Anyone got any opinions on the Michaela School?

[noblegiraffe]

My Twitter is currently full of talk about Michaela as the teachers there have released a book today and are holding a conference explaining what they do. It's a no-excuses school where kids walk the corridors either in silence or chanting Shakespeare, behaviour is expected to be perfect including no slouching. Everything possible is done to reduce workload of teachers - no marking in books, lessons are all joint planned and taught uniformly, no differentiation, they write their own textbooks.

Does anyone's kids go there? Anyone decide against sending their kids there? Does anyone know how it is viewed in the local community?

I wonder if Dolores Umbridge will apply.

Link to the job ad?

It was in TES last Friday. Position has now been filled so no longer there.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-38796801this was on the BBC website though.

Oops - link fail this

I'd love for someone kick-arse and sergeant-majory to take over my detentions. I wouldn't have thought it would be a full-time job for such a small school though.

That's the ting isn't it noble? Centralised detentions are probably one of those things that might be a good idea.

But HTF in a school with 360 pupils does that manage to be a full time position?

That would rather suggest that behaviour at the school isn't as impeccable as advertised.

That was one of 3 possibilities I could think of.

There's also the possibility they are giving out detentions for ridiculously minor issues or some form of internal exclusion may be going on.

Exactly - that's what made me think

We do centralised detentions at my school. We're in special measures and have 7 year groups. But after school detention still only has a maximum of 8 or 9 kids - and that's on a bad day! One of the pastoral team does the admin and HOY/HOD take turns running it - which works out at about 1 per (full) term.

A full time 35K position? Bonkers.

Centralised detentions at my place too. 1600 kids. Usually 50 ish in detention most nights.
Staffed on a rotation by teachers supported by pastoral/admin, so usually once per half term.
Not difficult, is it?

I've just read that TES link that leccybill linked to.

PMSL at them being worried about their GCSE results. I though they were doing amazingly well and all their kids were making huge progress compared to their starting points because of all the things they do that all the other schools don't.

Also 'disgruntled members of staff bringing the school into disrepute'.

I feel like there's a story behind this we don't know.

I'm guessing the detention director would also cover lunch/break detentions and from the advert would also do all the phoning home about poor behaviour, so a bit like a head of year.

Was it really £35k though? That's more than a full time experienced teacher!

Disgruntled staff members? They publicised that they're worried about that?

I thought all staff were rowing together? Maybe not?

According to the TES article, it's one of the risks they have identified in their 2015-2016 financial reports.

I've been looking for the report but can't find it. Only the 2014-2015 one is on the website

Could be they are thinking ahead, but it's a bit of an odd thing for them to think is an issue without any provocation.

2015-16 accounts on Companies House here:

beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/07645701/filing-history

Thank you.

It doesn't say much more than the TES article. Last year I think they went into a bit more detail about each of the risks they'd identified.

Interesting that in that document they say that 1st year 7 cohort had an average reading age of 12y 3m on entry, with 30% having a reading age of at least 14 years. I don't think that was quite the picture they originally painted. Maths attainment on entry looks broadly average too.

I just had a quick skim and was at the confidential pupil info on there. Surely 'pupil x was excluded in primary for blah' is pretty identifying given that they then outline the home situation of domestic violence and near homelessness? If I were that pupil or their parents I'd be bloody furious.

Hadn't noticed that bit.

For the love of God can someone please get them to label their data properly. Tables of unlabelled data are a bit meaningless if you don't know what the numbers are supposed to represent.

I dreamt that michaela had been closed down last night. The head was very upset so I made her a cup of tea.

On the subject of pupil confidentiality, this story from 2011 has just popped up on twitter.

www.standard.co.uk/news/tory-teacher-sent-home-for-mocking-pupil-and-not-for-her-political-views-academy-tells-tribunal-6388666.html

I get the feeling that protecting pupils privacy isn't very high on their agenda. It isn't just that report, but the many examples of pupils work pasted all over social media, kids being named in twitter feeds and speeches being given and then posted online where kids are named. I'd assumed they were changing the names, but now I'm not sure.

I thought from all the things I had read that they had very likely changed the names but the amount of detail given is very identifying, especially given the small size of the school.