School BBC2

[elephantoverthehill]

Did anyone watch this tonight? Any thoughts? I think the staff of Castle school were very dedicated and budget realities were just shocking. I am however, slightly overly interested as one of the schools to be featured is where I went to sixth form and did supply at when I first qualified as a teacher. The anxiety displayed by Chloe was concerning and well done to the staff and her Mum for supporting her.

I'm quite pleased that the programme is focussed on a MAT - makes it more difficult for the government to shrug off the budget issues by blaming it all on local authorities.

I thought it was really good. It really caught the mood of the way schools are at the moment. My current school has a similar feel about it - caring managers who are desperately trying to stick to an impossible budget. There just seems to be no money for anything. I hope someone in government sees it and I hope plenty of parents watch it as well.

They dealt with Chloe really well - she's obviously a lovely, bright girl, but very unhappy and needed someone with counselling skills to talk her through her feelings. And they rightly punished her for setting off the fire alarm.

It wasn't Chloe who let off the fire alarm, it was Chelsea.
Anyway, it shocked me as a parent (my DDs go to Castle).
Next weeks episode will be interesting as all the good Headteachers end up going to Marlwood to sort out the school.
It's a crazy place and with a bad reputation. One day they might be able to turn it around.
But again. Funds!

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/telly_addicts/3416394-School-BBC-2-9-pm

I thought the teachers came across really well but what a horrible position they are in. I teach in a special school and I think we have been slightly shielded from the worst of the cuts.

We had a similar message delivered to us as a staff a few years ago about cuts, losing support staff roles and TLRs. Voluntary redundancy also was an option for staff of a certain age. We had that staff meeting coinciding with World Book Day. So we had a new HT, wearing Harry Potter gear giving us the bad news. It is one of the more surreal experiences I have come across as a teacher. At least the HT of Castle school was very open to questions and debate and was not wearing fancy dress.

PoisonousSmurf Sorry, it was Chelsea