Good people need to volunteer to help at bad schools (if they have time!)

[mellowdramatic]

An academy (secondary) in my area has had a ton of money spent on it - it's brand shining new - but has just been put on special measures. Such a shame.

The general consensus amongst people I've spoken to is that it's because the parents that care have seen it going downhill in recent years, and send their kids elsewhere. The kids that enrol are bussed in from run down estates a mile or so away. The powers that be say that too much effort is spent on discipline not on teaching, hence the special measures.

Poor kids. No chance of a decent education.

But these kids come from primary schools that are also a bit rough and ready - surely if decent people volunteered to help out at these the kids would have a better chance? I'm saying this because my kids go to a lovely primary school where lots of lovely people volunteer - but it's the less desirable schools that really need it?

Yes I know it shouldn't be down to volunteers but there's no money to spend (I know this - I work in local government finance and the cuts are devastating). I work more than full time so couldn't volunteer myself but is there anyone out there that can help?

Many primary schools do not want volenteers to listen to children read. They are convinced that the parents just want to snoop on the teacher. I think that children in deprived areas need to practice the reading at school every day.

My children have friends from families where neither parent can read or English is a new language. Good schools are effective at identifying such children and putting in measures to support them. Funding is less of an issue as deprived area often have the pupil premium. Schools in East London show that children from low income families can and do achieve.

I think that its right that a school concentrates on progress rather than behaviour. Very few children are fundermentally bad and poor behaviour is often because the children cannot access the learning.

Schools like this will remain as failing schools as long as bad parenting is allowed to continue. I don't think the help needs to be targeted at schools, it needs to be targeted into people's homes.

There is only so much that can be done in school time for children who then go home to negative role models who aren't going to support their children's education.