Educating Essex - anyone watching?

[NormanTebbit]

Well I see schoolhasn't changed...

remember this was based in essex malinois

they aren't like that here in 'artfordshire

we're just catching on to the sideways fringe here

I have worked in secondary schools where kids were swinging off ceilings like chimps, this school looks brilliant in all honesty.

No, not a spoof - I grew up close to the area (although that wasnt my school).

I love Mr Drew. As soon as we saw him I said to DH I bet he taught History.

southeast and actually our local comp here in Surrey is lovely too as far as I can work out. No blazers or ties (just polos and jumpers and logo hoodies) but excellent results. Nice children too, several keep their ponies at the same yard as us and they are lovely.

Malinois most proper countries.

Confused - what are the defining features of a 'proper' country (and, by definition, its opposite)?

I knew the Daily Mail would spin it badly

Most proper countries??!

Define a 'proper' country and set out how you came to that definition - I'm curious.

Re uniform

My school, referred to previously, had a non uniform policy (but colour code). This was an excuse for all to wear whatever they liked. Designer gear was essential, this is Essex after all! It led to serious bullying.

IMO a strict uniform policy is essential in a Harlow school.

I would worry about what would happen if school uniform was abolished, whilst I would hope our teens would opt for jeans and Eastpaks, I look at the picture of the girls on the school field (in channel four link and DM above just scroll down) where their handbagsschoolbags hang lower than their skirt hems and really doubt it. Do these girls never bend down, I really hope not, and those blazers aree incredibly tight.....and have been buttoned in a way to exaggerate it.

Can't believe some people on this thread were thinking it was a spoof.

I wasn't impressed by it, thought the staff were far to matey and chummy with the pupils. The dep head was telling that girl off one minute, then joking with her the next. Very weird, and a def lack of authority and respect.

If that is an 'outstanding' school then god help my 10 year olds when they go our local comp next year which is only 'good'. I find it all rather depressing. And I completely understand what an earlier poster meant about pupils from the more academic schools having more respect for authority.

How will a lot of these kids cope in the work place when they've been treated with kid gloves all through school. What a shock they have in store to realise that life isn't like that.

SS I meant the other way round. Teachers calling pupils by their first names.

I have always been called by my first name as a pupil.

If you actually looked in the background the children were well behaved. The programme was concentrating on the worst behaved. My friends children who go there have thrived.There is a huge amount of respect for Mr Drew and the HM, he was not putting anything on for the camera, he is like that all the time.

Bloody Daily Mail.....

I thought it was pretty good - I just wish girls like Charlotte and Carmelita knew how lucky they were, and to make the most of it, because once you leave Year 11, you'll never have someone looking out for your best interests, nagging you, trying the damndest to keep you on track, again.

I was at secondary school 89-96, and I only remember about two instances of pupils called by surname - both were boys, and it was in the context of being shouted at quite loud!

Amused at the thought of the crumbling wrecks the Daily Mail-stylee "shocked" types would be after a week's teaching in any high school.

I didn't think Mr Drew was perfect - who is? - however, he was obviously an excellent, engaging teacher who has the respect of the school, even (eventually) the ridiculously gobby ones that the rest of the staff can't deal with.

Teachers don't inspire the same levels of fear they did 30/40 years ago because as a society we have decided they need to take care of the kids in their charge, not hit them for discipline, and be accountable. Under these circumstances the mixture of firm boundaries, appropriate consequences for bad behaviour, and a certain amount of good humour and empathy works extremely well.

Also, I think a lot of people aren't thinking properly about the editing process that has gone on here. If the filmmakers showed the 99% the time things were going just fine and the kids were doing their work everyone would have swiched off within 5 minutes. By focussing on the head of discipline's reaction to bad behaviour they both illuminated his methods and kept the viewer engaged. But inferring this is school life all the time from that is a bit daft imho.

The main thing that bothers me is why are the girls in the publicity stills all wearing the short skirts with knee socks? At any school I know of, the girls wear tights if wearing skirts - and quite a lot wear trousers anyway! It seems as though they've all gone a bit St Trinians for the camera, and looks rather dubious.

Nope, definitely not St Trinians - that's normal! In fact, if anything, I think some of them were a bit toned down. Harlow really is the Essex of Essex.

In fact, in my leafy Bristolian suburb, where I'm currently anxting over whether to send my DC to the good school or the outstanding school (both with results well in excess of the national average) I see children dressed like that sometimes.

Ah, round here they wear thick black tights or trousers unless it's VERY hot. The only time you would see the knee socks would be when the upper 6th leave, and on the last day they dress up in their old uniforms, but usually with knee socks, bunches and drawn-on freckles!

Perhaps the sock thing is on its way oop North!

DC's school actually banned knee socks, so it's tights or ankle socks, no trousers either, but other schools locally have the long white socks and it doesn't look good.

I get the train to work in Harlow and there is one school that wears a floor length kilt and that doesn't look good either.

I hope the sock thing isn't on it's way north! Our high school is very strict on uniform - and the girls don't wear short skirts and knee lengths. It's either trousers or skirts and black tights.

There is a school in Glasgow which has an ankle length pleated grey skirt, presumably to make some point - looks just as silly as short ones imo.

I caught it on 4 + 1 at 10 last night and felt the teachers were extremely good. I worked in schools as a youth worker for 6 years and what we old 'uns have to remember is how much society and what young people expect/see/want/understand has really altered since the 70's when I was at school. I don't agree with answering back or being rude but it is a fatc that society is like that so much more than back in 'our'day. Mr Drew quite clearly had a lot of respect from all of the students shown and that is really important

I think what is forgotten sometimes though is that pupils want teachers who can control the class, who motivate and who demand (and get) respect. The vast majority of pupils want to learn and want to progress - they don't want to be in classes where anything goes. Those teachers who play to the crowd very quickly become seen as sad losers.

Kids of 14/15 naturally have a rebellious phase and actively seek out ways of kicking back against adults. I loathe school uniform, but I think at that age a school uniform Gives the pupils something minor to kick against. Better that than seeking out other, more extreme ways of shocking adults.

I got the impression, that Mr Drew has seen it all before. The rebellion unfortunately kicks in at 14/15, then disappears after GCSE time. He sees his job as keeping them in school and getting their basic education, as the pupils cannot see how impt it is. For some of the more challenging pupils, by the time they hit 17 and look back on a failed education, they might lack the drive and courage to admit their mistake and start all over again. Mr Drew ensures that they look back and say, 'well I was a little shit, but at least the school stuck by me and made me getbthe basics'.

As for teachers telling them off then being 'chummy' in the next minute, I think it falls into the remit of dealing with bad behaviour, then moving on. There's no need to dwell on it.

I'm surprised the school allowed the 'behind the scenes' footage of the teachers to be broadcast though. I'm not criticising it at all; I just don't think it's appropriate for pupils to be seeing it.

And I completely understand what an earlier poster meant about pupils from the more academic schools having more respect for authority.

But respect for authority tends to come from the parents, not from the school. Can you imagine demanding respect from Carmelita when her mother clearly had no respect for the school? Going in authoritarian and shouty with those sorts of kids won't work. They've been shouted at all their lives, what they need is engaging with.