Richmond Borough Schools Chat 8

[muminlondon2]

This thread follows on from Richmond Borough Schools Chat 7.

News and opinions on all the changes to schools in Richmond borough.

Meant to say the friends who went private are getting a/a* rather than b,s. This is of course a generalisation.

OP might arguably have more exposure to the current school funding crisis than GC/Tedd/Waldy, because although it is an academy it isn't part of a multi-academy trust that can pool central costs such as HR/Procurement/IT etc.

Twick13 You are right in that pupils who arrive in the selective private school sixth forms comment that they are able to get on with the syllabus so much faster and then to consolidate, therefore teaching to A/A* rather than Bs. However that is possible because they are selective, and the universities know that and take it into consideration in admissions. In my experience the ultimate destinations of leavers from state and private are consistent with ability, and you can't buy for eg Oxbridge entry. Those pupils in Year 6 will ultimately get to the same universities regardless of which route they take, state or private, even if there is a difference in grades achieved.

The weather is still mild , so watch out for ticks in Richmond park, if there are deer around, there is a risk of Lyme.
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twitter.com/DamonteLorraine/status/913732357634568192

Although I defend Teddington School a lot I think the biggest issue there is the teaching in some subjects, which is mainly down to the difficulty of getting experienced staff. Have been through several cycles of seeing quite a few vacancies filled with batches of young teachers coming in, some of whom are good and some of whom are not. After 2-3 years they nearly all leave - the not so good ones because they have decided teaching is not for them and the good ones because they can't afford to live round here (and it's not a very exciting place to live if you are in your 20s anyway!) My dd definitely suffered in 2 or 3 subjects at GCSE from not being taught very well (by which I mean Bs where could possibly have got As or As not complete disaster). In one subject she got an A which was above expectation because (I think) she had excellent experienced teachers for the full 5 years. Results at GCSE also don't take into account that some people are just not suited to exams even if they are clever which I think is much less of an issue during SATS. My dd has recently started at Esher 6th Form College (also a state school) and says the teaching is better because all her teachers seem to know exactly what they are doing not just some of them! I don't know how much more private schools pay teachers to ensure they can afford to live in the area? I don't suppose they are paid much more at 6th Form Colleges but maybe they just prefer sticking with A-level and find it more interesting.

I don't know why OP didn't join the Richmond West Schools Trust - maybe someone who is a parent there could enlighten us? Perhaps they just weren't asked by the Council/ D of Ed or the staff just didn't fancy taking on the challenge of HH and TA?

With all this talk of Teddington, I was wondering whether anyone had any information on Kathy Pacey the new head. How did she get on at Hampton High when she was there?

High teacher turnover is definitely an issue at Teddington, whatever the reason, but this doesn't explain why it is that Teddington's A/A* % at GCSE is so much lower than Grey Court's, as surely Grey Court also suffers from the same recruitment and retainment problems, along with most other local schools? Teddington is not stretching it's most able pupils but Grey Court seems to be - and has a much more varied demographic. Doesn't make sense!

LottieProsser, RWST was established so two very experienced Heads could support two schools that needed support. The OP head had only recently stepped up from deputy to Head at that point so it wouldn't have made sense to be part of that arrangement. Maybe they'll join eventually, but I'd have thought it would make more sense for them to join together with RTS if anything.

Not convinced that pupils in private schools would be getting A/A*s who would have got Bs in a state school, or vice versa - they’re just more selective, though peer pressure may drive motivation for the most able. Look at the progress scores for private schools at A level and they’re not all as fantastic as each other or as good as some state schools or colleges (Esher does well).

Staff turnover would be a factor but maybe Grey Court manages it well and/or retains good teachers for longer because teachers enjoy working there so maybe there’s greater energy and commitment. It deserves its outstanding status. Teachers at both Esher College and selective private schools are likely to have good specialist subject knowledge - they would in the sixth forms too, but only the large ones can afford to run the full range of courses.

TES Online has Weekend read: How much can a Progress 8 score tell you about a school?:

‘ . . So how can a school achieve a high Progress 8 score? There isn’t one simple answer – but having a culture where all staff and pupils have high ambitions is a common feature cited by headteachers at the top of the league table . . Simon Elliott . . head of Forest Gate Community School, which came sixth for Progress 8 . . says: “We have a culture where the staff here go above and beyond. They are here from 8am to late at night and they set the bar really high for children.” . .

but:

‘ . . critics claim that a new points scheme, introduced to encompass the new grading scale running from 9 to 1 in the new format GCSEs, is unfairly weighted towards those gaining top grades – as the bottom grades of the A* to G scale are not worth as many points as they were last year . . A headteacher, who wished to remain anonymous, is concerned about his job in light of the school’s provisional Progress 8 score – which they say has dropped significantly due to the points system.

“I don’t think I have ever felt this anxious, sick and stressed as I have done in the last few months,” they say. “I don’t think I would push people to go into leadership now.”’ . . ‘

mum Just passing on what sixth formers who have arrived from OP and Waldegrave have commented. I also know teachers at the schools who have put their children into private schools who comment that without the need for crowd control they would be able to get through the syllabus more quickly and thoroughly. Of course many motivated state school pupils work tremendously hard at home to make up and do score As and A*s which is precisely why universities recognise that is proof of motivation and resilience beyond what a private school pupil can offer, and rightly expect more from the private school pupils.

By the way harking back to the Open Night issue, St Richard Reynolds had theirs this week and it was complete mayhem in the streets around. The school had told prospective parents that there was no parking and to come by public transport and yet hundreds descended completely gridlocking the surrounding roads and blocking residents in, parking not just on double yellow lines but on the zig zags with the obvious danger to those considerate families who had travelled there on foot. The poor parents who were attempting to marshall the traffic looked shell shocked, and at a loss at how to cope with the disgraceful behaviour they were having to try to challenge. Perhaps that is why other schools have given up on Open Nights....

I didn't exactly help with the perception that the school is the preserve of entitled privileged middle class parents, and nor does this www.strichardreynolds.org.uk/images/VR_Dolls_StRR17_A5.pdf
Not going to help BME pupils feel included however Catholic they are.....

oh, didn't spot that there were other options than those shown in the photo, but still as ethnic and other minorities in most other schools will tell you when it comes to photos of school events they find themselves roped in more often than most....

The putting BME thing to one side, those dolls are hilarious. Just what you need to remember your school days.

ron I'm impressed to hear that there are teachers who can actually afford private school education for their children, after the discussion here on teacher turnover in state schools. I'm thinking particularly of teachers in their twenties/thirties with student debt who find it enough to get on the housing ladder. But appreciative of teachers generally, whatever choices they make. Particularly those who take up teaching later in life after a successful career outside of education.

Any suggestions for a secondary school for a boy? Would like quite academic, sporty, nurturing, good discipline. Thanks.

Nickynoname I'm doing the secondary school application right now for my son, I've visited quite a few in the past month and we're favouring Orleans. The richmond upon Thames new school looks good too. Is your son year 5 or 6?

According to the latest Waldegrave newsletter Philippa Nunn is stepping down..
"I have given notice to the Governors that I will be resigning as Headteacher of Waldegrave School at Easter 2019. This is well over a year away and gives the school time to plan, prepare and ensure it is well placed to move forward at this important point in its development. Waldegrave School, the staff, students, the school community and local colleagues all mean a great deal to me which has meant that this has not been an easy decision to make. I love working at Waldegrave and see it as a great privilege. However, after what will have been 32 very rewarding years in teaching and 13 fantastic years at Waldegrave, it is time for a change. I plan to continue working part time in education, but also to help in the voluntary sector and spend more time with my family."

This week’s print RTT has (p 7) Residents fury at road plans: the Copthall Gardens Residents Association are opposed to plans to make the junction of their road with Clifden Road, close to St Richards Reynolds School, into a T-junction, which they say will direct more traffic down their road.

The School still hasn’t produced its travel plan. It has 950 pupils, set to increase to 1500 in 2 years, making it the largest in the borough.

St Richard Reynolds act with complete arrogance towards local residents. Not only in terms of not having done anything to manage and reduce traffic, even the little they promised at the Planning meeting where permission was given for the building works, they do nothing to act on bad behaviour by their pupils in surrounding roads either. For instance pupils riding their bikes across people's front lawns or staging brawls on them (with girls standing round cheering on Sean), damaging plants, chasing pets, bullying incidents, litter etc. Parents act with almost as little respect for front gardens, even on one occasion not just letting their child scoot across but sitting down for a picnic! The mix in all surrounding roads of parents driving 4*4s and lads doing acrobatics on their bikes is a recipe for an accident alone without all the gangs of kids negotiating the narrow pavements.

The school got used to the priviledge of Lord True's patronage, perhaps now he is gone Councillor Churchill will start to respond to complaints

FrustratedofTW1: do you perhaps mean Cllr Chappell, a Riverside Tory cllr? Cllr Churchill is the Labour Cllr for Teddington.

I did, though obviously there are also the invisible Councillors Hunt and whatever his name is.......

Many wards seem to have only one active councillor! Will the 1500 pupils all go to the secondary school or to the primary aswell?

Secondary, Primary and a part housing of Strathmore.

FrustratedofTW1: what do you wish the Council to do about this problem? The behaviour of StRR’s pupils is the responsibility of the children themselves, their parents, their teachers, the governors, and the RC church hierarchy. Not with the Council.

Have you contacted the Riverside Safer Neighbourhood Team? Did you know that they invite you to Voice your concerns - Tell us what you're most concerned about in your neighbourhood. Your Safer Neighbourhood Team will use the results of this poll to inform their policing priorities. Priorities are discussed and set at regular ward panel meetings ? Concerns reported in October: 0.

The team includes PCSO Kalaben Patel - sorting out a bunch of mildly delinquent school kids ands their parents is precisely what PCSOs are for.

As well, write to the chair of the Governing Body, Andrew Cole KSG. The Governors need to know what bad reputation the school is acquiring and that local residents have asked the police to intervene.

Many neighbours have complained to the school on many occasions about pupil behaviour and are ignored, literally no response, so yes the next step is to complain to police, Councillors and governors. Mr Cole however continues to maintain that there is a local anti Catholic conspiracy which is a neat way to avoid any need to build a relationship with neighbours.......

However it was the Councillors responsibility to balance the interests of school and residents in the planning process. The Planning meeting was the same sort of farce we saw with the station development. The concerns of residents about traffic were ignored and the college allowed to get away with platitudes in terms of using parent representatives to encourage other parents to walk to school (those of us who are parents know how much impact that would have) and saying they would take steps like have coaches drop off from trips elsewhere. There is still no travel plan let alone any other steps being taken, large coaches continue to drop off from trips and use Clifden, Copthall and Station Road, none of which are suitable for large vehicles. The school has been allowed to ignore the issues in spite of the fact that the combination of large numbers of pupils travelling in to the school, not always in a disciplined manner, other young people travelling to other schools, the increase in cars, the current trend for teenage boys to do wheelies etc on their bikes ( rather ineptly) and narrow roads with dogleg corners (that the Council proposals add to by adding one more where Clifden meets Copthall) are clearly dangerous. With no traffic plan the largest school in the borough are not even meeting the same standards in terms of traffic management as most of the smallest.

To be honest most of the local residents have given up on any support from the Riverside Councillors because they have been so compliant with the privilege afforded to the school. What can you do but wait until some incident forces action, or move away?