"My Hell in Crouch End School - A Teacher Speaks" - ES article!

[MandyD]

I saw this (or similar) headline in the London Evening Standard today but didn't get round to picking up a copy to find out which school! Did anyone read this/have a copy they could precis for me?

It's been puzzling me because, coming from just outside Crouch End, I've always thought it an area to aspire to living in - a rather upmarket, villagey sort of place. So seeing the description of this "inner city school" has troubled me rather! Give us a clue, which school was it - I have one suspect in mind but want to see if I'm right!

It was Greig City Academy (formerly St David and St Katharine School) - The article says that it was an unpopular poorly performing voluntary-aided school but has been chosen by the government to the first and flagship 'City Academy'. The ES sent a reporter in under-cover for a couple of weeks - and she found it lacking in every respect.
Should think a pinch of salt is needed to season this article.
I've more details if you want them...?

Aha, not the one I curse at 3.30pm every day for the behaviour of its pupils in the street and on the bus then! Haven't heard of this school I must admit. I used to live near the Islington Arts & Media school (another of the govt's flagship projects!) and although it was bad when it opened - "Superhead" and all, its somewhere I have great hopes for in years to come as being somewhere my son might like to go (he's not even in Reception class yet!) So maybe the Greig City Academy will turn itself around too.

One question, how did a reporter get work as (presumably) a teacher? I guess she has a teaching qualification, or isn't the school that fussy?!

She is an Australian teacher who has done some writing, apparently. I don't think that nice bits of London always have nice schools - Islington is full of million pound houses but the schools are terrible. All the people who live in million pound houses send their kids to the Oratory school or privately! This teacher says she was threatened with rape by a gang of teenagers, pushed over and basically totally disrespected. It rang horribly true to me!