Katherine Birbalsingh?

[GreatJehosephat]

She’s been popping up on tiktok for the last few days, and seems to be very divisive.

She appears to get amazing results, but then people point out she’s misrepresenting the truth as to who goes to her school, that they have far fewer children with SN, and can turn away children if they wish.

In rl she seems to be really polarised as well, so I thought I’d ask here and hope to learn more about her system and whether it’s cherry picked (as suggested) or if she has indeed created an amazing experience for her pupils.

My own opinion, based on the clips I’ve seen, is that the very strict rules would mostly be intolerable to any adult in a workplace and when you look at other academies who install strict rules it seems to impact heavily on the pupil’s mental health.
I believe there’s a place for such schools, and they work very well for some children, but I can think of plenty of children who need a different approach in order to produce a happy, productive population (in a way where people are mentally well enough to find employment - and we seem to be seeing a downturn in this and an upturn in young people being too stressed to do anything!).

Katharine Birbalsingh started a school in a deprived part of London, and gets astounding results - I believe her “value added” scores are among the best in the country. Before sending your child to the school, you need to sign up to the rules, most particularly that it’s a secular school (she has a lot of Muslim pupils), and that the rules over uniform and behaviour will be followed. The school is rigorous and she believes in what might be considered old fashioned academic values - but the children seem happy, they get good results, and she has transformed the lives of many of her pupils.

No I hear you re long discussions in small classrooms, that was an unrealistic ideal (for most schools). I was talking about rote learning with the overt aim of getting through exams and whether it's better to be pragmatic about that. Or, try and include literacy analysis and critical thinking. Interesting to see whether people get through the first stage of education onto solid things and then develop complex thinking skills, or whether these are important early and rote learning is a bad habit.

I went to a non selective girls high school in the 70s and imagine that quite a lot of kids now would find it quite strict, uniform upheld, standing when teachers/headmistress walked in, discipline in the corridors, chalk and talk, lots of stuff. It was not unusual for the time and just normal to us.

However, it doesn't sound as restrictive and regimented as Michaela. There were eg basic rules about one way and no running in corridors (sensible when they are polished stone and you've got hundreds of girls going from lesson to lesson) but they certainly weren't silent. We had good teachers who were happy to have discussions in class that sometimes went very off topic but were valuable (I remember one who was not happy about the lack of sex education and had a very memorable "myth busting" session) There was a lot of emphasis on respect for yourself and others, assemblies about inspiring women (Marie Curie, Grace Darling, Mary Anning and Rosa Parks) This wasn't a wealthy area but I think most parents were on side and there wasn't a chasm between expectations at home and those at school.

I think there is a middle ground between what I've heard about Michaela and the sort of schools it is reacting against and in that middle ground there has got to be an element of nurture and care as well as structure and discipline, especially for those kids who are being failed by parents. How that can be achieved now I'm not sure but the will and the resources have to be there.

Any learning would be a good thing! I was born and raised in another, poor country ( like most Michaela parents?) The things that seem strict to some are not strict to me.

I read Lucy Kellaway's book recently on teaching maths in an inner city school. Enjoyed it.But gosh the privilege! Not all of us can get into Oxbridge by barely studying and a clutch of Bs and Cs. Lucy herself says she wishes she had been a pushier parent when her son messes up his A levels. He eventually does way better, but other kids don't have the privilege of getting shit results and beinf rescued by parents.

I'm a teacher and it would be an absolute dream to teach in a school where there are no behaviour issues, the students all want to learn and you can crack on and impart your specialist knowledge as you are paid to do. There are some things I wouldn't like about her school (silent corridors sound weird) but there is plenty to like.

All parents claim to want this type of school - where there is no disruption to learning. Yet when people try to create this type of school, starting with enforcing the small things like uniform or equipment, the parents kick off. Every September without fail, there are stories in the press about how little Johnny has been sent home for wearing the wrong shoes, how is that anything to do with their learning etc etc. I always say what is the news story in "school enforces its own rules"? And if they don't, what is the point of having them?

The Left hate her because she exposes their cynical sponsorship of failed identity grievance politics.

Why have academies not brought the revolutionary changes they were supposed to? The idea was to remove them from local authority control and set them on the path to excellence. It's an idea that's largely failed. Why? Because the entire teaching profession is captured by the same failed ideologies that plague local education authorities and academia.

Here are the words of Katharine herself:

'At Michaela, we positively embrace small-c conservative values which millions of people, including so many of our families and pupils, also value. Those values enable extraordinary academic progress.

'But they also promote a way of living, where gratitude, agency and personal responsibility, refusal of identity-politics victimhood, love of country, hard work, kindness, a duty towards others, self-sacrifice for the betterment of the whole, are fundamental to who we are.

'Multiculturalism works at Michaela not because we've emptied the identity space of the school in order to accommodate difference, but because we have a clear identity which anyone can sign up to, if they are willing to compromise.

'Ever since the idea of Michaela began in 2011, our detractors have railed against our strict rules and traditional values.

'Their patronising, paternalist, 'we know what's best for you' progressive thinking goes like this: ethnic minority families cannot possibly know what they want and have chosen and continue to choose for their children.

'Those choices must be made for them. We need to have the honesty to call that out. A deep-seated progressivist racism fuels the condescending belief that ethnic minorities cannot think and choose for themselves. It is what has allowed a particular kind of bullying identity politics to take such a grip of our country.'

Wish I could send my DS to one of her schools.

I think she only has the one.

She should get some more then. Become executive head at lots of them

She gets my vote for Ed Sec! At least she's a teacher and believes in parental right of choice!

I wonder why she hasn't taken on more schools if she's so great?

(I personally don't like the sound of her school. I know many love it but that style of school isn't to my taste)

I am an ethnic minority who has always voted Labour, but I completely agree that a sort of whiny, self-obsessed, identity grievance victimhood is not what I want for my DC. Also agree with personal responsibility and no religion in schools, including the religion of idiotic gender ideology.

One that stands out as unacceptable all round was from a clip of her saying that children who are late for whatever reason are punished.

That’s not ok. Cars/buses break down, shit happens. Children should be taught coping mechanisms, correct ways to handle things like this (eg politely apologising for being late), but being punished for something out of their control is utterly pointless and teaches nothing.

My local academy has very strict rules which work for some but are unattainable for others.

KB’s rules may stand some pupils in good stead, but many see this as the way forward for all, when for many children these rules do nothing but create very low self esteem and poor mental health. Like a pp said we need variety because humans are not all the same.

How are they punished? I have no issues with demerits or similar for being late. Or with a two strikes policy. I also have no issues with strict uniforms.

Personally, I think rather too much is made of mental health and self esteem these days, to the point that we have raised a completely self obsessed generation who have excuses for everything. My DC have to be on time for their jobs, regardless of their MH or a bus breakdown. An apology may cut it one day, but not everyday.

The kids in Michaela's have likely faces worse punishments than being scolded for being late.

I agree with this completely.
My dc would not thrive in her school at all, but I wouldn’t want schools like this to not exist, because they’re clearly doing amazing work.

I think what’s bothered me is her attitude that she’s getting it right therefore all schools could, when I don’t believe they could given the nature of humans and rising rates of SN.
This is echoed by people I’ve spoken to - those who think she’s wonderful are generally parents of typically developing children who have little interest or knowledge of the children who do not thrive in school.

The introduction of academies hasn’t been the great thing that it was supposed to be, and it’s been disastrous for SEND children and therefore for non academies.

Mumsnet is obsessed with ‘critical thinking’. I wonder how philosophers and scientists throughout history managed to learn these skills without lessons in them.

Everybody has got an excuse. They just need to be on time. No need for "coping mechanisms" or any other therapy speak. In fact, I love that KB doesn't indulge that stuff.

If it is only a rare problem with a car or whatever, then a one off punishment won't hurt. Pretty sure its not a lunchtime flogging.

You might think punishing kids for something that is totally outside their control is a good way to win hearts and minds, I think it's a surefire bet not to and I was a boringly well behaved swotty head girl who was never in trouble.

I think she’s doing an amazing thing. If I were in her catchment area I’d send my kids to Michaela. It sounds like it’s a peaceful, safe environment where children can learn without fear of ridiculed for being a swot. Children from motivated families who care about education.

I like her. Children don't want to be in a chaotic environment. She doesn't have a privileged intake and she also gets the highest value added scores in the country.

OP there are lots of threads on MN about her which are really interesting.

her school can not reject pupils, its admissions criteria is clear and is basically distance like any other school. She gets results from that cohort.

i am not sure that people leave free schools in the numbers you indicate following mental breakdown, in fact I haven’t heard of free schooling being a factor at all in what is a uncommon situation

Because (1) she’s busy and (2) because the mouth frothing crowd try and block her. She was looking a few years back at opening a second school - poss in Swindon - but then Covid happened and she’s had to spend a great deal of time dealing with lawsuits from the malcontents.

I honestly don't understand why people have a problem with her. I think her approach is to focus on the smaller stuff so things have less chance to escalate into the serious stuff. I'd be more than happy to send my DC to her school if I happened to live in that area.

@Uricon2
I think that the vast majority of kids do best under a tough love, suck it up buttercup kind of approach. The last school I taught at was chock full of coping mechanisms, emotional check-ins and the "that's not ok" method of dealing with issues. I don't think it's a coincidence that the kids who had spent 7 or 8 years there were the most emotionally fragile, neurotic bunch of kids I've ever seen. I actually think it was cruel to do that to them.

I get that a minority of kids need a different approach but when that approach becomes the system for the whole school, it just doesn't work. Kids take the piss. I mean who doesn't want to skive off for a movement break or emotional something or other, play with lego instead of maths because they are feeling overwhelmed, be late, be abusive, sack off the required uniform......?

I know nothing about her school but her words are brilliant