Think it may possibly be helpful to do a quick recap of where we are, bearing in mind now 260+ posts.
Thread started in the ordinary way with parents seeking feedback on the School, then took a turn as a number of ex-staff members resurrected it to post details of grievances they had. The School sought to have these taken down, which then led others to comment
Recurring themes:
- Staff turnover at TGS seems high (although no-one has provided figures for any London average, so we do not have a clear idea of HOW high), and there is concern that this is indicative of a hostile underlying working environment, pay and conditions that are not conducive to staff retention;
- Parent / child experiences at the School are very variable; it is said to be dependent on whether the Head likes you and your child - or not. Some families complain of negative treatment and low tolerance of boisterous children or children with SEN. These families, unsurprisingly, seem to have removed their children from the School. Other parents (me included and NB: I am not EG in disguise
!) have not witnessed anything of this nature. Their children seem to be making good progress and are very happy at The Gower, and so they are bemused by the negative comments;
- There is concern about the governance arrangements and lack of any of the usual mechanisms for parents to be involved in the running of a School (PTA, Governing body). Many people appear to share these, whether otherwise happy with the School or not;
- Various other concerns have been expressed - e.g. the rearranging of classes annually; the School seems claustrophic because of a cramped physical environment; the food - but the above seem to be the real biggies.
There is an ISI inspection ongoing at the moment. Parents were asked to fill in a questionnaire. However, from some of the comments made, it seems that the ISIs findings are only likely to satisfy some posters if they support the criticisms - if, on the other hand, they are positive about the School, they may be dismissed as being made by people the Head personally knows or as failing to penetrate what is going on behind the scenes. So it seems unlikely a glowing ISI report will put matters to rest.
What I would like to say to those who have posted repeatedly on this thread is - what do you want? What are you seeking to achieve by your comments? Especially, if your child is no longer at the School?
I know what I want - and what I do not want. I want TGS to learn from this unhappy experience, so far as learning is needed, move on from this and flourish. Principally, it seems to me what is needed is an appreciation that the governance arrangements appropriate for a successful nursery do not apply perhaps so successfully to a School, and there is a need for the voices of parents and staff better to be heard - and listened to, so that people feel that their views have been respected even if not always agreed with. Emma Gowers is right, in my view, when she comments that The information in the postings on this has been hurtful both to [her], [the] staff team and the school community to read. The School needs to reflect on how going forward whether there is anything it can do to channel dissenting voices into a more appropriate forum than a social network.
I do not want the School to fail or dwindle. I think that would be a terrible shame, not only for the children currently at the School. TGS really does offer something different. I do not know how pure its version of the Montessori learning approach is or how far TGS has to modify it to satisfy a parent body, which is at the same time concerned about leavers destinations in the competitive world of independent and selective London schools.
What I do know is that it is extremely successful in my experience in, through applying Montessori principles, developing children who, as Awgd has said, are engaged, self-assured, with teaching very much orientated to individual needs. The breadth of the curriculum means that children really are learning for life.
Personally, I believe that introducing children to some competition and requiring high standards of appearance and behaviour are important, particularly for a School situated in central London, and reflective of the educational and work environments that many of the children will ultimately move on to. I feel that TGS manages this very well, and there is none of the rampant, tight-lipped competition among parents and children that occurs at some independent schools.
We chose TGS for our child because DC is a gentle soul, and needed care and nurture. At The Gower School, I have witnessed all that I had hoped being achieved - and more. Our child has come a long way since being described by a nursery key worker (non-Gower) as a sad and lonely person, and is now lively, confident, thriving academically and socially, and has gained the self-belief actually to start to put themselves forward. I am so pleased. A lot of credit must go to the staff team, but I also think much credit is due to the School for building in the opportunities for this to happen.
Whilst I am not disregarding the serious issues raised by this thread - but indeed are very worried by them - I do not want to have to uproot my child, put them through a competitive assessment process for an all-age school or have them move to another primary school mid-way through their primary career, with all the disruption socially and academically that will involve, when they are currently very happy, settled and doing well.
I note what SDT85 has said about her son now being welcomed at a prominent London school. I am pleased for SDT85 and her DC. However, at the same time, I would ask you to recognise that not all children at TGS will be so fortunate if they have to move on and this is really the last thing that many families want to have to contemplate.