacting on the rights of the children.
© 2024 Created by Hugh.
Powered by
