Free school head without any teaching qualifications plans to ignore curriculum

[mrz]

m.guardian.co.uk/education/2013/mar/10/free-school-head-no-qualification

[breatheslowly]

I got the impression that it was in very densely populated parts of London that there were insufficient primary places and that it is quite possible to put a preference down for 6 schools and still get sent to one not on your list and possibly in a different borough and with a very long journey. So if this school is undersubscribed then it will be filled on a "bums on seats" basis.

[wild]

it's not about this school
it's about a national curriculum being imposed that not even its designers believe in

[breatheslowly]

It is partly about this school as it appears that some unproven ideology will be the lead for the curriculum there. It may be a great ideology or it may be total woo, but in all honesty I would rather my child go to a mainstream school teaching the national curriculum rather than a 27 year old's pick of potential woo and this is what will be inflicted on those children who are unlucky enough to get a place.

The issue about the designers of the national curriculum not believing in it is also problematic.

[wild]

true

[SuburbanRhonda]

And did you see her on the BBC News tonight? Such a smug, sanctimonious piece of work. I'm sure she'll really gel with the children. Not.

[tethersend]

Don't know about you, but I'm about to post my application for CEO of GlaxoSmithKline.

I should be in with a good chance, I once went behind the counter at the chemist to reach a lollipop.

[muminlondon]

It's a bit of a mystery where she gained her teaching experience though, isn't it? And the BBC didn't mention that her school's lead sponsor is DfE board director and Tory donor. Or ask how primary children will cope with no outside space.

[muminlondon]

Here's the BBC website report - more to it than the snippet I saw after the 10 o'clock news:

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-22016045

Still doesn't look like she has done more than a couple of hours on a Saturday, not the whole school day. Sorry, but is she related to Lord Nash? Family friend?

[Feenie]

Tethersend

[ipadquietly]

Moreover, mil John Nash is our Minister for Education!

And as for Ms Briggs. I can't find anything about her background/school on the internet, which is strange in itself. I wonder what the chances are of my ds becoming deputy director of the multi-million pound company that he works for on Saturdays?

[SuburbanRhonda]

Just read that article - it says she is studying for her PGCE, but that will qualify her to be a classroom teacher. You need a NPQH to be a head teacher.

[ofstedconfused]

You don't need NPQH anymore, and even if you did, academies would probably be exempt.

Why do we trust these people to run the education system? Staggering nepotism and gut wrenching arrogance all round.

[ipadquietly]

Don't worry, the lovely Annaliese has now founded 'The Curriculum Centre' as phonics and maths lead:
www.thecurriculumcentre.org/about-us/who-we-are/q/ref-7/

.... and (in between her PGCE, book editing, head teacher and setting-up-a-new-school activities) Annaliese is now writing a new literacy scheme:
www.thecurriculumcentre.org/blog/2013/03/26/word-up/

What a busy girl she is.

[SuburbanRhonda]

Wow, ofsted I didn't know that. Have they replaced the NPQH with anything else? Or is it, as you say, that it's irrelevant anyway because Gove wants all schools to be academies so in theory you could have an entire profession populated by unqualified staff. What a frightening thought. And just how demoralising is that, that Gove is basically saying to teachers that there is nothing special about them and that anyone who walks throught the door could do their job? How dare he!

[mrz]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-21988209

[SuburbanRhonda]

Blimey, ipad, whoever wrote the blurb on the "Word Up" page on the Curriculum Centre website needs to take a look at their command of English. Look at this sentence:

"Through these subjects we are able to give pupils a kind of universal language which makes so much that can be found in print gain meaning."

Priceless.

[SuburbanRhonda]

mrz thanks for that link, depressing though it is.

My one consolation is that in three years time I won't have any children in the UK education system.

[nlondondad]

If you are interested in this topic you should have a look at a recent posting (and comments thereto) on the Local Schools Network.

www.localschoolsnetwork.org.uk/2013/04/should-an-unqualified-teacher-become-head-of-a-school/

In fact some of the comments made here could well be cut and pasted across, if any of you had a mind to!

[muminlondon]

It's not just Annaliese Briggs who has no education qualifications or experience yet is running the primary school. John Nash and his wife Caroline have donated £300,000 to the Tory party. He was given Pimlico Academy by Tory controlled Westminster council (interesting story here) - lots of opposition to that takeover from parents here after a series of 'informal and unminuted meetings involving the council leader, Sir Simon Milton' including £35 million to rebuild.

Then he got a peerage so he could run the DfE as board director and therefore policy for the whole country. But his wife Caroline also got to be chair of governors and though she has no experience whatsoever in education (she's a stockbroker/banker) is also advising Gove on the history content of the national curriculum:

media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/pdf/l/lists%20of%20commentators%20-%20final.pdf

Individuals 'involved in the discussion on history' include Caroline Nash 'set up' the Curriculum Centre; Daisy Christodoulou who is 'chief executive' of the Curriculum Centre; Jerry Collins - principal of Pimlico Academy and obviously appointed by John and Caroline; David Green, Director of Civitas and former boss of Annaliese. Meanwhile the qualifed historians have all since criticised the drafts.

[ipadquietly]

So many of the 'experts' deciding on the curriculum have probably never experienced a state school (I assume - can't find proof - not for want of trying), are running multi-interest companies and, on the whole, have never taught history.

Good credentials then.

How do we demonstrate against this? Why do demonstrations have to be 'strikes' that take place in term time?

[ipadquietly]

Also, scanning that list, mil, I don't see any advice being offered from north of Nottingham.

[muminlondon]

I assumed the principal of Pimlico academy would end up babysitting Annaliese Briggs but he's leaving:

www.arkschools.org/news/ark-schools-appoints-jerry-collins-principal-new-ark-john-keats-academy-enfield

And the vice principal left in January. Who will actually be training/managing her?

[yellowhousewithareddoor]

Its all a bit scary. I'm about to start my daughter at a lovely community school over the road. Will this completely change them?

[muminlondon]

Do you mean near Pimlico or are you as scared as I am that this elite have wrenched the curriculum away from more qualified people?

It looks like turbulent times at Pimlico this year - they have also lost their heads of MFL and English:

www.pimlicoacademy.org/pimlico-academy/academy-recruitment/

[yellowhousewithareddoor]

I'm not in London but concerned for state education in general. Its shocking that an elite bunch of friends who have never been near a state school or seemingly able to listen to teachers have this amount of power.