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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to think that this school's motto is a bit of a joke?

43 replies

KentExpecting · 02/02/2015 09:42

Local secondary school. Fairly new motto: "Excellence in Everything" - in huge letters on banners on and around the school, in newspaper ads, etc.

AIBU to think this is a bit of a joke given that...

  • this school 'requires improvement' according to Ofsted
  • only 41% of its pupils get 5 GCSEs at A-C inc Maths and English
  • only 24% of 'disadvantaged pupils' (free school meals / looked after by council) get 5 GCSEs at A-C inc Maths and English
  • average score per A Level entry is D
  • they don't have any kind of handle on absences - over 10% of pupils are absent at least 15% of the time (vs England average of 6.5%)
Hmm

And before Mr Cameron has any ideas about turning them into an Academy to improve them -they are an academy. And I remember that when they converted to academy-status 3 or 4 years ago, there was a lot of talk about how that was going to make them even more excellent...

I despair.

OP posts:
Seeline · 02/02/2015 09:44

Excellence in everything is surely a worthwhile aim to have if they are trying to improve their current situation. Would it better to have a motto saying 'We're crap and are going to stay crap'?

jasper · 02/02/2015 09:45

yes.
They are encouraging striving for excellence,
not claiming to be excellent in everything

LoveVintage · 02/02/2015 09:47

It sounds like an aspiration rather than a boast to me.

GlitzAndGigglesx · 02/02/2015 09:48

I would see it as encouragement. My secondary school had a similar motto with many disadvantaged pupils who ended up doing really well in exams

Zebda · 02/02/2015 09:49

I think its fine as a motto, as long as the school has management, plans and resources in place to make improvements. If everything will bumble along the same, then its just hyperbole.

I feel the same way about the bold announcements made by the education minister this weekend about moving UK schools to fifth in the world...nice ambition but what exactly are you gping to do to achieve it?

dougierose · 02/02/2015 10:13

a) The school has no sense of irony
b) The school has a very good sense of irony.

My son's last school had "The best in everyone."

It didn't provide the best for him so we switched him to a school where it was expected that he should read books according to his individual reading aged and do joined up hand writing. These hadn't been considered necessary in his last school. In Year 3.

TheCountessofFitzdotterel · 02/02/2015 10:28

I dunno, at the other extreme my dcs' school has a big banner proudly quoting their Ofsted 'this is a GOOD school'. Thus making it clear to anyone passing that everyone else thinks it is a BAD school. Nothing wrong with a bit of aspiration.

EveDallasRetd · 02/02/2015 10:41

My favourite school motto is "Dare to be wise"

I like the challenge, and the headteacher at that school was one for always telling the pupils to stand out from the crowd, that learning was the way ahead, challenging themselves would get them further than going with the flow. The school was in a disadvantaged area with an above average number of pupils on FSM or parents with low paid jobs. DD left that school with a healthy appetite for knowledge, and is willing to stick up for herself in class against the 'swot' namecalling.

(I know it's not an unusual motto and that many schools/colleges use it; I just thought it was a very appropriate one for the school DD went to)

Icimoi · 02/02/2015 10:45

I like the one near me that has a big banner up saying "A Learning School". If they mean a school where people learn, so what? I would hope that that is true of every school. If they mean they are learning, I wouldn't have thought parents find that terribly reassuring.

echt · 02/02/2015 11:27

Latin should be revived. A personal favourite would be Coeli Canis - the dog's bollocks.

TooHasty · 02/02/2015 11:28

My schools motto is in Anglo-Saxon and so most people don't have a clue what it means

EmpressOfJurisfiction · 02/02/2015 11:30

I passed a school yesterday with a sign saying "All our pupils excel at and enjoy learning and life."

Again, it's a great aspiration but do they really?

Hakluyt · 02/02/2015 11:30

So what would you suggest, OP?

DuchessDisaster · 02/02/2015 11:31

How do you measure excellence?

BarbarianMum · 02/02/2015 11:58

Never did find out what our school motto was - it was in latin which was not taught at the school and in the 5 years I was there no one ever explained or cared enough to ask

PeaceOfWildThings · 02/02/2015 12:04

It does seem a bit like they might offer qualifications in turd polishing, tbh. I don't think it is likely to do much for morale unless there actually is excellent leadership, teaching and an all round excellent supportive pastoral system there now. Seems unlikely if this is the first change made. Sad

Pumpkinpositive · 02/02/2015 12:06

Do you have offspring attending this school, OP? You seem well down with their performance stats.

GhoulWithADragonTattoo · 02/02/2015 12:31

Be just and fear not. I love that one Smile

SanityClause · 02/02/2015 12:37

Our school motto was "vitae nos parat" which means "it prepares us for life".

The school emblem was a seagull, as we were near the sea, and overrun with them.

The joke was always that "vitae nos parat" meant "do not feed the parrots".

GuybrushThreepwoodMightyPirate · 02/02/2015 12:45

To be fair, the school's headline figures are not the point; it's the Value Added that matters. If they're getting those results from a cohort of pupils who are all target D- grades then they are doing excellently.

Original poster
KentExpecting · 02/02/2015 17:17

To my mind, it's just hyperbole - nothing else is changing, they're just putting up these huge posters with 'EXCELLENCE IN EVERYTHING' everywhere. I would have loved to see something a bit more achievable / realistic?

OP posts:
Original poster
KentExpecting · 02/02/2015 17:20

Pumpkin, I have 2 DSSs. One left that school a couple of years ago after spectacularly failing his GCSEs after being predicted B/C grades in all subjects. The other one is in year 10 and we're trying to work with the school to prevent a repeat of the DSS1 scenario... It's really, really difficult to work with the school though :(

OP posts:
Idontseeanysontarans · 02/02/2015 17:23

School mottos are always rubbish and meaningless but they can't really have one that says 'we're a bit shit really' can they? however entertaining that would be

Original poster
KentExpecting · 02/02/2015 17:28

I wouldn't complain if it was just phrased a bit differently... Striving for Excellence would do. And I like the 'Dare to be wise' motto that one of you posted :)

OP posts:
Hakluyt · 02/02/2015 17:31

If your're in Kent and that's a high school, then 41%'s not bad at all.......