School - BBC 2 - 9 pm

[HollowTalk]

Anyone watching?

Castle I worked in a school which was set to be academised. They came in, made absolutely pointless changes (all board backing paper the same colour etc, as if we had nothing better to do, special chairs for SLT...) Spent money like it was going out of fashion. The school's money, obviously. We didn't get a special measures grant from government because we would soon be benefitting from the academy funds.

And then the chain folded, financial irregularities at the top. They withdrew. It became abundantly clear quite how much money they'd spent in preparing us to join them.

We were left penniless, no SLT bar a few who'd survived the academy cull, and one of theirs who defected. It was huge amounts of hard work to make ends meet. TLRs were not awarded, but obviously the work was done anyway. The school's results shot up to be one of the best performing schools in the county. We'd seen how bad it would be in an academy chain and we were killing ourselves to avoid that. The kids, too.

I loved that school. I left a good few years ago for reasons not related to the school. It's now formed its own trust with a local school and continues to thrive.

Academisation (or the threat of) did nothing for us except blow our budget. The staff worked their arses off, as did the kids, in our subsequent years.

If you recognise the school from my description, I hope you also think of it fondly and understand how traumatic the process was for all involved.

I am also a parent of multiple children who are in or have been through Castle school. It was a fascinating watch for sure. I agree with others here in the know that the school is a much better school than it was portrayed in that one episode, and the teachers are generally very good. It is sad to see them being treated so shabbily.

Just a couple of points: 1, the acting head was only ever going to be at the school for a short period of time. As Castle said, she was covering the usual head's secondment. I guess that wasn't mentioned as it was considered relevant.

2, without knowing the inside details, I do wonder if class sizes could not be a factor in the school's financial difficulties. My children are or have been top set academically, and class sizes of 24 have been the norm. A lot lot smaller in sixth form. Whilst this has been great from the student and parent point of view, I do wonder if that puts too much pressure on the finances.

Oh dear. I fear that will be happening here too.

I'm so sorry you went through such a horrible process.

Yes smaller class sizes wouldn't really help the books. I have to say I didn't like the way the teachers were treated in the meeting. On the other hand, my dh works for a major MNC and middle management is constantly being culled. It does happen in the private sector too. However in MNCs you don't have the massive financial discrepancy between senior management and lower level roles. I think that is what's really disgusting in these MATs. Apparently Damian Hinds says the government will do something about it. Yeah right.

Watched this on catch up. I left school in the early 90s and my DC are in primary so I haven’t had any direct contact with secondary education for some time. I have to admit that I was surprised that the first segments showed the pastoral team having been reduced to 6 (I think they said). I don’t remember there being any pastoral care staff at my secondary school and a kid got expelled for setting off a fire alarm. I am not saying that this is a good thing but I can see why schools are struggling to cope if they provide resources for welfare/caring rather than just to educate.

I am not saying that this is a good thing but I can see why schools are struggling to cope if they provide resources for welfare/caring rather than just to educate.

Er, by looking after student welfare you are helping them to learn. What a bizarre point of view.

If you have the resources, like I said there was no pastoral team at my secondary in the early 90s. Did I go to an unusual school in this respect or was it something that wasn’t done at any state school 25 years ago?

So you had no Heads of Year Itsear ?

If you have the resources, like I said there was no pastoral team at my secondary in the early 90s.

Not, “if you have the resources”. What is more important than ensuring the welfare of your students?

Pastoral care falls to form tutors, teachers, heads of year, etc but it is miles better if there are dedicated and properly trained staff.

There definitely was an emphasis on Pastoral Care at my school in the 90s, admittedly more as I was leaving, an appointment of Head Of Pastoral was made to the SLT. I went to state.

To answer whoever said, what happens when an academy is failing, I live in a neighbouring county, where our nearest secondary became an academy replete with shiny new building and name change about 5/6 years ago. It didn’t have a good reputation and hadn’t for some time. Last Ofsted, in summer this year sent it back into special measures and the head resigned; local MP has stated there’s no need for a change of academy chain as they’re only three years into a five year adjustment period from when the last lot took over, conveniently ignoring that it has declined considerably in those three years.

So it looks like, nothing much happens at all until the chain owning a school decide it’s not going to improve rather than have schools forcibly removed from their control when failing? Terrible if so.

If you have the resources, like I said there was no pastoral team at my secondary in the early 90s. Did I go to an unusual school in this respect or was it something that wasn’t done at any state school 25 years ago?
You had Heads of Year in the early 90s unless you went to an unusual school that hadn’t caught up yet. You probably just didn’t know your teachers’ job titles.

I am not saying that this is a good thing but I can see why schools are struggling to cope if they provide resources for welfare/caring rather than just to educate.

How can you educate someone who can’t be in the same room as you, due to panic attacks?!

heartshaped I believe I know which school you are referring to. I live in a neighbouring area where the local secondary has an equally chequered past. We're trying to decide if we're going to tutor for grammar when time comes or beg the in laws to pay for private, should said school not have improved. Depressing all round.

I should say, I used the work for Medical Needs outreach - essentially tutoring for kids too unwell to attend school. Lots of cancers, CFS, ASD, etc but also loads of anxiety and depression and similar conditions of poor mental health. Absolutely heartbreaking, meeting kids with such severe mental ill health in their early and mid teens. A lot of it relating to having impossibly high standards and feelings of failure, often amplified by social media.

Is anyone watching tonight’s episode ?

I am!

Shocked at that lesson where only 3/12 students were in school. Attendance is such a hard nut to crack when there is a culture of poor attendance.

My heart goes out to that headteacher.
It really is a domino effect

Attendance is such a hard nut to crack when there is a culture of poor attendance

It is, but when the staff member tasked with cracking it is offering a free lollipop if they turn up I don’t think there is going to be much cracking going on!

It is, but when the staff member tasked with cracking it is offering a free lollipop if they turn up I don’t think there is going to be much cracking going on!
I cringed so hard at that bit. But genuinely, how do you totally change a culture like that? We struggle. It's easy to criticise rewards etc but sometimes it does genuinely work.. for some!

I am, I feel so shocked by the behaviour of the year 7’s.

But then it’s impossible when so few staff are being asked to supervise in their lunchtimes as well.

Do they really expect teachers to be volunteering for lunch duty?

They can (and do) ask teachers to supervise at lunch. I can’t though, as I’m usually dealing with students already (homework, lateness, detentions, chats...)