To be a bit naffed off with the advert for Jamie Oliver's "dream school"

[MogTheForgetfulCat]

I'm not a teacher (although thinking of becoming one...) and I know the programme hasn't even been on yet, so maybe I should give it a chance...

...but it just seems wrong to me to suggest that what kids who are struggling at school need are various low-level slebs coming in and pontificating. Why on earth should Alistair Campbell, for example, be an amazing/inspiring teacher? And I'm not aware that 'Expeditions' features highly on the curriculum of most schools, so gawd knows where they got that idea from.

I probably ABU, am v grumpy waiting for DS3 to finally show his face (9 days overdue and feeling twitchy about induction - gah!) But have felt irritated by the ad every time I've seen it, and think it's potentially a real smack in the face to the large number of good, dedicated and hard-working teachers out there who might be about to be undercut by some odd choices - and to what ends?

[NightLark]

Just for info - that thing where being watched makes people do better... the "Hawthorne effect."

I normally admire JO for his energy and enthusiasm, but this is just celeb fluff for the Daily Mail mindset, and pretty insulting to a lot of teachers (am not one, but come from a teaching family).

And agree with all those who said why the hell should it all be about teachers being 'inspirational'? Sometimes you just have to knuckle down and work at something, not wait for it all to be made everso exciting and fun.

Jeeze, what happens to kids who have that kind of attitude pandered to when they have to go out and earn a living or do something genuinely difficult? Sorry I didn't turn up this week, it was a bit boring so it's not my fault? Dreadful message to be giving out.

[madamimadam]

I think my disquiet about the programme is also informed by the way in which it is interpreted in wider society. The cover of the Radio Times this week has 'Why Britain's schoolkids deserve better' under a picture of Jamie.

Who wouldn't want British schoolkids to have the best education we can possibly give them but is a carefully-screened, selectively edited, highly partial programme going to do that? How is that honestly going to improve the life chances of British schoolchildren?

As someone's mentioned above, I just can't see Jamie's Dream School matching the thoughtful insights of World In Action's 7Up series, for instance. (Now that was heart breaking.) It says everything about our society that tv could be like that in the past but we're left with a celebrity chef 'running' a school.

And I still think Alastair Campbell shouldn't be in a classroom.

He should be in the dock at The Hague.

[RoyalWelsh]

When I saw the adverts for this programme I said something along the lines of "this makes me feel really uncomfortable but I can't articulate why" to my DP.

I am training to be a teacher and I don't think there is anything wrong with wanting to make sure that the education system is the best that it could possibly be, but from the trailers it looks very much as though Jamie Oliver is blaming teachers for any failings that happen. I don't think that's fair at all. Yes, there are always going to be bad teachers, just as there are people that are bad at their jobs in any profession, but this is exactly the sort of propaganda that makes it difficult for the every day, good at their job teacher to function. I would say that 90% of people that know I am going to be a teacher think that I will work 9 - 3, flitting abotu the classroom singing songs and cutting pretty pictures out (primary school) when in reality, if you are a good teacher it is hard work, just like any other job.

I think assuming that slebs can do a better job is a bit insulting, and I think it will give people that perhaps don't know very much about what a teacher actually has to do carte blanche (right phrase?) to give proper teachers a hard time.

I probably will watch it (I loved Gareth Malones programme btw, even though I was watching and thiking hmmmm not possible, impractical etc but the heart of it was good and I came away feeling excited by what I could implement in a classroom) but hopefully it will cover government related issues as well, in terms of paperwork and targets etc and perhaps even be a bit sympathetic towards proper, real life teachers.

[pippitysqueakity]

Should have been 'social dislocation' Am going to lie down now. Sorry, not usually so histrionic.

[pippitysqueakity]

(Sorry two disaffected in same sentence...did not preview...too grumpy)

[pippitysqueakity]

And in fact, the more I think about this, the crosser I get. What does JO think teachers do all day? Work out ways to help children NOT learn? Try to sideline learners who have a different path? I hope his (stupid ) programme does help some 'disaffected' learners, I really do. But they are and will only ever be the 'lucky' ones. We have to live within the system we have, and most teachers do a good job, DESPITE all limitations.
It's not our fault schools have no money, children have different abilities and learners do not all conform to a social norm.
No 'Big Society' will change that until real input is made into what is causing the social disaffection which causes some of our youngsters to become so disaffected at such an early age.
Cook that away.

[kangers]

completely agree pippity

[pippitysqueakity]

Sorry, late to party as usual, but what gets me about this ad, is the implication that teachers not cherry picked by JO are not doing our job. 'Can star teachers make star pupils?' Give me one child per year, and that child will benefit, teach 30 day in day out and try to produce star lessons on the hour every hour, and ensure each child has the exact education that suits their particular style of learning. Oh, and remember to take into account individual family backgrounds, hormones and phases of the moon, also wind factor... Go on Jamie...

[kangers]

In media interview for said show, Jamie explained how English kids could not take the 'heat' in his kitchen in comparison to the Lithuanians et al.
Secondary education is partly about preparing students for work- as Jamie has demonstrated beautifully; most employers just want you to WORK, and do it well. This is what most schools want too. Of course there are different needs and problems, but students need to know that they have to try their best to do what their teacher is asking.
Creating a one-off 'sleb-filled' school does not really solve anything. Keep it up, day in, day out, week in, week out and then come and tell me something.

[ipredicttrouble]

YANBU

I'm sick to death of seeing Jamie Bloody Oliver on the TV trying to solve all of Britain's problems. I cannot believe that he is now turning his attention to Education.

[stoatsrevenge]

'It is too hard to get rid of poor teachers.'

How true. As line manager, I was involved in a disciplinary process last year. Said teacher got her pay increase due to a clever union rep spotting an omission (a crossed box) on performance management docs. The fact that pupils had made little progress, her involvement in school and with colleagues was minimal and her planning appalling (I had evidence of all of this) was invalidated due to the paperwork not being 'perfect'. I had many sleepless nights fuming about this - I knew that if I took it further, the union rep would pull more 'legal' excuses out of the bag - I haven't read the pay and condition policy from cover to cover! Over this time (about 8 months in total, and we didn't even get to the stage of meeting with governors))my class suffered... and so did my dh (in a big, big way!)

So, I am now completely cynical about the whole process - particularly as the unions seem to have made their own rules for some very wishy washy performance management regulations.

[LineRunner]

Jamie Oliver is of course the demigod who banned turkey twizzlers .... oh hang on, hadn't the Scottish Executive already banned them, and been followed by loads of local councils and catering contractors well before Jamie appeared on the televisual scene?? Never mind, it was Jamie wot done it, and good to see him working now on inventing education. Bless.

[beatenbyayellowteacup]

That's like blaming "poor firefighting" for people dying in fires, or "poor policing" for people committing crimes, or "poor doctoring" for people being ill.

UQD that's the most enlightening thing I've heard for ages - you're spot on.

[UnquietDad]

And Ofsted should review based on process, not outcome. You can't blame "poor teaching" for poor results. That's like blaming "poor firefighting" for people dying in fires, or "poor policing" for people committing crimes, or "poor doctoring" for people being ill.

[noeyedear]

Thats ridiculous! Teachers are constantly reviewed on their performance! In the first year of teaching, or even in a new job, you are observed to death, according to ever more ridiculous OFSTED criteria. Then you get observed every year, which then goes into a performance review at the end of the year.

It is too hard to get rid of poor teachers. This puts strain on the rest of us, because of the pressure all of us are under from regulations, paperwork etc. Schools and colleges ( where i work) would rather deal with teachers as a blanket problem than confront problem staff who often have the biggest mouths and are most willing to run to the Union when they are challenged. Rather than letting teachers get on with their jobs and deal with bad teachers appropriately, everyone is treated as incompetent. This rubbish from Jamie Oliver won't change anything about this, just make it worse. "All you need are inspiring teachers to change the system"- no- you need not to tie teachers up with ridiculous blanket rules that are made up by people who need to justify their existence ( Politicians, OFSTED, etc).

[UnquietDad]

On Starkey - the best academics do not make the best teachers. I went to some extremely dull lectures at university given by the world expert on a particular German playwright. They were duller than watching paint dry. The numbers dwindled week by week.

There was no engagement with his audience - I worked out I'd be better off going back to my room and reading his very good book on the subject instead.

A lot of academics would really like to just be left alone to research, but they have to teach as part of their tenure. Many of them are great and inspiring, but many of them hate it.

[UnquietDad]

NoSuchThing - where, exactly, do you get the idiotic, erroneous, daft, stupid, crazy, jaw-dropping, ill-informed, inaccurate and totally made-up idea that teachers are 'exempted from performance reviews'??? Just wondering...

[beatenbyayellowteacup]

Well I've already been observed twice since September, which will form part of my performance review.

But I agree it's hard to get rid of tough teachers. But no-one likes being bad at their job.

[jenandberry]

We do have performance reviews but it is too difficult to get rid of a crap teacher.

[coastgirl]

Teachers have performance reviews every year!

[chocolateshoes]

nearly choked on my hot cross bun then!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[chocolateshoes]

'exempted from performance reviews????????????????????????????????????????????????

[NinkyNonker]

We're not? What on earth makes you think that?

[NoSuchThingAsSociety]

Certainly there are good, bad and indifferent teachers, as one would expect in any walk of life.

A problem for the profession, however, is the perception that it lacks the rigour and discipline to deal with members that fail to meet the required standard, for example.

Quite why teachers should be exempted from the performance reviews and discipline procedures that the rest of us have to comply with is beyond me.

[jenandberry]

David Starkey "taught" me at univerisity. He was inspirational but I could not imagine him teaching bottom set year 9 on a Friday afternoon - or even top set for that matter.

I was ranting about this earlier and knew there would be a thread on this.

If we need a better batch of teachers perhaps we should pay more rather than subjecting us all to another mockumentary.