Is this the mother of all calling out - Katherine Birbalsingh

[DramaFatigue]

Katherine Birbalsingh has done the mother of all calling out and I can't help but sit here with my jaw on the kitchen table in awe.

She has written a 4-page open letter to Sir Kerr Starmer calling out Jess Phillip's behaviour online. Whilst I don't always agree with KB's methods of the school she runs, I do think that Jess Phillips behaviour towards her is shocking and unbefitting of someone who could be running the country. JP should resign TBH.

https://news.sky.com/story/headteacher-katharine-birbalsingh-brands-labour-mp-jess-phillips-social-media-posts-racist-and-bullying-12913139

They have several years worth of GCSE results. The 2022 ones made them number 1 in the country on progress 8.

PathetIc behaviour from Jess Phillips. When are MPs going to stop wasting time and taxpayers money arsing about on social media and do their actual jobs?

However, that letter from Katherine Birbalsingh is a complete reach and a see-through attempt at garnering publicity for her. It’s all about Katherine with Katherine. Since her mates Truss and Kwarteng had their mighty fall from Grace and power, she doesn’t have the clear cut path into politics she thought she had. Desperate measures.

It seems like this to me. Poor behaviour on both sides, point scoring, courting controversy etc, but racism? It was about DV, nothing to do with race. The idea that you can call racism purely because you have black heritage, or that you inherently understand all DV because of historic rape of a culture is ridiculous. The letter seems unhinged in parts.

That's not true.

Secondary - Michaela Community School - Find school and college performance data in England - GOV.UK (find-school-performance-data.service.gov.uk)

@Nanny0gg I’m sorry to hear that your DC sch is substandard, I am reading about state of UK (English?) schools and it’s terrifying.

However, having a HT who dissuades students from speaking up about possible abuse (racial), shares platforms with questionable views and a governor who disagrees with gay marriage among other issues isn’t the way forward.

In general, is there anything we can do about poor sch’s? Bar not vote for a party who is known for underfunding them?

My DC is about to start sch and I’be already applied to be a governor.
What else can be done?

What, exactly, apart from calling out a picture of the late Tina Turner with abusive husband Ike, did Jess Phillips herself say?

AIUI KB is a bit of a controversialist herself on Twitter etc. It's no surprise if others start throwing stuff around if there's even a hint of a spat with another well known poster.

JP cannot be held responsible for the tweets of others however inaccurate and upsetting they may be.

I find KB's letter difficult to follow and, in the first few paragraphs far too 'me, me and MY school' to read like a properly written complaint which would focus on the facts.

I can't see her complaint going anywhere unless there's far more to this than meets the eye

I suspect she’s weaponising the sort of crap that appeals to the north-London brained. A low tactic perhaps but given the left wing orthodoxy is that POC experience must be taken at face value it will be telling how starmer responds.

bellac11 · Today 08:10
If Im honest I cant really get worked up about grown adults having a social media spat

Why do people do this, just stay off it.

stay off all social media at all with your real name and pictures. The right people who want you in real life can always message you on many various platforms and will know what you had for breakfast anyway, if this is what they want to know, even without you posting it on fb - a bit like mumsnet. Until they try to turn it to mumsgate

I agree. You'd think high profile personalities would have cottoned on to this by now.

This is my feeling too.

I think the way children thank their teachers for their punishments is sinister. 'Thank you for correcting my behaviour and making me a better person'

Take that into a real world relationship and it's a horrible model for coercive control.

I daresay that is why JP has such an aversion to KB and all she stands for.

I also think KB should draw back on the racism accusations. I really don't think that's JP's motivation and 'it's racism because it's always racism and everyone is unconsciously racist' is a fast way to alienate people.

I think there's something not quite okay about a headteacher getting into spats like this. Or publicising their attendance at high profile right wing events

If I was a HT I wouldn't want anyone to even know my politics because I would assume that my catchment area would be comprised of students and parents of all colours (politically speaking and otherwise). I would steer clear of all controversy. I wouldn't want to be seen as a "celebrity", which she kind of is; my main priority would be my school, students and staff.

I've just looked at their Governors.
Calvin whatisname isn't one listed thankfully. He has no place anywhere near any school
All the others seem pretty high-flying with lots of expertise

Where is the info that she dissuades students speaking up?

Best description of my opinion of KB ive ever seen!

They're both as odious as eachother IMO

I think there's something not quite okay about a headteacher getting into spats like this.

Nor a politician that instigates it

Absolutely.
Ofsted grading is worthless.
Relatives sent theirs to an apparent outstanding school only to find out there are hardly any qualified permanent teachers. So RE teachers teaching gcse maths etc. For the past few years. It’s not a problem school at all but it’s only the top sets that get the qualified teachers everyone else gets supply teachers or sports coaches to teach gcse subjects from a book or you tube.

There’s absolutely no follow through of whether a child is learning anything and now they are looking at year 10 kid with year 7 ability.

Shame grading based on box ticking.
Running a school like that is like learning by rote,

Nanny I don't think ofsted results are really something to aspire to work out a school on. For a start it's all about ticking the right boxes.

And those right boxes coming from from a government that has driven education funding to the ground.

They are not checking what schools provide education wise.

They are checking that teachers are being educators, social workers Salts and psychologists on a minimal budget.

They want schools like KBs because they produce yes men willing to jump when told, not challenging authority and thinking pun Cush meant for any minor indiscretion is normal.

@Nanny0gg He was a governor and trustee

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvin_Robinson

someone posted her tweets above, re not believe children if they accuse a teacher of racism (not saying that a child should be blindly believed, but the public tweet clearly states her position).

This is what she said about who to back if a child says a teacher is being racist

I’m struggling to put into words how angry some of the comments are making me. Just because this school isn’t a perfect fit for all kids doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t exist to benefit the many many capable children who need boundaries, discipline and high expectations. These exist in the form of grammar schools in white affluent suburbs, but apparently all poor kids and black and brown kids must be sacrificed for the greater good.

Who has said this?!

I think it's disgusting to accuse someone of racism for no good reason (at least no good reason was given in the Sky article quotes).

I apologise. I missed the date on the Ofsted report (it's 2017).

There isn't another one on the website yet - so that's what it was like five years ago. A lot has happened since then in society.

Where is the info that she dissuades students speaking up?

She says it herself. Watch her documentaries on the school. She encourages compliance and acceptance of punishment. She encourages her pupils to thank teachers for detentions!

Also read her SM. She has said things in the past like if a child calls the race card always back the teacher.

So quite ironic she then plays the race card when called out for celebrating a domestic abuser.

Who has said this?

And I've not seen any grammar school in any area publicising running their school the same way KB runs Micheala.

It's not the aspiring for a good education that people have the problem with. It's the running a school with no movement for children to grow as learners and as people and discover who they are. There's no room for error. There's no belief of the pupils and the teachers are always right.