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.

Two things you should do:

1: Report the problems to the police, over and over again, until they do something.

2: Work for the next 6 months to get the councillors booted out at the May election. As this is a non-party forum I leave it to you work out who is best placed to replace them and how you can help. Their majority last time was 88 votes so the idea that nothing can be done to get rid of them is nonsense.

Sorry to hear about all the problems. Does seem as though the best thing you can do is get the local residents' association (if there is one for Clifden Road and Copthall Gardens if not start one) to complain loudly to Council officers and councillors about non compliance with planning and lack of travel plan (include ward councillors and Cabinet Members for Environment/Planning and Transport), get the police involved, copy every piece of correspondence/email to everyone and generally raise a big fuss. Lots of photos of problems usually help. Maybe the Council will be slightly more receptive now Lord True not in charge?

I heard (from a staff member and also from parents) that they'd been having discipline issues inside school too, but I saw they've been advertising for extra pastoral staff recently so may be starting to get to grips with it. Some schools with these sorts of issues have staff patrolling outside the school at the end of the day so maybe that is what is needed. Hope it gets sorted.

I've been quite amused that St RR pupils are the only ones that I've seen snogging at bus stops in Twickenham too!

This week’s print RTT has (p.5) ‘College earns praise’ in latest Ofsted report.
…………...
The St Margaret’s Community Website has Council agrees to help Turing House school:

‘ . . Its proposed permanent site in Whitton, is likely to be ready for occupation in 2020. However, it will not have room at its current location to admit a further intake in September 2018.

In order to bridge the gap . . the Council agreed . . last Thursday (16 November) to offer the use of a nearby school site, Clarendon School, in Hanworth Road, Hampton.

The current Clarendon site will be vacated in July 2018. This is when the primary-aged pupils will move to the former Newhouse site and the new buildings for the secondary aged pupils at Clarendon, on the Richmond Education and Enterprise Campus in Twickenham, will be ready for occupation . . ‘

The Dec 08 print RTT has ‘Fit For Sport is rated inadequate ’ (p 6) and ‘Residents opposing proposals for school’ (p 8).

Hi everyone, I hope it's ok to post on this thread regarding school options in Richmond. We are relocating from Aust and require a year 8 place and year 4 place for our daughters. Seems to be a shortage of places in Richmond...do we have any hope in getting them into a school? We are also looking at Kingston but prefer Richmond.
Thank you and please let me know if I should post elsewhere.
Thanks,
Sophie

Hi, LillyniniI'm sure you will get them places but may have to be prepared to travel a bit as there may not be space in the nearest schools. It depends exactly where you want to live/end up living. It's very hard to fix it up in advance without having a local address as everything is done on distance. Do you mean central Richmond or the London Borough of Richmond which is a much bigger area?

Thanks for the links Chris. What a shame our local rag chose to focus on this protest (organised opportunistic labour activists) rather than a much more positive story concerning Turing House that made the Evening Standard last week.
What a fantastic debate to be held locally especially when other schools are shying away from such controversial topics. Maybe if the RTT spent more time on good-news stories about TH then people in Whitton wouldn’t be so anti the school.

DfE published primary school results this week:

www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/schools-by-type?step=phase&region=318&geographic=la&phase=primary

No sign of the Orleans Park Ofsted report from mid-November. They told us it would be out by the end of term but all quiet. It should be out by now shouldn't it? Unless they are either disputing it or deliberately saving it for the New Year so as not to dampen the Christmas festivities.

This week’s print RTT has (p 1) Top of the table - league tables released. St Mary Magdalen is top primary school scoring 100%.

Orleans Park School rated Outstanding in all areas in November 2017 Ofsted Inspection.

www.orleanspark.richmond.sch.uk/force_download.cfm?id=1292872
I am shocked

Why?

Ds at Orleans. My take is it’s ok but nothing special. Lots of behavioural problems in some classes. Erratic homework. Lack of follow up when targets aren’t met rather than intervention along the way,then all of a sudden in year 11 before the GCSE,s lots of catch up classes rather than working steadily over the year.
Like many schools they also have some staffing problems eg a whole year with a turn over of supply science teachers.
I always feel it is a school that relies on it’s largely mc intake and invested parents to get it through rather than how the school is run.

I recognise Twick13's description but I'd say pleasantly surprised rather than shocked.

It's good news. It will help to maintain the mc intake for a few more years if nothing else and will be good for staff morale and retention. They deserve a pat on the back for keeping the show on the road through the dire funding situation.

I heard Richmond Park academy was inspected a few weeks back too so that must also be due.

It's a shame you were shocked Twick13. I have a DS at the school also and another starting soon and we have not found this at all. We are very happy and the Ofsted report just confirms what we have found. The only thing we have noticed is that some subjects seem to have had a lot of supply teachers, which is most likely true for schools in the whole borough. When we have queried this with them, heads of departments have always quickly mailed or called and made sure that DS knows who he can go to for extra help outside of lesson times if need be. They have also given timescales and explanations of when permanent members of staff will be appointed. MC intake? I would say far less than Teddington or Waldegrave Schools. Probably 70/30. There are also a high percentage of SN children.

Agreed gegs73. My ds is a current OP pupil and he is thriving. We are very happy with the school. Communication with staff has been great and behavior is not something that has ever given us any concern.

Agree staff are very responsive which is good. Ds noted that he thought the school had gone down since EB took over as head and he thought more was done for show now. He may be I in a bad year group behaviour wise but certainly commented about problems in some classes as have his friends. Pointing to teacher control. Not a problem in other classes.
Op has always had a lot of kids with SEN. Partly because the old head of learning support knew a lot about adhd and asd. Worked in a behavioural unit in the past and also going back it was one of the few schools with a lift so it has always had a history of taking wheelchair users.

That’s fantastic news - also for first sixth form to be rated outstanding.

RTT’s story about Orleans Park school Ofsted report is on the front page of the January 5th print edition: Top of the class.

Does anyone have any further information about the RPA Ofsted inspection rumour mentioned by ribcagetickling above? I really hope the school has moved forwards under the new head.

RPA
drive.google.com/file/d/0B7VAynwq-iSASDdIbnQ0aHUyMG1jQV9MVExYRjJzb3JWbFBR/view