Educating Cardiff

[thatstoast]

Will anyone be watching? It starts on C4 at 9. I'm in South Wales, previously in Cardiff.

[imwithspud]

Emochild No I haven't, hence why I said that I am probably being naive - which evidently I am. My children are still young, I've got all this to come!

[imwithspud]

Educating Yorkshire was a fantastic series, I watched it again on Netflix not so long ago.

[NoMoreRenting]

Just looked up Ryde Academy. So they've got a new head and 2 new deputy heads for Sept. As a parent, that would worry me.

[BrendaandEddie]

Think is long troubled. Can't remember why

[OneInAMillionYou]

The worst thing that ever happened to education is having pupils sitting at group tables facing each other rather than the teacher. I was reminded during this programme. What an invitation for low lever disruption, rudeness and poor attention to the subject.
I thought Jess was wonderful. Bet she goes on to great things.

[TheNewStatesman]

"The worst thing that ever happened to education is having pupils sitting at group tables facing each other rather than the teacher." God, yes. It's bad enough in primary schools, let alone secondaries. Blame the Plowden Report.

[BrendaandEddie]

I like it. I've done both. I have all tables angled towards me/the board.

Tbh for a skilled teacher it's no issue. Plus depends on subject

[leccybill]

I hate 'nests' but it is our school policy, to facilitate more groupwork. It just encourages more chatter if you ask me.
Horseshoe is the best, with tables in centre of horseshoe for ones you really need to keep an eye on.

[noblegiraffe]

When Mr Harrison phoned Leah's mum to discuss her attendance then he was shown tearing up on the phone, was it explained what he was upset about?

[Callmegeoff]

nomorerenting I really hope they can turn the school around. I have to apply for dd2s secondary school place this October so will go and look at it, however she will most likely go to the new free school in Ventnor that her elder sister attends.

[NoMoreRenting]

I hope it works out for you, CallmeGeoff. I don't know the school at all so cannot comment on what it's like now and there may be a very good reason for a change of HT and both DHTs at the same time but I'd still worry there was issues. Looking at the website they've also recruited for quite a few other posts this summer inc a couple of HofD and still have a couple of vacancies. It will be interesting to see if the new HT and her new deputies can turn things around and create stability and a certain level of staff retention. Presumably they interviewed her first and she had a hand in picking them so at least they'll all be on the same page.
At least you can visit and listen to her vision before making your decision.

[DoingTheGardening]

Just watching now, not read the thread yet, but does anyone think jess has aspergers?!

[TheNewStatesman]

I watched some of this.

I admire the dedication of the teacher phoning the girl and can only imagine how caring and dedicated he must be. But it makes me feel a bit sad, because I feel that part of the reason why the British teaching profession has a hard time getting and keeping the best human resources is because teachers are expected to be social workers. Even the hardest working person is likely to get burned out after a while.

If the girl is 16 (=old enough to get married, have sex and live alone) maybe it's time to let her skive, fail and suffer the consequences, but I guess that schools are held accountable for GCSE results so teachers are expected to practically drag students through them one way or another. Sometimes it seems like the UK school system has accountability for teachers but not for teenagers themselves.

[Icimoi]

Ryde has been having unsatisfactory Ofsted reports for two years. If I were a parent of a pupil there I suspect I would be very glad indeed that there has been a change of leadership.

[PlayingSolitaire]

I caught up on Educating Cardiff last night. I feel very torn by it. My good, liberal, social, caring side thinks isn't it lovely that the teachers cared that much about Leah that they fought for her to get her GCSEs and become something. They never gave up on her and always carried on looking for ways to get her to attend and to achieve. My otherside- the one that was a hardworking pupil at a school like this and that has children who are well behaved and could end up in a school like this- thinks what a waste of time. Leah didn't care about her education and the teachers spent so much time worrying about her and chasing her up that it would have to be at the detriment to the children who were in the classroom and did want to learn. It isn't the school's job to make sure the children turn up at school everyday- it's the parents and children job. If they are not there wanting to learn then worry about the ones who are, instead of neglecting them to give so much attention to the skivers.

[noblegiraffe]

But Leah turned it around, got her GCSEs, went to college and can presumably go on to become a productive member of society.

Surely that's a good investment of time?

[PlayingSolitaire]

The programme also made me REALLY cross in their attitude to Jessica. And no, I don't think she has Aspergers. Because she was the nice, sensible, hardworking girl who was happy to be herself and not a troublemaker SHE apparently had a problem. NO!!! She just didn't fit in with the kids who weren't interesting in education. She didn't lack social skills, she just had nothing in common with the other girls in the school. The gulf between her and Leah was so immense, it's hardly suprising they weren't best friends. Take Jessica out of that school and stick her in, for example Warminster from the School Swap programme. She wouldn't be a social outcast there as she wouldn't be the only one interested in learning.

But instead of recognising that Jessica was a nice girl and sensible and interested in learning and that was a good thing, SHE was blamed as the problem. Because she didn't fit in with the "cool" (naughty, rude and horrible) children, she was seen as the problem and not them and not that there was nothing in common between them.

And before someone says you have to be able to get on with lots of different people in the real world. No you don't. Jessica will leave school and leave the rest of them behind. She'll hopefully go and get A Levels and a Degree, get a good job and never see that crowd again. She will find that she works with and socialises with like minded people in the future... And will find she isn't some kind of social outcast with a problem, but with people on the same wavelength she is fine. And if she comes across any of them or their ilk again, she will just be able to cross the road and avoid them and meet her like minded friends at their book club or whatever instead.

[PlayingSolitaire]

Noblegiraffe- it would be if it was only Leah, but is it a good investment if it comes at the detriment of the time that could have been spent on other, more deserving, pupils. After all, schools are very stretched.

[BrendaandEddie]

I am very entertained that everybody is so surprised that teachers do things like phoning up students I have been doing this for years!

The government places stress on league tables and attendance league tables we have no choice but to go the extra mile for every single student this involves sometimes moving children out of their homes with drug addict parents, taking them to have nits tangles cut out of there and buying them school new school uniform it's never ending

[LineyReborn]

noble No I'm not sure why Mr Hennessey became so emotional at that point. Have you got the chance to watch it again?

[noblegiraffe]

playing I dunno, I think a bright girl from a crap background is pretty deserving of some attention.

[LineyReborn]

There's a lovely review in today's Guardian. Sorry I can't link from Kindle.

[TheSecondOfHerName]

Leah had texted the school mobile, opening up about her low mood and feelings of hopelessness. That's why Mr H was a bit emotional when he was trying to contact her.

[BrendaandEddie]

I'm surprised it moved him. Must have been out of the blue.

Mental health is for us a permanent issue.