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Original poster

Interhigh concerns - other parents around?

34 replies

SomewhereOutThere · 25/06/2018 21:06

I'm very concerned about this meeting on a Thursday. There are rumours (via my friend in the Fb group, which I'm not on) that they want to switch to the first half of lessons in massive groups of 100 or more with one teacher. Shock I have an anxious child with some educational gaps who often needs to flag early in a lesson that she doesn't understand. This seems impossible in a massive group. Also it's been really good watching her grow in confidence and start making comments in class chat, and even reading slides and contributing via microphone. This only happens because she trusts her teachers and feels supported by rest of small class.
Since I heard about IH on here I thought I'd let everyone know that this meeting on Thursday at 6.30 is really important. (The head emailed about pedagogy today and it sounded dull and unimportant, oh and it clashes with the football.) This might be our only chance to hear the changes before they affect our kids. While we can still do something to influence them, whether that's complaining or switching to a different online school.
Please make the online meeting if you can.

OP posts:
TatterdemalionAspie · 26/06/2018 15:23

My DD has been at Interhigh for all of her secondary education, bellini (Y10 now), and I have recommended the school to many, many people (even though I've had to add some caveats over the last couple of years, as things have started to really change.

The things that I have found out in the last week mean that I would not currently recommend that anyone start there. That makes me sad, because overall we have had a good standard of provision from Interhigh, and my DD was very happy there up until this year.

Honestly, I would steer well clear at the moment - certainly until the big changes have been rolled out in September and you can see what you're dealing with.

bellinisurge · 26/06/2018 14:40

Following this with great interest. Considering home school and this was an option. Not sure now.

TatterdemalionAspie · 26/06/2018 14:37

Somewhere DD hates tutor group too, and won't attend common room for the same reason - too many people, too busy/noisy.

I think they're going to roll this out regardless of how opposed parents are. They knew that it would be unpopular with/damaging to many students, but they aren't willing to pay the teachers for the extra hours required for the EdExcel curricula, so this is a cheap solution.

I hoped that the strength of parental feeling when this leaked would make them realised what a terrible idea it is, and that they'd backpedal and deny it was ever on the cards. Clearly not, though. Sad

TatterdemalionAspie · 26/06/2018 14:28

And if we aren’t happy as customers we can choose to leave

What, apart from the financially punitive contracts we're tied into, the fact that our Y10 kids are in the middle of their GCSE course, and the fact that many students have anxiety, ASD or SEN, making the change extrememly difficult for both students and parents? Oh well that's ok then. Hmm

Original poster
SomewhereOutThere · 26/06/2018 11:08

No the parents evening |(for prospective parents) is the evening before. The email is the first I've heard of the new one.

Interesting what you say about tutor group already running like that. Is it for all of them? DD says tutor group is scary and refuses to go but I'd never worked out why. She also suddenly started being freaked out by computer studies. I hear now that her group were guinea pigs being tested with this new system?? So I already know it doesn't work for her.

For some of us it's not as easy as being unhappy as customers and choosing to leave. DD has IH named on her EHWP. I fought long and hard for this, and will have to fight again if IH changes and can't meet her needs, and jump through lots of hoops with the council. I can't do that before September when she starts gcses!!

OP posts:
Schroedingerscatagain · 26/06/2018 08:16

Hi somewhere

I agree it’s bad timing but I think they had a parents evening already arranged on that date, dh is muttering hope it’s quick!

I’ve heard the rumours but at the moment that’s all they are and causing lots of unnecessary stress as it hit the kids message board too

They seem to be moving to a compartmentalised class room set up in order to get more teaching time in as we now have new curriculums which need more time

Dd is Interhigh but our ds is in a standard school and from what I’m hearing many schools are having to adjust teaching the GCSEs to over 3 years to fit it all in which is happening at ds school

They already run tutor group in this way and dd hasn’t been overwhelmed by that, exams are also being held that way at the moment in year 10

As I’ve said elsewhere, it’s a business that they want to be successful so we have to trust them to some extent

And if we aren’t happy as customers we can choose to leave

Original poster
SomewhereOutThere · 25/06/2018 21:53

Thanks! Will do.

OP posts:
Onceuponatimethen · 25/06/2018 21:43

Try sn boards as there are quite a few interhigh people on there. Also some on the home Ed boards from memory

Original poster
SomewhereOutThere · 25/06/2018 21:41

Bumpity bump Smile

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