Richmond Borough Schools Chat 7

[muminlondon2]

Lots and lots of discussions on local schools and education issues preceded this thread, including Richmond Borough Schools Chat 6.

Anyone who wants to carry on that discussion, and offer information and opinions (without being moderated by any particular individual or interest group, bearing in mind all the usual mumsnet guidelines about respect and not getting personal, etc.) - feel free.

There were definitely only 7 - I counted them. Perhaps places have come up in other schools and some have left. There's something rather sad about 4 year olds trying to play football in oversized braided blazers and ties on a tiny piece of astroturf outside a portacabin. They looked like a temporary stand at a trade show! Maybe the school has made the uniform pricey so parents wont want to waste it by moving to another school.

No I'm sure there won't be a meltdown but it's true to say that good (head) teachers will have built relationships with students over a number of years and it won't be easy to replicate that in another school.

Yes though Mr Wilkinson has been at Teddington less than 2 years and is therefore nothing like as well imbedded as the head of Waldegrave. Presumably they will concentrate on one school each rather than touring as a pair at all times. The article a couple of days ago about teacher shortages and the school that lost its School Direct trainees at very short notice just because it wasnt part of a federation shows how fast the tide is turning again in favour of schools not being totally independent at all.

Is it just the senior teachers or are there other teachers likely to go into the academies do you think/know?

Just senior teachers for now - otherwise involvement by other teachers would be voluntary. That's implied by info given by Waldegrave and Teddington. They recognise that staff can't work any harder and there are already numerous challenges in setting up the sixth forms.

Er I think the other children must have been indoors at deer park school, my company shares the site with the school there are certainly more than 7 children there!!

Someone "in the know" says currently 13 children at Deer Park School.

The setting up of a multi-academy trust consisting of TA HA Ted and Walde schools has now been announced to parents although still subject to a few more details apparently. No info given to Ted parents about what this means for staffing yet. Lots of disgruntled emails flying about but I am relatively serene due to my extensive education in what's going on gained on this thread over the last few years thanks to muminlondon and others!

I have seen a few disgruntled emails and expect there will be many more as no one has been able to explain what the benefits will be for Tedd and Waldegrave students to date, and I think a few parents thought they would have a say in the decision which was obviously not the case. Hopefully more detailed info will follow, but am finding the communication rather sketchy to say the least!

thanks to muminlondon
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I dont really understand why the other secondaries that aren't in chains like Orleans and Christ's aren't involved. Has Christ's even become an academy yet or is it still local authority controlled? And St RR isnt in a chain either. It seems as though religious schools are allowed not to get involved in helping out.

Waldegrave has less to be concerned about because there is a track record, a momentum and established staff, with good morale and behaviour is good.
Teddington is more of a worry - certainly last year morale among staff was low, and behaviour poor - lots of low level disruption that interrupted learning but would not necessarily have been mentioned by DC to their parents because seen as normal.

Christ's is emerging from a troubled past under a dynamic new Head who is consolidating the progress made by the previous one and StRR is new and establishing itself, so reasonable not to be involved.

But LProsser makes a really excellent point about Orleans - why would they not be involved? Would make more sense than Teddington.
Teddington parents should definitely be asking that question!

Sadly I dont think that much has changed at Teddington since you were there last year MrsSalvo. I think there have been a lot of changes both to staff and as a result of Gov. policy and LB Richmond policy and more time is needed for things to settle down. So a bad time to redeploy the newish Head. Orleans Park is supposed to be part of the new 6th form partnership so cant see why it wouldn't be joining this multi-academy trust too.

The Orleans Park head is newish too and was a promoted deputy so less experienced than the Teddington one. Maybe that's why.
In any case the senior staff and heads are only going in to advise not teach surely? So its more relevant they get on with the staff than the kids.

Jelly toto It will be important to get on well with the staff if they are going in to give advice.

I'm also confused about the fact that Waldegrave is already in a multi academy trust with Nelson Primary - the Waldegrave Trust. So presumably the other 3 schools are joining that as it can't be in two trusts at once?

Waldegrave became part of the Richmond Teaching Schools Alliance in 2011. They receive extra funding for various things including providing support for other schools when needed

How this fits in with MATs and Nelson I do not know.

I was told that the trust will continue to include Nelson primary - that was taken over by Waldegrave because otherwise it would have been swallowed up by a chain like Harris or worse, AET. Lord True isn't a fan of large chains and the successful ones have schools in the same locality where expertise can realistically be shared (like LAs .., ). Christ's and StRR appear to have abandoned plans for conversion to academies - for now. That's because the expected new model is to be part of an MAT and in each case the relevant diocese would have to run it (so CofE and RC would be separate). That's true of primaries too. Extra segregation - why on earth would primaries want that?

I am curious as to what Orleans Park will do too! I think it's really positive that Teddington and Waldegrave are in it together, and positive for HA and TA to be in a new trust away from Kunskappskolan. I do think it would be extra reassuring to have one more outstanding school in the mix - if not Orleans Park, then Grey Court. Perhaps that will come later.

This is another huge change and it's not surprising that parents are pissed off. 3 years ago we were being told the local authority wanted nothing more to do with us and it would be great when our school became totally independent and was run entirely by our governors for the childen of Teddington. But now we're being told without even being consulted properly that being independent is all wrong and we must get together and support 3 failing schools or we will be punished in some unclear way presumably financial and restrictions on trainee teachers etc. But the same rules dont seem to apply to all schools. How come the Richmond upon Thames School can still be set up as a stand alone one not part of a chain - why are there different rules for free schools? Why are there different rules for religious schools? Presumably if they functioned like multi academy trusts Christs wouldnt still be having to be run by LB Richmond but would be run by a C of E quango?

LAs didn't really run schools anyway but yes, Christ's is LA maintained. It can set its own admissions though. The RuT won't necessarily be standalone though as it's connected to the College. TBH the LA has made the best of a bad job created by crap law. And it makes me angry too that parents have no legal rights to being consulted.

There's an article in Schools Week about the New Schools Network, which promotes free schools, calling for more schools to be opened in areas of 'social need'. So after encouraging lots of new faith free schools, especially Muslim, CofE and Sikh, they want new mainstream schools for 'balance'. But this seems to be an excuse for allowing faith free schools to exceed the cap on faith-based criteria, very much welcomed by the Catholic Education Service.

So, in the name of 'bringing our too-often divided communities together' the NSN recommends more segregation. I don't want to reopen the StRR debate but I don't understand why the Catholic Church wants to open free schools in addition to new VA schools like StRR anyway. It's two bites of the cherry. Unless it's to bypass LA decision-making in less amenable authorities? Residents and parents did have a wider consultation process for StRR than they would have had for a free school, after all. The government doesn't like consultations and wants to cut them out.

Is there more public money for a free school than a VA school?

There has been much more set-up money for academies in comparison with LA maintained schools. But some of the extra money that was being doled out to incentivise academy conversion has been cut. When StRR was considering conversion it couldn't see any financial benefit apart from the fact that academy trusts can reclaim VAT on capital expenditure. And there's no requirement for academies to cover 10% of the costs. But actually getting any funds from central government - as opposed to the diocese (or the LA) - is another matter.

My DH says its because LA's need to cooperate to set up a VA and many won't. The catholic church lucked out here with not just a friendly LA but one that world buy them a site. I bet there aren't so many others that would do that.
With a free school the gov buys the site and the LA's opinion on whether they want another faith school or not is no barrier so long as parents want it.