Harsh Times at Yarmouth High. New Head introduces new rules including sick buckets in classrooms.

[HelenaDove]

Posted this on another thread but i think it deserves a thread of its own.

HelenaDove Mon 11-Sep-17 21:06:41
www.edp24.co.uk/news/education/phones-confiscated-for-weeks-and-sick-buckets-in-the-classroom-tough-new-rules-at-norfolk-school-1-5188326
Add message | Report | Message poster HelenaDove Mon 11-Sep-17 21:08:44
“You never lie and make excuses like, ‘I just wanted to put something in the bin’. We all know children say things like that to get out of work. You never pretend to be ill to get out of work because we expect you to work through it. If you feel sick we will give you a bucket. If you vomit - no problem! You’ve got your bucket. That’s probably all your body wanted - to vomit. If you are really ill we will make sure you get all the attention you need."

JESUS WEPT.

Its not fair on the other children?! Its nothing to do with the other children, its what's fair for this child. I think you're right noble he's one of those who thinks if a child tries hard enough they can be nt. I have unfortunately come across several teachers like this at ds's primary school. Funnily enough it didn't cure him just damaged his mental health, something we are all still recovering from as a family.

Posted twice because I'm so cross about this.

Oh, I'm sure the booklet was personally written by him, it has to have been. Written by him and presented to staff (and students? Not clear about that) as a fait accompli. There was a single voice in that document and it had strong hints of Michaela running through it.

And when it was leaked, the shit hit the fan and he had to back down.

Leaving this thread. I've known enough schools where kidz rule and parents support them (clothes, haircuts, shoes, bullying) and diss the teachers to the point of attacking them.

I also agree if a child with SEN or a kid who just wants to learn is going to do better if the head can make sure classrooms aren't disrupted by numpties trying it on with the teachers.

I am at that case, noble. Come on, this man needs to be sacked. Now.

That's the reason my line manager gave me for removing my reasonable adjustments at work

What happened next?

Would he take glasses away from a kid and tell them to try harder to read the board?

Actually, I'm reminded of a thread a few weeks ago about Growth Mindset where someone said they knew of a school that had taken laptops away from kids who needed them presumably because they could write faster if they had the right mindset.

millie why are you leaving this thread when I don't think anyone on it disagrees with you on those points

Sorry posted too early

On top of which teachers might actually want to teach there as opposed to leaving the profession.

What I would be interested in is what the plans are for involving the kids in GY in what they might do with their lives if they can settle down. Nothing stopping them doing coding, cooking, setting up their own business, environmental science - without leaving GY. Or leaving GY. There are big companies in Norfolk and Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire who would chip in.

Posted this on another thread but slotting it in here too.

HelenaDove Fri 08-Sep-17 14:31:06
"UK children have roughly the highest rate of mental health problems in the developed world - and the most test-based education system"

YY SGB. When mental health tsar Natasha Devon discovered the links between childrens mental health problems and school she was sacked because it wasnt what certain quarters wanted to hear.

www.theguardian.com/education/2016/sep/09/dfe-emails-reveal-officials-wanted-silence-mental-health-tsar-natasha-devon
Add message | Report | Message poster HelenaDove Fri 08-Sep-17 14:34:21
From the article.

"She has visited an average of three schools a week and has worked with more than 45,000 teenagers. She is concerned that young people’s mental health is being used by the government as “positive PR” rather than something taken seriously.

The report claims that despite the best efforts of teachers, the culture and environment of most schools – with large class sizes, an increasingly academic curriculum and a testing regime – conspire against high self-esteem and good mental health

millie the trust itself has backed down on the weirder stuff in the document and published a far more reasonable-sounding behaviour policy.

So millie if the story about this child with autism and the way they have been treated is true, is that OK with you then?

It's a long story that largely gets worse, leading to having 3/4 of my role removed. Not because of any concern over my work, but because I have X so obviously won't be able to do it. Obviously asking me whether any of those things were an issue for me was out of the question.

Eventually I got the union involved and I think HR started to get worried they were about to lose an employment tribunal. Although I still don't have that particular adjustment back but it was a case of picking my battles by then.

It's surprising how long it took me to get over it.

That's crap Rafa petty, and probably not a little vindictive.

Just read this great thread on Twitter from the Ex CEO of Future Leaders Trust who buy heavily into No Excuses. He thinks the Great Yarmouth leaked document is unacceptable because it is based on power and authoritarianism and not love.

He says '42. If you think that the GY Charter document is acceptable, I suggest that you reflect at some length on your values and beliefs.'

Full thread here: twitter.com/heath_monk/status/907583949819572224

Oh that's really good. It's not that there's anything wrong with having rules and implementing them, it's this concept of a) constantly policing petty, stupid rules and b) starting with the viewpoint that your pupils are vicious animals who need to be terrorized into submission. There is nothing of kindness, encouragement, understanding or even a positive approach to education in these horrible school regimes - it's all about crushing pupils - and demonizing their parents, too.

I itch to correct the many grammatical errors in that original document.

As a teacher the eye tracking thing really worries me. I had a couple of experiences early in my career, when I didn't understand ASD where I tried to demand eye contact from students. It made everyone's life a nightmare. With one of them I was able to recover the staff-student relationship thank goodness. Barry and his cronies are experienced enough to know this.

So, banana, VI trumps ASD as a disability as far as you're concerned?
What is VI more valid in your book?

Petty and vindictive would just about sum her up, noble. Although her own lack of confidence and an inability to listen played a big part.

Nobody has any respect for her. Most of the time we just ignore her and do what we want if we can get away with it. It bothers her but she just can't work out why.

VI = visually impaired.

Bananas, I suspect Bishop reacted the way she did because it's common for invisible disabilities like ASD to be taken less seriously than disabilities that are more obvious. ASD was previously mentioned as a disability that would make these rules impossible for a child to follow and it's possible she interpreted your post as being coming up with a "real" disability that would make this impossible, when another disability that would make it impossible (i.e. ASD) had already been mentioned. It's a sensitive issue for people who are/whose children are autistic, because their needs are often passed over as being not as real as those of children with more obvious, easily-understandable disabilities.

Bananas VI is visually impaired. As in your comment "I'd really like to know how the eye tracking thing works with visually impaired kids."

A child with an ASC may have as much difficulty with eye contact / tracking as a child with VI.

I'm not accusing you at all, just trying to explain how I interpreted Bishop's reaction. FWIW I think blind and VI people get utterly inadequate help in schools and the works in general. Please don't lash out at me.