ONLY THIRD WORLD SCHOOL IN BRITAIN

[inaiz]

CAN SEEM TO GET THE COUNCIL TO COMMIT TO REBUILD A DISASTEROUS SCHOOL,AN OLD SCHOOL WHICH IS DEPRIVED OF A SERIOUS FACELIFT....ANY IDEAS?

Have just watched the youtube clip and I'm really shocked.

Shocked that it doesn't seem that bad.

Like everyone else has said, get some new carpets, roll up your collective sleeves and bobs your uncle.

So if they are proposing £500,000 portakabins, they are probably like this.www.portakabin.co.uk/lilliput.html

Many, many children in this country are educated in "huts".

Alos I'm very confused as to how the canal can be affecting the structure of the building. Personally I think this argument is just silly. There is quite a distance (including a read and houses) between the canal and the school.

It may be lovely but don't you see the waste of money.

Also no one cares that the restricted playground space will be more restricted what's the suggestion there!!!!!

These huts will be in the playground for 30+ yrs, or as i was told it's cheaper to leave it there once it's there!!!!

So where are the children going to play!!!!

This thread is like an itch.

Why haven't you answered the questions in LynetteS's posts. What are your proposals? Where will the children be moved to whilst your shiney new school is built?

And as for my questions I'm still waiting for an answer on why you can't fund raise. The school I cited has already raised the majority of the money they need. You seemingly have been moaning about conditions for 8 years. How much money have you raised in that time towards the cost of the structural work? Or have you spent the entire time shouting at councillors and placard waving?

MollieO Thu 14-Jan-10 00:26:29
"This thread is like an itch."

You are so right.

But I'm going to try my best to ignor it now, as sammy125's over use of exclamation marks is begining to really annoy me.

Hi fellow posters,fantastic to have some of you come back to the thread,after some of the nice and not so nice comments yesterday,Irealise a few things.
To those who have dealt with their school problems in a most admirable and informative way,has showed a great way fwds----never give up no matter how difficult and long it seems.
There were many very good suggestions/comments made-no doubt,but if it were applicable to this school!
Yes fundraising would be the way fwd if you were to maitain the school the way some have designed and proposed,and if we were to follow these suggestions,whether for extentions,improvements or demolishment,
Lets look at it this way:refurbishent of school over the last eight years,toilets(one set of toilets to repair last year cost +- £46 000-50 000 )we need ALL the toilets fixing,further extentions were made for more toilets in another extentions to clasrooms ect,we manage to put up new fencing,security gates around the shool,new flooring-which by the way got damaged in the floods-pipe urst,playgorund was-front and back entire playground was done up front and back (which by the way the council wishes to use that space for the HUTS-what a waste of money-no?),and I could go on over the 8 yrs the attempts to maitain,clean up,ect.
You say I keep repeating,thats because you keep repeating.
If we were to start fundraising for the rebuild,can you honestly say that it is in the capacity to raise approx 6 million pounds and our responsibilty--and even if we tried, do you thing the council will meet us there-theyll probably say youve a fantastic job carry on!? Saying we want a shiny new school,YES weve waited far too long,OUR KIDS DESERVE IT-NO APOLOGIES ,NO REGRETS!!!
What do we propose :A Decent and Safe School for our KIDS- A Rebuild----What ARE WE DOING ABOUT IT -Fighting the best possible way we know!
Many Thanks to all for your Time and Help.

Why don't you read EG's earlier post regarding raising money - £25million - to build a new school.

I read your school's Ofsted report last night. If I were a parent at the school I would be asking why the senior management have been absent for the school (where is the leadership) and why so many pupils are absent for long periods. You won't have any chance of solving anything without good leadership (which appears to be lacking) and parents who take an interest - which can't happen if they are taking their dcs on extended holidays. Maybe those parents could cut down their holidays to school holiday times and add some of their saved expenditure to the fundraising!

Lots and lots of schools raise money for capital projects. The size of the LEA cake is small and the demands on it are great. I don't know of any school that gets all the money they want from their LEA.

'Fighting' will get you nowhere. Positive action - fundraising and business sponsorship will.

I would also add that if you spent £50,000 on one toilet you are completely and utterly mad.

Oh, this thread is like an itch.

Yes, it is a shame when flooring is damaged by flood, it happened in my DC's school, and a large amount of flooring had to be replaced. But that is what insurance is for.

A lot of my previously posted questions remian unanswered, so there probably is't any point in posting any more.

You say you propose a rebuild of your school, but give no more sugestions than knocking the existing building down and building another one. No thought to how it will be financed, designed, what you would like included, the size of the finished shcool, or where the children would be educated in the meantime. Just A NEW ONE.

You are presenting as rather spoilt and childish, inaiz. Just stamping you feet and shouting semi-coherently never got anyone anywhere.

Attitude,attitude,
I think someone mentioned that abusive attitude wont get you anywhere,all we asked for was good constructive advise,calling anyone mad for a mere incorrect understanding-as I said a set of toilets! not one,by the way, is not childish. Looking at ur comments merely indicates that you taking this far too personaly, maybe you should try calming down,if you disagree to our struggle twds the council,then may I suggest that yuove made ur point... leave the holier than though attitude and lets listen to more inabusive suggestions.
Yes we thought wed just asked for a new one---thats all....really I would think there is more to you than that, I dont see the need to explain every detail,as we thought wed leave that to discuss with the council,as I mentioned before we have alot of work to do,one of the reasons why we need to have meetings,put heads together and come up with some constuctive brainstorms. anyway enough,Im rather board with this argument/debate?
lets hope someone out there has a better approach twds us to understand,inorder to reach the next level.
tks

AND as far as the itch is concerned,rather than annoying,I think you enjoying it too much!

I thought from your OP and various other postings that you were seeking advice on what could be done to improve your dc's school. Lots of posters have given you good advice and examples of how you can achieve what you want to achieve. Instead of taking these suggestions on board and answering the many relevant questions asked you harangue posters who aren't completely supportive of your inactive stance.

I agree with Lynette though as regards the school. Why on earth do you want your dcs to attend a school that apparently is so poor structurally and has non-existent leadership? Ime the quality of the head makes the school. At least that is how I chose my ds's school. I was hugely impressed by their attitude and achievements. It didn't occur to me to be concerned that there are only 2 toilets to 50 children, that my son's classroom for the first three years of school is a portacabin, that the next two years will be spent having to climb up a very steep staircase to classrooms and that his final year will be spent in a class housed in a wooden shed. All I wanted was inspired leadership and excellent teaching - two aspects of education that seem completely missing from your school and which don't appear to concern you at all. Why not? Why aren't you bothered with the lack of leadership? Why aren't you bothered with pupils taking extended holidays in term time?

If I were you I would start with the leadership at your school and move your project on from there. I would also engage parents in ensuring that their children actually attend school. If I were head of the LEA I'd be reluctant to invest public money in a school that doesn't invest in itself.

maybe getting a new school will be a great incentive to better leadership,as the enviroment plays a huge part in excellent performs,-it could be a start to better things than it is now,
and to me it seems thaat you are part of the LEA , as far as I can see youve been nothing BUT reluctant in ur support,and if you not im glad you arent! and like I said this is repetitive and rather boring...lets leave the discussion opened to someone with a more positive approach to our appeal---youve made ur point-thank you.

May I add that it is the school that I thought was convinient for me, and if you get facts right,this schools resulted in the first 5% performance nationaly,makes sence to the poor leadership,apart from that, if a school is not upto standards then I agree that a lot needs attention,like I said before this school is in a deprived area,and probably needs a little more help...and pls dont go on about we think we are too special,we just trying to help in the arears that we think we need to urgently,we are trying,and ur points are noted.tks

Golly. I have no interest in supporting your campaign as I don't live in Coventry or have children at your school. Lots of posters, myself included, have given you very good points on what you should do to improve your school. What I, and many others, have not said is you are right to expect the LEA to do everything for you. I have a 5 yr old ds and he knows already that you don't get something for nothing. You need to put the work effort in to see results. Correct me if I am wrong but all you seem to have done is moan to various public figures and ask them to give you a shiney new school. A bit like a child on Christmas day who throws a tantrum if they don't get the present they want.

If I were you I would print this thread off and read all the helpful advice you have received. I would then draw up an action plan which has SMART based objectives and a realistic time frame.

One thing you have completely failed to address is what happens to the enrolled children whilst your new school is being built? Also do you think that the school's present lack of leadership is why the council don't want to invest? Schools are businesses these days and LEAs are the investors. They will not want to be seen to give substantial funds to a management team which is notable only for its absence. As I have said several times already good leadership both at school and PTA level is key for your success. At the moment you have a school management whose absences are only matched by their pupils. Doesn't that concern you?

I am always very positive to posters who take control of their issues and have taken a considerable amount of time to write suggestions that anyone else in your position would take on board and find helpful. I think that the only way you will consider me to be a positive supporter is if I write you a cheque for £6million. The fact that I have given you the tools to do this for yourself has completely passed you by.

Who told you your school is in the top 5%? Unless the league tables are wrong you are nowhere near the top 5%. If your head has told you this I would be seriously concerned. You aren't even in the top 5% for Coventry schools let alone nationally.

Your post sums your campaign up - you need to get your facts straight and your objectives organised.

zapostrophe I'm probably partly to blame! I find it so frustrating when I can see the answers so plainly and yet the OP cannot .

Where on earth did you get the information this school was in the top 5% nationally?

According to ofsted, the atainment levels for chidlren leaving the school are unsatisfactory.

The school has an empty feild which is not adjacent to the school,not far off from the school,suggested by a few,while the school is being built the children would continue on main premises until completion,our prposal is use this space,and for the record,thank god we are not asking you for the money!,and that `s not the objective.
as mentioned everything commented, is taken on board.tks

Why are you asking for money from the LEA? Why can't you fund raise the costs yourself? Have you done a detailed submission complete with plans, costings etc? Or have you just shouted at the LEA 'build me a shiney new school here?'. What has your HT done to take this project forward? Why do you actually need a new school if you have so much absenteeism amongst the pupils and staff?!

MollieO, I very much doubt there has been a detailed submission, complete with plans, but I also doubt inaiz will actually answer this question.

ianz has mentined the school ownes some land nearby, on which the new school could be built. Unused LEA land, which hasn't yet been sold off....hmm.....