Russell Education Trust/Russell Group Universities

The unis met in a location in Russell square,hence the name,Russell group

"Prove It."

I can't. They have told me they don't. Prove that they do.

they don't employ unqualified teachers in their schools
Prove It.

daphnedill, they don't employ unqualified teachers in their schools. On their Brentford school website here I counted 18 teachers, which is a high teacher-pupil ratio for 300 children (their staff will increase each year). Teaching assistants and administrative staff etc are in addition to those.

daphnedill
I wouldn't send any child of mine to a school which employs such a high ratio of teaching assistants. Maybe that's just me!
I'm not sure what you mean by that.
Many of the assistants could be attached to SEN pupils or reading support or help in the library
and in a calss of 30 there will be one teacher and up to three assistants
that's not necessarily a bad thing
it depends on how they are used

Yes, they do employ unqualified staff!!! So get off your high horse!

I agree that it doesn't give the qualifications of the teachers, but look at the number of teaching assistants! I wouldn't send any child of mine to a school which employs such a high ratio of teaching assistants. Maybe that's just me!

Doh! I do know that degrees and doctorates aren't evidence of qualification to teach.

If I were looking for places for my DCs, I wouldn't touch my local RET with a bargepole. I've looked at the staffing structure and there are too many non-qualified staff

They don't employ unqualified staff at all, so I don't know where you've got the idea that they do.

I've just looked at the websites for each of the RET schools - it is not possible to tell whether the teachers are qualified teachers or not.
NB Degrees and doctorates are not evidence of qualification to teach.

I'm looking forward to the Russell Group checking the rationale for the name.

I have no interest one way or the other in this but I just found the use of the word Russell potentially passing off as confusion could be caused. Anyway if it is mostly known as RET and they end up changing all branding to that then there would not be the same issue.

Anyone wanting to see state contracts over £10,000 can look on the Govenrment Contract Finder website now (and as for all state contracts do an FOIA request). Contract Finder has contracts since about 2 years ago and you can search by the parties' names I think.

I am in favour of a wide variety of schools within the state sector although would only every consider private schools for my own children.

I would also want to know how they came to choose the word Russell. Was it by accident? Were the founders called Russell? Is it an educational trust which has been called Russell for the last 60 years? Or something more sinister?

Yes, I do want you to go through the misinformation - as you've offered! You can supplement that by giving me links, if you like. I've already read what's been written on Stephen Mayo's site and on Local Schools Network, so you don't need to repeat anything written there.

I wasn't involved in the campaign, but I've been knocking around education in Essex for an awful long time and I already know some of the facts behind the headlines - so enlighten me! But firstly, maybe you could state how you - an "ordinary parent" - know so much!

I'll look forward to it! How fortuitous that a topic just happened to crop up about which you could make your first post on MN, especially as you're in the park.

Daphnedill, no, not pr. Happy to answer you but I'm actually in the park with the kids right now so will have to get back to you in a little while.

I'm a parent working on an RET free school, so I know them well. They're not connected to Russell Group and don't claim to be.

The Russell Education Trust was set up by Education London (EL), who are a very well respected school improvement consultancy. EL was one of the main education providers for the London Challenge, which has been celebrated for improving educational outcomes in London schools. They are very well qualified to set up new schools. (Certainly more qualified than the Russell Group of Universites, which are very experienced at running Research-intensive Universities, not schools).

Russell Group need their lawyers on this one. As TP said passing off immediately comes to mind and perhaps get trading standards on to it - independent state school is in my view misleading and might breach advertising law.

not a great research track record

furfuraceous just to add to what Talkin said.

The original Russell group was only large research universities only. They had the most money to lose at that time.

Smaller, research intensive universities were not invited to the discussions, although some of them went on to form the 1994 Group which, as part of its mission, was to stop the Russell Group getting all the cash!