To think Park View Academy, must be doing something right ( looking at their statistics)

[smokepole]

I have just looked at the Park View Academy's statistics and have been amazed. I expected to see appalling statistics, yet the statistics are fantastic!

92.5% of pupils English as a second language 59.8% of pupils on FSM yet achieves 75% 5 A*-C Maths and English.

There might be a problem with some religious zealots there, but clearly the school is achieving fantastic results. The school is giving its pupils an education far beyond, what the raw statistics say it should be doing.

The problems should have been dealt with in an efficient and quiet way, it should not have come to the media attention. The school deserves to be looked on as beacon of excellence for its outstanding results.

[TroyMcClure]

i did a TP there YEARS ago before all the academisation, it was the most multi cultural place I had ever experienced

[Birdsgottafly]

I know nothing about this school.

However, the schools that I do know of also boast good GCSE results, based on % of passes.

The problem is that the teens are streamed into sets early on and the lower sets are not entered for A-C, even if they are catching up and probably could pass. Many go on and within a year do achieve those results.

% of passes mean nothing.

My middle DD underachieved at senior school, but the school she transferred to, turned her around via the one day a week work experience she was sent on. She is still working there, has A level equivalent qualifications and it has set her on a career path.

They have done the same for many ASDAN pupils.

I would be interested in what % of pupils were not entered, why and what they went on to do.

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

A well rounded education isn't one just that produces good academic results.

If there were concerns about just one school then I think it would have been dealt with more quietly, but its not just about this school - its about a cluster of them. It's also about Ofsted and also its about the fundamental premise of Academies and free schools.

[thebodylovesspring]

Well looking at it in the round what's the suggestion then that Ofsted lied? Or got it wrong? An agenda? Either way it's a good job I think to be fully investigated as long as it's fair to all sides.

Personally I would ban all faith schools( I teach in a c of e) and I would definatly stop academies but that's not going to happen.

The results are good though. Will be interesting to see what happens here.

[TroyMcClure]

the two reports for the Oldknow academy are alarmingly different

No christian assemblies, no Xmas event, no tombola at fete, a madrasa established at school, some trip to Saudi where Governors got to go too,,

[TroyMcClure]

i think the suggestion is that there was a cover up by the governors, in the oldknow one there is no criticism at all of the teaching, standards or happiness of kids,, just that Islam is being set up as the faith of a school that is not supposed to be faithy/conform to the Education acts ideas on assemblies

[TroyMcClure]

Most RS courses do two religions at GCSE 'However, from Year 9 onwards students focus almost entirely on Islam, with
very few opportunities to explore other religions and cultures.'

[TroyMcClure]

Students are invited to
develop moral understanding through the weekly themed Islamic assemblies. However, no
opportunities exist for non-Muslims to attend alternative assemblies.

[Hulababy]

"The school deserves to be looked on as beacon of excellence for its outstanding results."

I disagree.

The school achieves a grade 4 in to very important areas in the OFSTED report. Those 2 inadequate gradings mean that the school is not keeping all its pupils and staff safe, and the leadership has major issues.

Academic results alone do not make an excellent school. School is about far more than just exam marks.

[TroyMcClure]

yes but that is an improvement on previously when you could get outstanding and teaching be only satisfactory

[Hulababy]

The new report:

www.oldknowacademy.co.uk/spice/fckimage/Ofsted%20Report%202014.pdf

A school where safeguarding issues are breached.
A school where children are not kept safe.
A school where teachers are too scared to speak out.
A school where discrimination is rife.

Hmm....not the comments to be linked with a centre of excellence is it?

[ConferencePear]

" I would ban all faith schools "
So would I but this is not a faith school it is an ordinary school

[AllsFair]

These statistics may mean very little, other than time, money and resources is being poured into skewing the statistics, which can be done in a number of ways.

[TeacupDrama]

it has been mooted that because of advance notice of inspections that lessons in week of inspections are inclusive etc but then revert to form after inspections

[Hulababy]

Sorry - realised the link I gave was OldKnow Academy, one of the schools (a junior school) linked to the new OFSTED ratings today.

[Hulababy]

This is the Park View one: www.birminghammail.co.uk/incoming/article7239317.ece/binary/Park%20View%20School%20the%20Academy%20of%20Mathematics%20and%20Science%20Ofsted%20report

Many of the same points stand regarding staff scared to speak out, safeguarding not ideal, discrimination exists, etc.

[LadyIsabellaWrotham]

Did anyone see the boys interviewed on the news today? One was saying (approvingly) "we're allowed to sit next to girls in class but we can't have boyfriends and girlfriends because that's against Islam". His mate said "Yeah, but it's not an Islamic school, it's an academy". I was v impressed.

[KeinBock]

The Ofsted report on Park View paints a very disturbing picture.

[Chippednailvarnish]

Education is far more than GCSE results.

Yabvvu

[ouryve]

In reality, Catholic schools do employ non-Catholics.

[doziedoozie]

Seems crazy that so many DCs have English as a second language, shows little attempt to merge into British society. Do they only watch foreign language tv? Look at the amazing English spoken by other Europeans.