Gower school islington

[BeenieBaby]

Anyone have any experience of this school? We're keen on a Montessori education, but this school seems to have a bad rep, we weren't sure why... Anyone know firsthand what it's like?

@anotheronewritesagain I’m sorry your previous post was deleted, still unsure why. In a way I’m glad it was, no other person but a member of SLT would have reported that. Looks like TGS is still trying to hide the mistreatment of staff/children. They never gave a voice for a PTA, now the MN voice is trying to be taken away. Not everything in this world can be covered up.

On Google reviews. Got it spot on, really.

"The teachers are very welcoming, polite and helpful but unfortunately, I met the head teacher this morning and she was extremely rude and degrading which is worrying as if she makes adults feel this way I would not like to imagine how she could make a child feel."

There’s lots of very positive reviews too though 😊

My child is at the Gower School and she adores it and is absolutely thriving. Her classroom, and her friends, are great for learning, kindness and growth.

We do though like many other GS parents worry about how happy the teachers are. This was brought home very recently when the Head of Lower School unexpectedly left after only two terms in the role. She was a great talent and a source of energy and new ideas. We were very sad.

What Emma Gower has achieved with the school is amazing. I mean, to have build a school from nothing is just staggering, especially one that is as happy as this is for the students. However, she must find it very distressing and difficult to have to handle teachers leaving unexpectedly, ones who were clearly in a role that causes them pain.

I wish very much that Emma Gower could do more work on herself to develop a more inclusive, supportive, leadership style. She should be much more confident about the permanence of what she has achieved, and the ability of others to input into the next stage of growth for a great school.

After all, that is part of creating a learning community / environment - something every school is.

That, I think, is what the parents are asking her to do.

Very, very well put @licorice23

Unfortunately EG's approach either makes teachers want to leave OR she breeds a bullying culture amongt those members of staff higher up the heirachy and/or those who she "likes".

I remember sitting in a meeting with her once which consisted of us with several other external professionals. She sat there on her phone constantly, picking her nails and acting very bored. This was of
Course after turning up 30 minutes late with no apology.

It's really such a shame.

I’m curious, when a teacher leaves TGS, how do families learn of it? Are they notified before or after the fact?

Also, how are exiting staff treated? Are they given a dignified goodbye?

It's tried to keep under wraps for as long as possible. I guess because there has been so much drama in the past regarding the ridiculously high staff turnover.

There's usually a teaching staff update in a weekly newsletter. Lunchtime and after school club staff are treated particularly badly. Paid A PITTANCE and treated with 0 respect... I remember one member sharing that she'd only got an insulting 1p pay rise one year. Not a joke.

Staff leaving happens so often though that EG always sugar coats it or lies to parents attempting to state different reasons for why a staff member left. I.e. "moving to another area." "pursuing a new career"... then again would she really say the truth?? Must be quite embarrassing to have a staff turnover that high...

Do the children and parents ever get a chance to say goodbye to the leaving staff member?

@licorice23
Your comment "I wish very much that Emma Gower could do more work on herself to develop a more inclusive, supportive, leadership style. She should be much more confident about the permanence of what she has achieved, and the ability of others to input into the next stage of growth for a great school." is thoughtful and supportive.
This very same thought I had about eight years ago in my early days as a parent at the school, shared by parents who had been there longer (at the time) than me. She is surrounded by supportive and extremely capable and talented parents. It is sad that new parents (assuming your child is in the younger classes?) still have to come to that same conclusion as no progress has been made. I actually feel at least for the children themselves, the situation has deteriorated (not in the younger classes). The ISI report mentions independent counsel she apparently receives, but I can see no evidence of this.

@anotheronewritesagain thanks for explaining about your post. I am very sorry to hear you had such a bad experience as I am for all the staff. I am wondering if parents are a more powerful voice than staff when it comes to raising issues with the ISI? I do not at all wish to ignore staff, current and previous, and their very serious issues, but feel in order to effect change (and even if that means a more truthful assessment by ISI or MSA) and have the issues taken seriously by current parents that are still unaware of the underlying dysfunctionality it would be best to focus on the wellbeing of the children. I mention again the communication style that now seems to be the norm, very un-Montessori to say the least.

I think they do, you're right. I've never known her to take advice though.

If you have a grievance about her for instance, you have to go through her father. Perhaps that's the external person the ISI report touched on. If you have a grievance about another member of staff, it's only taken seriously if EG dislikes that member of staff. Hence why my grievance over Miss R was not acknowledged.

Good luck with it x

Does anyone have any experience of the nursery?

@anotheronewritesagain I know of the member of staff you are talking about regarding the disgusting 1p raise that they received, it was the only raise they ever received in all their time working at the school and that's with all the extra work and roles they appeared to have.

I was also informed by another staff member that when they left any children that inquired why they were not present they were told that the staff member was "on holiday" and that was the story other staff had to tell them for roughly a month.

What you see on the surface of the school is a very well planned and practiced lie and there is much more going on beneath with the well being of some staff, basically unless you are liked by the more senior staff you will be bulled and humiliated and it appears almost encouraged.

@tiikeri1 Completely spot on when you said it's a well planned and practised lie. Lunch time and after school club staff are treated atrociously and completely looked down upon but it's overlooked because they work in the background.

Then again, on the other side I remember a gentleman in senior leadership who
Left quite quickly in the school year as he was ridiculed and treated disgustingly. At one point he was reduced to tears and anxiety attacks! A fully qualified, experienced senior teacher may I add.

You are right that staff have to lie about why they are leaving. They unfortunately cannot explain to parents the unfair nature of the School and the fact that to succeed or even survive at TGS you need to be friends with the bullies. If you are a decent person, you're done for.

Dear Don't call mummy,

If you have a bright child for goodness' sake stay away from TGS (Unless you can afford a tutor, of course which all the children have and which masks the rubbish teaching in the upper school)!

High achieving students do well in most settings, but if your child is a late bloomer, what kind of experience can they expect at Gower?

I used to think that particularly in Lower School, children will be very well nurtured, be able to learn and develop at their own pace (as these classes are still strongly Montessori based) and this may well still be the case. But I would strongly caution - at least in Upper School a very strong competitive element is present (I believe much more so than years ago), not just from many parents (which naturally rubs off on children) but also from staff and very clearly the head and her deputy. This can of course negatively influence a child's confidence who is just not ready yet. Favouritism has been mentioned a few times on this thread, so this could potentially also affect a late blooming child. Try to speak to the school and people in that situation if they feel their child gets the nurturing they deserve and potentially additional attention.

Nurture and the Gower School are mutually exclusive. This is true of the way staff treat many children and of the way staff treat staff. The website videos stating otherwise are, quite frankly, hilarious.

Having gone to a selective prep and independent myself I can say that it is pretty much par for the course to have an element of competitiveness - we had Oxbridge only classes (for example). Private schools do obviously prioritize the "leaver's destinations" because that is a vague marker on how they are performing. Yes, probably, most of the kids at TGS would probably go onto selective, prized secondaries because (a) self selection by parents and (b) because parents who send their kids to TGS are probably more likely to engage with their education but I would hope that TGS helps to facilitate an easy entry into a good school. There is a new ISI inspection and I and my partner had nothing but positive things to say. I know I could be proved wrong but I really couldn't wish for a better school for my child to be educated at.

Have realized I have been overzealous with my use of "probables", so apologies.

Will ISI look at any of the things identified on this Mumsnet thread, such as the staff turnover?

I hope all concerned parents will complete the ISI pre-inspection parent survey and raise the issues there.

My partner attended Cambridge, but he was a late bloomer. Some people (especially boys) take longer to mature. How are those children that are not top performers treated? Are they treated differently? Do they leave Gower as confident, happy learners?

But it is inevitable that there will be a bell curve of ability in all schools. By choosing TGS you are choosing to skew that bell curve due to, inter alia, academic selective entrance and socio-demographic factors. You are choosing to skew the curve towards the upper end of academic ability - the bulbous bit moves.

I sincerely hope that my child leaves as a happy confident learner - of course I do. I wouldn't, however, encourage him to go down the Oxbridge route. I wasn't particularly happy there and I'd prefer him to be happy rather than having a "badge" for excellent secondary or university.

But by the time the university interviews roll round - the children will be small adults and their TGS career will be far behind them. So I don't understand how "late blooming" is an issue for TGS?