MN Code of Practice For Private Schools

[zanzibarmum]

Based on Mumsnet contributions and the fact that private schools are providing a 'public good'(in the economic sense) here are the first few clauses of a code of practice that such schools' collective bodies might institute. (Please add your own clauses).

We being members of the HMC, GSA, GDST etc follow this code:

Our charges for registration shall only cover costs of administration and the exam marking;

Offers will be made in line with national offer day timetable;

If we take your child we won't kick them out at end of GCSE's unless for behaviour or attendance reasons;

If we offer your DC a reserve place we will tell you where on the reserve list you are;

All children can receive their marked exam papers within 8 weeks of offer day (after all their yours and you did pay for them);

When we interview your DC we won't ask where else you have applied to;

We do not interview parents;

More to follow??

It's not simple, zanzibarmum, because, if the school sets its own exam it won't want the papers in the hands of prospective pupils, who could then be force fed ( even more than happens now!).

Some schools genuinely want to see what a child can do with questions he / she wasn't necessarily expecting. It can add another dimension to selection - ie is this child actually going to be able to cope with this school?

Plus an endless stream of parents arguing about the answers could be a bit trying

ps 'The Royals' did their exams under assumed names ( presumably not the Hon Lord Muck Earl of Clacton) so wouldn't have been currying favour to get in. Maybe they passed the exam?

So harry 'the nazi' and even sweet William got in on merit. Well of course they would have with a father who was gifted a place in Cambridge and a mother with just a couple of o levels. Otherwise please let them tell us their tutor

'The Royals' passed the exam???? Oh come on, please (didn't Prince Harry have to have a couple of goes at Common Entrance before getting into Eton?? As they are always bleating that it is the most academic school, it is fairly unlikely that anyone else would get in under those circs. Still not much point in being Royal unless you get a few perks)

Erm, yes and Prince Charles getting into Cambridge with 5 'O' levels (even in the olden days that was fairly bad).

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Thanks Ladies. So we have established one fact that at least one private school let's people in despite not being the sharpest knife. Why should we have a clause in the mumsnet Private Schools Code of Practice which would stop this.

But what would be the point of employing a great mathematician if they couldn't actually teach the subject?

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What's wrong with 'nice but dim' kids. Don't they deserve a good education?

i'd like to add.....the board of governenrs will pay attention to whats going on and not employ a v egotistical head who changes lots of famous things about the school which ends up spoiling the atmosphere of the school.

(gripe about my old school where i'd like to send dd if its in a fit state)

Here's some from the inside (former independent school teacher).

1. Independent schools should be subject to the Freedom of Information Act.

1. Refund the registration fees of parents whose children aren't given a place.

1. Have elected parent representatives on the governing body or school council.

1. Don't sell client lists of pupils to other schools if you are closing down.

1. Apply the same child protection standards to children in independent schools as maintained schools - don't let peers of the realm and the wealthy cover up incidences of child abuse with their money and influence.

1. Make the audited accounts public.

1990-1998, so a long time ago now, but I am still reasonably plugged in ... I taught in London.

If you are a peer of the realm or stinking rich, you just say you will sort out all the anger management problems by going privately to a very expensive top consultant psychiatrist, btw.

I don't see any reason to impose my ideas on another school. If the parents of the children at another school are happy, then why should I care or interfere?

I have been very lucky to choose my DCs school - an advantage unavailable to the majority. I love it. DCs love it. Why should someone else impose rules upon it from on high?
That was one of the reasons I avoided state school.

If you're unahppy vote with your feet - so very many are not lucky enough to have the choice.

No one is imposing anything. This is a code of practice for the schools' representative bodies to adopt so that the good practice is encouraged and the bad practice discouraged.

Thing is that people can't simply vote with their feet if you want to walk away from one school. Equally, when applying you don't have the power to question bad practice.

Someone ahould start a mumsnet code of practice for Grammar schools

What about if you found out your children's school had ended up paying its female staff 2/3 of what it paid its male staff for work of equal value, for example, and that it was suddenly having to find huge amounts of back pay for women staff after an equal opps tribunal? Or that the school had been sold behind your back without you realising, to a proprietor you had doubts about? Or that the new Sports Hall it had just built almost put it into receivership? Sometimes these things can result in rapid closure of a school with 400 pupils all looking for alternatively places locally at the same time. Adherence to guidelines and codes of practice can mean avoiding such extreme scenarios, which is much better for people's children (all these are based on RL situations I have witnessed, BTW).

Precisely. Well said.

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What on earth's wrong with teaching qualifications?

Some of the absolute worst teachers I have seen have been unqualified members of staff in independent schools who have an inflated opinion of their own abilities, because they're so snobbish they think nothing of worth ever happens in maintained schools. They're also very good at blaming pupils for not working rather than examining their own professional practice. Very dangerous, that sort of attitude.

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Bloss, I'm not convinced you've got much knowledge about what's covered in the typical PGCE these days. It's certainly not reams and reams of educational theory, and this has been the case since the 1980s. A lot of people actually train on the job through the Graduate Teacher Programme, and those that don't spend a great deal of time in schools observing practice and teaching under supervision. In fact it's getting more and more like medical training in that respect.

i tell you why id like them to be trained
becuase if nad when they assault kids they can be traced and barred from teaching.

and i think that teachers can be trained in different teaching styles. its not just stand and talk you know...

They all have to be CRB checked now though, surly they will fail the checks if there has been a problem with them??