Katharine Birbalsingh made Social Mobility chief, aibu not to have a good feeling about this?

[PasstheBucket89]

Her school does apparently have very good results for GCSEs

but im a bit wary of this, her views are quite regressive, what does she have to offer children who are disabled or who have disadvantaged background.

Aibu to feel worried about some of the views conveyed here, in a role with children?

www.theguardian.com/society/2021/oct/10/uks-strictest-headteacher-katharine-birbalsingh-made-social-mobility-chief

YANBU

This government has a weird hero complex where they invest too much in individuals and their personalities, instead of actually finding evidence of what works.

This lady has only really worked in schools. Not sure how that qualifies her for this role to be honest, even if she has some vaguely sensible things to say about some things.

She also once said that if a child accuses a teacher of racism 100% back the teacher. Her views are so regressive to the point I have wondered if she's playing a very long ruse to see how far she can take it.

Seriously? She runs a school where 58% of the pupils have English as a second language and 41% are eligible for free school meals*, yet they achieve well above the national average at GCSE and A Level. She clearly knows a lot about social mobility.

• www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/school/140862/michaela-community-school/absence-and-pupil-population

I think it is a good appointment. She won't be in the job long, though. She speaks her mind and so won't be consistently "on message" for the Tories. She is a true social conservative and so will play very well to large swathes of the public.

The only way it seems to really enjoy social mobility is to make a career out of talking about it.

Let's do this, let's do that. It's all talk from the left and right of the debate.

Then their kids go to decent schools (catchment or selectives) which isn't an option for kids off the estates because that's apparently elitist.

I quite like her. I think she's right that some schools have too low expectations of their pupils.

It just shows that the government has no regard for anyone with disabilities or mental health.

Her son is at St. Paul's. She doesn't exactly walk the walk of improving social mobility in her own family.........

Urgh. She produces some good paper results yes, but look at the SEN and pupils with MH.
Also does the paper grade translate to actual social mobility? These kids that can’t debate or talk in such a rigid system suddenly bloom into networking problem solving adults who compete with private school pupils (like her son…).
She’s made a name for herself in one strange environment. Total lack of empathy or wider understanding

I don't agree with her on everything, but on many things she speaks sense. The headlines tend to present her as a caricature of stricted headmistress who hates children, but listening to her speak it's clear that she believes that schools and society ought to support children and teach them how to learn, teach them them behave, stop having low expectations of children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

pianolessons1
I didn't know she had a child, but why shouldn't she offer her child the best education she can?

@PasstheBucket89

Her school does apparently have very good results for GCSEs

but im a bit wary of this, her views are quite regressive, what does she have to offer children who are disabled or who have disadvantaged background.

Aibu to feel worried about some of the views conveyed here, in a role with children?

It seems like she has lots to offer children from disadvantaged backgrounds judging by the success of her school.

I'm not convinced that her approach will have the same effect on adults and I do personally find her ideas a bit simplistic, but I don't like your use of the term "regressive", OP. She has had a positive effect on the community that use her school. That ain't regressive.

I didn't think she had children?

‘A positive affect on the community’, are a few Oxbridge entrances actually resolving deep social problems in the community? Does some understanding of an educational policy equip you to actually make wider social change?
I’d argue that many factors, beyond education, limit social mobility. The no excuses culture ignored this.

@pianolessons1

Her son is at St. Paul's. She doesn't exactly walk the walk of improving social mobility in her own family.........

Again, as I replied to the OP, I don't really see myself as being on the same side as this woman.

BUT she has never preached at others for using private schools like Diane Abbott did, for example. She happens to work in a non fee-paying school and send her own child to a private school. I don't see that makes her a hypocrite. Would you criticise an NHS doctor who chose to pay for private treatment?

The children are taught debate / talking skills at Michaela, and they take children who have been excluded from other schools have SEN. I had no idea she had a son at St Paul’s though.

I think she's great and she does know about social mobility as others have said.

I was also under the impression that she had no children.

I probably seem too invested in this but I see this as a problem with the modern Left. Someone has done something that's beneficial to society by doing things in a different way to our preferred method. Therefore, we must all say that actually this person is wrong and their achievement is rubbish.

It's why we keep losing.

@Essexmum321

The children are taught debate / talking skills at Michaela, and they take children who have been excluded from other schools have SEN. I had no idea she had a son at St Paul’s though.

As long as they are able to maintain eye contact, not fidget and don't have sensory issues I guess they would be OK.

I worry about how children with SEN and mental health problems would cope. My daughter would fall to pieces with a strict teacher, she shuts down in that environment.

@stuckdownahole Spot on. The left refuses to recognise any diversity of thought or opinion. I have perfectly pleasant disagreements with those in the right. I have been called all sorts of nanes by those in the left, who get angry and aggressive at lack of agreement. They go so far as to categorise anyone who doesn't agree as evil/scum/subhuman. It will be some time before they ever regain power.

I guess reading this she’s vocal on her anti-woke agenda and she will have many other people who subscribe behind her.

Ah yes, the person who is against safe guarding, great.

There is a huge difference between being ‘strict’ for the sake of it and having boundaries with clear rules and responsibilities.

Children respond well to those.