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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

How many Mums are dissatisfied with their DCs primary school?

298 replies

CrosswordAddict · 21/02/2011 21:16

There seem to be a lot of dissatisfied Mums on MN and primary schools seem to be particularly disappointing. Any strong views? And if so, how can Mnetters become a force for change/improvement?

OP posts:

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corns12k · 25/02/2011 18:08

Yes I can imagine that the children would go for a 'fun' teacher.

mrz · 25/02/2011 18:13

teacher's views and here

EmEyeHi · 25/02/2011 18:13

Is it common practise?

I had a little chuckle to myself when I read your post as DD was voted by her classmates to be on the School Council at her previous school. When we expressed our delight we asked her what her role would be, she had no idea. She didn't even know what the school coucil was! She was 10. As far as we could ascertain there were never any meetings held just an annual vote for each Year groups representative BUT they all got badges and their pics on the wall of the school hall.

I imagine, given the opportunity, dd's vote would definitely go for the candidate with the kindest smile!

spanieleyes · 25/02/2011 18:16

Our School Council interviewed candidates for a recent teaching post. They put the four candidates in exactly the same preference order as did the formal interviewing panel!

corns12k · 25/02/2011 18:16

ds would choose the one who likes hamsters probably

'Do you have a hamster?'
'Er...no'

EmEyeHi · 25/02/2011 18:35

mrz - just read your link. V funny and a total eye opener to me. Shame kids didn't have the same amount of input to the leadership and management of dc old school - may not be in this predicament now were that the case !

Elibean · 25/02/2011 19:17

We're lining up Headship interviews at dds' school atm - the candidates will be lunching with, amongst others, Y6 'School Ambassadors' and the same children will be attending, and voting on, presentations by those candidates.

They won't be in on the formal interviews, though!

Re satisfaction: on the whole, I am very satisfied with the school. So are most, though obviously not all, of the parents I know. We also have very happy teaching and support staff.

treas · 25/02/2011 21:27

When in Yr2 my dd was involved in the interview process of her first school's current Yr1 teacher, as a member of the school council.

From my interrogation conversation with dd about the interview, the school council made a list of questions to ask the candidates which were guided by their HT.

Dd didn't believe that the candidate she preferred would be picked as she was younger than the other candidates. Her preference was based on the fact that the interviewee looked like she thought about the questions and gave serious answers and didn't treat the children like 'babies' (dd's opinion). The other children all picked another candidate as their favourite.

As it was dd's favourite did get the job and has fitted well into the school.

treas · 25/02/2011 21:36

mrz - dd would definitely not appreciate the patronising teachers that appear in the links you posted.

corns12k · 25/02/2011 22:11

it's not meant to be patronising - it's teachers sounding off to each other. I do find the TES boards a bit scary though...

EmEyeHi · 25/02/2011 22:20

Wow treas, not sure my dd (11) would show that degree of maturity now! Did she enjoy the experience? Do you think now that she has a greater bond with the school, in particular the Yr 1 teacher?

lemonysnickett · 27/02/2011 09:54

The problem with schools is so many incompetent Heads and Leadership teams that have no regard or respect for the teachers..I know a lot of teachers and this seems to be a common factor. Your childs class should not be chaotic. If the teachers were left alone results would in my opinion improve ....they do know what they are doing..some need more GUIDANCE (not criticism) than others.(Any tipos are due to faulty keyboard!)

veritythebrave · 27/02/2011 14:45

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

EmEyeHi · 27/02/2011 18:52

I remember some 12/18 months ago (in the land of the previous government) proposals put forward for a more of a 'specialist' leadership team including a superhead and some 12ish specialist paid governors that would be in charge of a cluster of schools which would do away with the individual head and traditional gb as we know it. I think that under this model it was proposed that there be school managers. To me, this makes alot more sense and would also (I guess) allow the freeing up of teachers. Obv this has all disappeared in the black hole that is Mr C's Big Society.

Any thoughts?

RustyBear · 27/02/2011 21:52

There are several federations of two or more schools around - I'm not sure if they all follow the same model, but the form some of our local schools have adopted or are investigating have one executive head overseeing policy in all the schools while 'enhanced deputies' take care of day to day affairs in each school. They may have a 'soft' federation, where the governing bodies are separate, but have joint committees, or a 'hard' federation where they have a joint governing body. Federations can be between schools of the same type- eg two primaries, or between eg an infant and a junior school or a primary and secondary. I've not heard of governors being paid though.

More schools may be forced to tale this route due to the lack of candidates for headships - one school in our area has just advertised for a head for the fourth time.

IndigoBell · 28/02/2011 09:38

They're amalgamating (large) infant and (large) junior schools round here because they can't find HTs to fill vacant posts.....

EmEyeHi · 28/02/2011 12:59

Rusty - in your opinion do you think it works?

builder · 28/02/2011 13:03

When we interviewed for head teachers the School Council also got to interview. The 'adults' used the opportunity to watch the candidates carefully to see how they interacted with the children.

RustyBear · 28/02/2011 13:28

Too soon to tell, EmEyeHi - and I haven't got direct experience of any of them - but our Governors (I am Clerk) are recruiting at the moment (or trying to) & the LA Schools advisor was presenting the options to our first meeting. Our Governors decided against federation for the moment, but the first ad has only produced two applications, so it might still end up the way we go - who knows? Luckily for me, I don't have to take the decisions, just minute them....

Elibean · 28/02/2011 13:43

The primaries in our borough are considering some sort of Federation rather than rushing to become Academies...but not in response to lack of Heads, more as a way of banding together to deal with oncoming changes.

AbiT · 31/03/2011 22:52

OK, I really need some help.
Im moving to Edinburgh soon and I have a two year old and a 7 month old. We saw a flat we really liked, and so I thought I should dip a toe into the whole catchment area school thing. OMG!!! Now Im totally freaking out! There seems to be this whole bizare snobbery thing going on - one person told me I should move heaven and earth to get my kids into SOuth Morningside or sciennes (apparently the ONLY two half decent primaries in Edinburgh (?) One person told me that Stockbridge was great but that your "face had to fit". I looked at a flat near Preston street school and thought it looked really jolly from the outside - the kids all looked happy, and I was rather smitten with the diverse cultures of the kids I saw there. The same person though shook her head and sucked air in through her teeth like a dodgy plumber about to charge me a fortune. THis woman has HUGELY successful girls - they do the lot, ballet, sports, music, and the excel at EVERYTHING (I just hope one of the m gets knocked up at 16....urgh god I cant believe I said that ....not cooooool at all I take it all back...but this is the kind of madness Im descending into ARGH!). I have descended into an absolute spin of panic, self doubt, and utter madness. I just dont know what to do now. I dont have sciennes or morningside money, but Ive heard reports of families living in one bed flats to get their kids into the schools there. Are they really that good or is it because of the senior schools - oh god, ANOTHER thing to panic about.

Basically, I want my kids to have lots of friends, to NOT be bullied like I was, to come home happy and cheerful, and well adjusted to their day. Hubby and I are well educated, we're happy to pick up any academic slack, or work hard with them on things they struggle with, so we're not looking for a miracle school here. We want them happy first and foremost, and if they do well too then that's great, but secondary. PLEASE could a few of you out there let me know which primaries your kids attend, if they are good, and which senior schools are the ones to go for? I really need some support here as the only friend I really have to talk to about it is the above mentioned, and we seem to be falling out fast as each day passes.

Totally panicked of perthshire.

kaumana · 01/04/2011 12:11

AbiT

I suggest you post under the local Edinburgh forum where I'm sure you'll get a response.

I would not "move heaven and earth" to move into South Morningside's catchment in fact I know many who are doing just that in order to move their child out.

AbiT · 01/04/2011 17:09

Kaumana, thanks for your help, Im rubbish with forums!

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