Creepy letter from Steve McCabe MP

[PastSellByDate]

Hello there:

For reasons I don't understand Steve McCabe has written directly to my child today:

Dear DD1

I'm told that after the summer holidays you'll be moving to your new secondary school. I know that this is a big change and while it can be wonderful, it can also be worrying as you leave behind some old friends and move to a different and bigger school.

We all have to make this change and for most people it proves to be a really exciting time in their life but if you do feel worried or have problems it's important to know that you are not the only person this has happened to and it's important to tell someone and not just try to cope on your own. You should talk to a teacher or your mum or dad and if no one else can help, feel free to contact me.

I hope that you enjoy your new school and get the best out of it so that you can find the job or career that suits you and helps you to do the things you want to do in life. Everyone has a talent and is good at something, sometiems it can take a little time for people to discover exactly what they are good at but your new school is a chance to begin that next important stage of growing up.

I want to wish you all the best and to remind you that if you ever think I can be of help to you or anyone in your family, please get in touch. You can write to me at Steve McCabe MP (Selly Oak), House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA, email me at [email protected] or phone me on 0121 443 3878.

Best wishes,

Yours sincerely,

Steve McCabe
MP for Birmingham Selly Oak

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Maybe I'm being unfair but

1. why expend taxpayers money on this?

2. why invite a pre-pubescent child to confide in you? Can you see how this letter makes contact from a stranger via facebook/ pictogram/ etc... seem perfectly normal?

3. Is it me or would you rather see your MP pressing hard to improve educational quality of local schools (which are pretty dire in Selly Oak folks)?

AIBU?

We all used to receive an 18th Birthday card from our MP.

I think he wanted our vote!

Yes but creeky this was written to 10/11 year old children.

He's a dick.

He wants you to vote for him. This is so you think 'what a great guy'.

Has he written to every child in the class? Did he meet the class? I did a democracy topic with P7s where they had the chance to meet their MP and her wrote to them at the end of the year.

What makes you think it was sent using taxpayers funds?
I think it is good that MPs are engaging with children and making them aware that they can access their MP. Would it have been creepy if you had a female MP?

I don't think its creepy. I think its a nice letter even if there is an ulterior motive.

Wow, I think that's fantastic that he's taken the time to acknowledge a milestone in their lives. I might interpret it with cynicism if I didn't like him, but not as sinister.

Perhaps I am cynical - regardless of sex of the person sending this letter, I actually find this whole exercise odd-

I seriously doubt Steve McCabe paid for this out of his own pocket - he's paid for the stationary (letterhead + envelope) out of his MP budget (funded by taxpayers). It's not hugely expensive - but if he's doing this kind of thing each year/ in other situations - £100 here/ £100 there adds up.

I think if this had been a general letter - Dear Y6 students at St. Mediocre - or was in the induction documents for local comprehensives I'd have no probelm - but this letter was personally addressed to my child - using her name. DD1 came home saying 'some strange man has written to me and asked me to call him'.

I am slightly concerned that the Shadow Minister for Children & Families wouldn't be alert to the fact that telling children it's o.k. to contact strangers privately might be a rather unfortunate message in these days & times.

Do I get that the spirit of this was to wish them luck on their next step in the education process - yes.

Do I get that Selly Oak kids need luck - when 1 out 4 primary pupils in Selly Oak (in good years recently) fails to achieve NC L4 in Maths/ English combined at KS2.

In short, I don't get why this letter was sent.

Maybe it's cultural. In the US - senators/ representatives would offer prizes or letters of congratulations to pupils who'd made an outstanding achievement. These letters were sent through the school and it was made clear to the parents that the school had alerted them to the child's outstanding sporting/ academic/ youth group/ volunteering triumph. Often the State legislature would offer prizes for the best student(s) from a state/ county which schools would then nominate pupils for award.

But writing to an entire class, just to alert them to the fact that moving on to a new school can be unsettling and if they need to talk to someone, why don't you ring me, would be unheard of.

I kind of presumed that was why the City of Birmingham has a city wide 'moving up day' - to smooth this transition from primary/ secondary for pupils/ parents.

Just in terms of cost-savings - couldn't the Birmingham MPs have collectively written a letter about the transition with links to websites that might provide advice or possibly suggested Child Line's telephone number for children who need to talk to someone who is safe, in confidence - which could have been placed in the induction pacts pretty well all comprehensives are giving out? Or just pushed the LEA to ensure that this kind of thing (support/ recommendations of safe places to go for help - in person/ by e-mail/ by telephone) was available to all pupils through the city council website/ through school notice boards/ induction materials, etc...

Tonight getting DD1 during dinner the conversations was Mum should I be worried about moving up to secondary like that man says people are?

Thanks Steve - really appreciating your 'kindly meant' letter.

I'm really sorry but I'm giggling uncontrollably at this massive backfire. The poor chap - he thought he was making a nice personal gesture to his constituents and our collective reaction is 'eeeeewwwwww'

Memo to MPs: start a nice thread on MN and check how it sounds before you do something like that. 'AIBU to make a personal request to every 11 year old in town to ring me'

I think it's a bit creepy. Obviously it's a smarmy PR vote-grabbing thing rather than grooming your DD, but it's still creepy. I would be wondering who had passed her name on to him? ie Did the primary school provide a list of names, or the secondary school - and is it really appropriate for them to be doing so.

Perhaps it would have been better targeting to have written to the "parents of DD1".

He's my MP too! My son in y6 but no letter! (Hes not at st.mediocre or st.edwards ;)

All I know is that the man's a dick. I wrote to him in january about special arrangements being withdrawn from SEN kids and he still hasnt responded.

How did he get the names/addresses of 10&11yos? Isn't that a breach of data protection act? the names & addresses were not provided to schools in order to provide mailing lists for elected members.

Did this come from the new secondary though? or from primary? or to your home?

But I thought Gisela Stewart was MP for Selly Oak... oops.

And I fucking hate this noo labour shit that school is there so that you can get a job. end of.

NO! School is there so that children can get an education.

I seriously doubt Steve McCabe paid for this out of his own pocket

If it was on House of Commons stationery he almost certainly did not pay for it out of his own pocket. If it was on other stationery he may have funded it himself.

I thought Gisela Stewart was MP for Selly Oak

No, she is MP for Birmingham Edgbaston.

Whether or not it is a breach of the Data Protection Act depends on how he got the names and addresses. Of course, if there is a breach it would be by whoever gave him the names and addresses.

I meant the provider has breached, however, he has colluded with them!

I would think any general letters could be done through school newsletter via email. Election s round the corner.

I would not be happy with my child's name and address being passed to a third party without my consent.

I would certainly try to ascertain who had given personal identifying information to the recipient (the MP). If he did not respond promptly, I would refer it to the ICO's office for investigation.

There have been far too many cases of schools having inadequate data protection awareness (policy might exist on paper, by if staff don't know their obligations under it, then it's useless).

Also if the MP's data is a mixture of addresses he holds legally and ones he received only by someone else's breach, he will need to ensure it's cleaned up properly (and those he should no be holding removed). There's never a good time to have to do that, but I suspect the further away from an election the better.

For those concerned about data - just names (first and surname) were used - no personal addresses.

Letters were delivered to pupils in the school during the school day via teacher.

Having had the outrage - I'm rather feeling this is all a bit pathetic - and would personal prefer Steve McCabe's minions to be doing more productive things - maybe a parent survey with feedback about what they'd like to see in terms of improvements having suffered 7 years in a Selly Oak School.

SCHOOL WORK COMING HOME

HOMEWORK BEING SET REGULARLY

SCHOOL LIBRARY FUNCTIONING/ BOOKS ACCESSIBLE & REGULARLY COMING HOME

INTERVENTION SYSTEMS IN PLACE FOR STRUGGLING PUPILS IN KS1 - NOT WAITING FOR MID-LATE KS2 (AND PARENTS INFORMED IF SCHOOL PROVIDING ADDITIONAL SUPPORT TO THEIR CHILD- NOT FINDING OUT FROM PARENT VOLUNTEER)

A NATIONAL DAY FOR THE RELEASE OF END OF YEAR REPORTS/ KS1 OR KS2 SATS RESULTS - TOO MANY SCHOOLS ARE WAITING UNTIL THE LAST POSSIBLE MOMENT (One presumes so they can hide and not discuss things with parents).

I get that teaching isn't easy - but a number of decisions have been made along the way to exclude parents and obscure clear communication to us about our child's academic progress/ performance. LABOUR should be fighting hard for this to be a much clearer, straightforward system where a parent isn't automatically treated as pushy/ difficult if they want to understand how they're child is doing.

IT IS RIDICULOUS that I've sat through years of 'Oh at St. Mediocre we don't discuss pupil's performance in terms of National Curriculum Levels as a matter of policy' - when in fact the conversation I should have been having with DD1 was - 'Mrs. PSBD we really are concerned about your DD1 - she's not making much progress with reading or maths and we think it's time to consider extra support in school and extra work at home'.

I would have gladly signed up to any suggestions to help the teacher made. Instead I was left to it. We've got through but I don't think primary education should be a battle you have to survive - it should be about opening a world of opportunities/ possibilities for children

....

but I'm a deeply old fashioned thing and clearly that kind of thinking is no longer fashionable in political circles.

Was each letter in an envelope addressed to individual child? It would cost quite a lot of admin time!

There's only St M, St E, St F, and St J to choose from... which is Mediocre, I wonder? 1 is worse than mediocre, 1 is highly sought-after... leaves just 2 to choose from.

I am slightly concerned that the Shadow Minister for Children & Families wouldn't be alert to the fact that telling children it's o.k. to contact strangers privately might be a rather unfortunate message in these days & times.

^This. Please let him know.

I think it's generally harmless although naff, and potentially putting ideas in their head (like telling a child to be brave at the dentist when they weren't scared anyway).

I wonder if it is because you are in Birmingham where you can't trust all them forrin school governors with their funny ideas so at least you can contact your nice English MP??