Ashcroft Technology Academy

[Nushi21]

Hi all, I have a seen a few discussion on this school and I wanted to see if there are any recent reviews, actual experiences or stories anyone can share.

After many changes to our situation, it seems like we are not moving homes. Therefore the closest secondary school to us is Ashcroft. I don’t know how I feel about the school, though I’ve been to two open events last year.

please share all good and bad reviews on this school. I need to collate as much info as I ca so I can make the best decision for my child’s future.

Thank you in advance.

FYI my son is at a prep school in year 6. He’s been offered places at very good independent schools around our area but I don’t think we are in a position to commit the amount needed for 5 years.

ATA in Putney?

NC as obviously very outgoing but I worked there about 10 years ago. I'm sure many things have changed and the staff will have almost entirely rotated out but it was the most awful place. I left there and left teaching and have a much better and more interesting career, but I will never forget what an awful place it was.

There were many positives and examples of great teaching practice but there was just no care for the pupils as children.

One morning right after Xmas I let a young boy into the building 5 mins ahead of the official door opening times because he was outside in the dark and it was below zero. He didn't have a coat and I knew he had a difficult homelife and probably didn't have one, not just had forgotten it. We both got caught and I got chewed out by the headmaster in front of the boy for breaking the rules. He was very apologetic that he'd got me in trouble, it really stuck with me how backwards the whole scene was where the head was reprimanding me, another adult professional, in front of the children, for a completely reasonable decision. It was so disrespectful to me and so lacking in compassion for this poor kid who was absolutely blue with cold.

At that time student toilets were also locked and guarded led by a TA between lessons who would sit in front of them and read a book or something for hours at a time. There weren't long breaks and one of the boys in my tutor group wet himself waiting for the queue at break times. I also got reprimanded several times for allowing students to go to the toilet in classes when they'd been sent back by the TA who decided they weren't desperate enough and she wasn't going to unlock the doors for them, and instead got my name to report back up to the SLT for not enforcing the toilet policy. I know it caused a lot of anxiety for the pupils especially the younger ones.

There was a lot of bullying amongst the staff, pretty awful stuff but not really relevant to the parents so probably not worth boring you with.

This is all very out of date information but working there was an awful experience as a member of staff but also just witnessing what the pupils put up with. Had I been a parent then and knew what I did, I would have removed my children. I hope some things have changed but I couldn't not share. I would encourage you to go to the open day if possible and ask the staff, especially the more junior staff, about some of these issues and see if the culture has changed somewhat.

Hope this helps, happy to DM for further questions because I will probably delete this because I'm still fairly paranoid about it all even this long afterwards.

Oh my goodness. Please do dm me.

I don’t have any personal connection with the school but am somewhat familiar with it.

My impression is that the school deliberately creates an image of being very strict about rules (of which there are many) and giving lots of homework. They state this upfront in all their admissions publications. They do this, I think, in order to encourage applications from parents who like a strict, hardworking environment and discourage those who prefer a more liberal approach. There are plenty of parents who do like this approach as demonstrated by the short catchment distances and multiple appeals wanting the school. Very few kids leave the school once in. There is also a cohort who get in on ability (the technological aptitude test) which I imagine will have some impact on the character of the school.

On the one hand this strict approach may help improve results and avoid the behavioural issues which happen in some other local schools. On the other hand it does seem a very very rigid environment and there will be some kids who hate this. Up to you whether this attracts or puts you off.

@Nushi21 , The best thing you can do is compare various views and then form your own.

As I said here https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/secondary/5061036-ashcroft-academy-any-thoughts

Ashcroft bans bicycles. They will give a detention to any child caught cycling to school. This is in their policy and was discussed multiple times in local forums and cyclists' forums, e.g. see
https://www.reddit.com/r/londoncycling/comments/1figz90/ashcroft_secondary_school_bans_bicycles_how_legal/

Their ethos is very similar to that of Holland Park school and Mossbourne

See press clips
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-61325597
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/czjd383z9lyo
and a very long discussion on Mumsnet https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/secondary/5225872-mossbourne-academies-investigations-into-alleged-emotional-harm-and-abuse-why-are-needlessly-strict-academies-unaccountable

I absolutely hate this type of schools. This * would not be tolerated in the workplace - why we seem to tolerate it at schools is beyond me.
Do not underestimate the impact these toxic environments can have on the mental wellbeing of a child.

Also, to pre-empt likely questions:

• no, their cycling policy is not about safety. They introduced this role before the school in its current form even existed. There is no procedure in place to reassess. It goes against all the policies of the council, of Greater London and of TfL. It is an oversubscribed school, most kids live locally and most (not all) would be able to cycle safely. Regardless, the decision should be of the parents.
• I am all for strict rules, but I distinguish between i) strict but fair and ii) batshit crazy. When our child got told off at their current school, we stood by the school - no excuses.
• Anyone with experience of abusive behaviour, be it in a relationship or in the workplace, will tell you that capricious rules for their own sake tend to be a HUGE red flag
• Strict but fair rules teach the importance of good behaviour and that there are consequences. Batshit crazy capricious rules don't, they just crush the soul and teach students to submit to authority switching off their brains
• For every day of school missed, you get to do 5 hours of "catch up", which is really a detention, because it's not teaching time, they just expect you to stay there and study on your own.
• The brainwashing was scary. Pupils at the tour said that if you choose to be absent you must pay the consequences. What if a child is sick? A parent asked. The students shrugged as if to say "suck it up"

Of course no school will work for every child.
But we need to distinguish between what doesn't work for someone but may work for someone else, and what shouldn't be allowed to happen to anybody.

I didn't like my previous job and didn't get along with my previous partner. But there was nothing toxic about them. The person who replaced me at work and my ex's new partner seem to be thriving.

However, if you were abused by your former boss, colleague, or ex, would you say: oh, you know what, they abused me, but didn't abuse everyone, so you might like it there? Or would you say: their behaviour was unacceptable and the fact they didn't abuse everyone is not an excuse?

This is the worst school ever. They teach children that injustice is acceptable. They never listen to students and are always on the teachers’ side. My son constantly feels treated unfairly. Some of the teachers are even discriminatory, and punishments are made worse simply because he disagrees with a particular teacher who doesn’t like him.

The whole school is terrible. There is no understanding or communication with the teachers because they always support each other. I truly hate this school and honestly want to transfer my children out of it.

If you want your children to suffer from injustice and lose their confidence, then send them to Ashcroft.