Duke Street Primary School - Parents Helping Parents

Help Save Chorley Football Club

2011-12-06T13:00:00.003Z

Chorley FC manager, Garry Flitcroft, with, from left, Richard Houghton, Stephen Penlington, Julian Pendleton, Andy Turner, Andrew Kidd, Peter Goldsworthy and Graham Watkinson

Standing on the Victory Park turf it’s the team that Chorley FC manager Garry Flitcroft is hoping can secure the future of the Magpies.

The former Blackburn Rovers captain went public last week with size of the club’s financial problems.

The players haven’t been paid for a fortnight and, unless the club can raise an immediate £20,000, he may have to let half his team go after Saturday’s game with Nantwich.

“We urgently need people to rally around the club.”

Chorley Football Club

Value For Money ?

2011-01-17T13:00:00.010Z

On Wednesday 12 January 2011 the Department for Education published schools’ spending data for 2009-10. This data comes from their Consistent Financial Reporting returns and is grouped into categories of income and expenditure. The Department has also included key performance indicators for Key Stage 2 and GCSEs.

This is part of the Department’s aim to make more of its statistics available and supports the Coalition Government’s data transparency agenda. In order to make this data more accessible to the general public we have published it in a clear and simple format. In addition, the Department is publishing the raw data files so that people can further analyse the data themselves.

The Department wants to encourage parents and the wider public to look at the data and to compare the spending and performance of schools in their local area. The school spending tables have been published in three Excel workbooks separated into primary, secondary and special schools. The primary and secondary tables include a key performance indicator for Key Stage 2 and GCSEs respectively. The fourth workbook contains the raw data. All of these tables can be found in the ‘Associated resources’.

The illustrated data above is the expenditure per pupil for Duke Street (2009 - 2010). We leave parents to study this information and to give us your feedback.

The only comment that we wish to make is with respect to the school’s Supply Teacher expenditure which we consider to be excessive and is one of the highest within Lancashire. (There is a corresponding deficit in the school’s permanent Teaching Staff costs.)

It seems inappropriate that Duke Street is so reliant on supply teachers. Staff stability and performance are generally better in schools with permanent positions. We suggest this observation to be a contributory factor in Duke Street’s disappointing academic Ofsted performance figures.

Schooloscope

2011-01-04T13:00:00.029Z

Prompted by the comment “My Children’s School” from the previous blog entry, we found the school by Googling “This is an outstanding school. Everything about it keeps getting better and better.” The report originates from Prince Rock Primary School in Plymouth who received a truly outstanding conclusion by Ofsted in March 2010. (Maybe Duke Street should consider making its New Years’ resolution to be to try to aspire to their standards ?)

The Google search result produced a link to a very good school performance site called Schooloscope. This site has many useful and interesting features. For example, with Duke Street selected, clicking on every other school in Chorley shows that children are happier elsewhere.

Comparing Prince Rock and Duke Street provides a revealing and stunning contrast in school performance.

Schooloscope makes the clear and well illustrated point that Duke Street performance is not what one would expect from such a well provisioned school. Parents and governors must ask questions, especially with regard to the leadership of the school. Unlike Prince Rock, Duke Street does not enjoy an atmosphere of happy and contented people; staff and pupils - why ?

Obfuscating and concealing facts are not the way ahead ! The school did have rats in the kitchens in 2008 and it did receive a deserved poor Ofsted report in March 2010 - the rationale and motivation of a head teacher who attempts to suppress and deny such facts are extremely worrying !

An earlier comment from 2008 does not explain nor excuse the behavioural patterns exhibited by the head teacher but it shows that they originate from his childhood and by his own admission on Friends Reunited – even more worrying that anyone would wish to brag openly about such tricks and deceit; worse a person in authority, a head teacher !

So come on parents - this is your school, your children’s school - as a taxpayer, you deserve better - as a parent, you deserve better and your children certainly deserve better !

Ofsted Report March 2010

2010-12-01T13:00:00.006Z

With reference to the entry The Slippery Slope, we have been in receipt of several complaints. They all refer to the fact the school’s website does not link to the latest Ofsted report and the misleading quotes from the earlier report of 2007.

We would like to think that this an oversight on the part of the school, even though 9 months have elapsed since the investigation.

Some prospective parents felt strongly enough to address the issue with Ofsted and they have sent us the following response from Christine Gilbert, Head of Ofsted (HMCI).

Dear Mr and Mrs L........

Thank you for your email of 17 November 2010, received in my office on the same date.

I am sorry you have concerns about the school’s website link to its ‘latest’ Ofsted inspection report. You explain that the website for Duke Street Primary School does not provide a link to the most recent Ofsted report.

I have looked on the school’s website and I agree that typing in the keyword ‘Ofsted’ produces quotes from, and a link to, the Ofsted inspection report of July 2007, rather than the more recent inspection report of March 2010. This is disappointing as it is important that parents like yourselves have access to the most up to date information about the school. However, as you may be aware, the most recent inspection report for any school can be found on the Ofsted website at www.ofsted.gov.uk. I have asked that contact be made with the school to advise them that someone has complained about the website.

While I understand your concerns about the website, I should advise that Ofsted does not have the statutory power to instruct a school to modify its website or to enforce changes, notwithstanding that updating the school website would result in a more up-to-date picture of pupils’ achievement and the quality of provision. Should you wish to pursue your concerns further with regard to the school’s website, you would need to follow the school’s complaints procedure and put your concerns in writing. You should be able to obtain a copy of this procedure from the school. You may also wish to consider writing to the chair of governors for the school expressing your concern.

Thank you for writing to me on this matter. I hope this response is helpful and that you have been successful in your search for a suitable school for your daughter.

Yours sincerely

Christine Gilbert

Who Likes Comic Sans ?

2010-10-20T13:00:00.036+01:00

It’s clear that Mr. Kidd likes Comic Sans - the school logo and nearly every school publication uses this font. However according to news today there are millions of us who hate and detest Comic Sans - should the school show more initiative and better taste ? What do you think ?

BBC News	: What’s so wrong with Comic Sans ?
Website	: bancomicsans.com

The Slippery Slope

2010-05-25T13:00:00.032+01:00

Three years ago, Duke Street Primary School received praise in theOfsted Report (July 2007). At that time, the Chorley Guardian reported in an article :

Headteacher Andrew Kidd explained: "We just had to unpack everything and put it back on the walls. We could have just explained what was happening but we are proud of what we do here and we wanted to show them."

"We are pleased we did because the inspection went extremely well and we were told a real strength of the school was its vibrant learning environment."

Today, a different story is presented in the release of the latest Ofsted Report :

"However, continuing inconsistencies in the quality and effectiveness of teaching are having an impact on pupils' progress. The good practice in some year groups is not consistently embedded across the school and, consequently, pupils' progress is satisfactory overall rather than good. While the school gathers large amounts of data, these are not always presented in a way that that readily shows the progress made by groups of pupils or year groups, or informs clear targets for improvement."

The latest report indicates that the school performance has dropped a full grade from 2 to 3, highlighting strengths but also clearly identifying failures.

The report refers to inconsistencies in the quality and effectiveness of teaching, including the use of assessment to support learning and the use of additional adults in classes.

The report does not speculate on the reasons that underpin this decline. A contributory factor must be that, over recent years, Duke Street has lost the core of its long-standing staff :

Mrs. Callandar, Mrs. Dring, Ms. Ishard, Mrs. Larne, Mrs. Markland, Mrs. Marquis, Mrs. McGloughlin, Mrs. Poppleton, Mrs. Procter, Mrs. Quinton, Mr. Roberts, Mrs. Watts

The dramatic loss of these teachers was highlighted in Cuckoo In The Nest. Duke Street needed the strength and experience of these dedicated and committed professionals to form a united, cohesive and well-organized team. They formed the very backbone of the school.

It is clear that Duke Street is on 'the slippery slope' ! Maybe, you as parents should be asking who is accountable and what measures will be taken to improve the situation ?

The Times

2009-10-27T13:00:00.002Z

The teachers who can do no right

A report claims that a third of teachers have been falsely accused of wrongdoing. Our writer argues that it's time parents recognised their responsibilities

27 October 2009 The Times

Who would be a teacher in Britain today? The public may be surprised by a new poll that reveals 28 per cent of school staff have been falsely accused of wrongdoing by pupils, but most professionals who work in schools will not be. Living with parents’ criticism, complaints and false allegations from pupils has become part of a teachers’ lives. They work in a world where pupils feel they can make accusations because their parents will automatically back them, often with far-reaching results.

The poll by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers found that school staff who have been the subject of an unfounded allegation of misconduct by pupils, often have their careers blighted and their private lives damaged.

So how have we got to this situation where the adults involved in education, from parents to teachers, are in a not- so-civil civil war. And how does this affect the children they are trying to serve?

In my view, the first problem is that we now live in a culture where many of us no longer think twice before making a disparaging comment about any grown-ups in front of children. And as parents’ frustration with their children’s schools performance grows, it is the often hard-working teachers on whom they take it out.

Geraldine, for example, is an angry par- ent. This 39-year-old office administrator intends to sue her daughter’s Portsmouth primary school for failing to get Trish through the 11-plus. When I ask her: “Was it really the teachers’ fault?” she dismisses my question with a look of incomprehen- sion. She is, she says, “totally geared up” to “take on” her daughter’s “useless teachers”. But what example does this set Trish?

Tiff, a 41-year-old stay-at-home mum in Kent, is also a confident and seasoned advocate of her three children’s interest. Her latest triumph was to face down her 14-year-old daughter’s headmaster and force him to revoke the detention that she was given for texting in the middle of her science lessons. Tiff is so contemptuous towards her daughter’s headmaster that she calls him a “waste of space”. Her daughter, meanwhile, feels vindicated for her behaviour.

These mothers are just two of many examples of parental misbehaviour. Researching my new book Wasted: Why Education isn’t Educating, during which I spoke to scores of parents, it struck me how quickly they turned into vociferous critics of their children’s school. Often, they responded to a teacher’s criticism of their offspring as if it were a slight on themselves.

And the way grown-ups behave in everyday life does not go unnoticed by children. I have met kids as young as 8 or 9 who feel that they have permission to make fun of and attack their teachers. One group of 14-year-old boys whom I met in Canterbury routinely described their teachers to me as “losers”, “random” and “morons”.

On the other side, many teachers say that they now dread meeting their pupils’ parents. Parents’ evenings have become a battleground where the father or mother is the enemy. Greg, an experienced science teacher who works in a Manchester comprehensive, told me of his well-rehearsed routine for managing the “pushy parent”. “If you take their whining seriously they can turn your world upside-down,” he says. His solution is to “smile, switch off, look agreeable and move on as fast as possible”.

But not all teachers possess Greg’s confidence. Sue has been teaching drama in a Surrey school for two years. During that time she has had several rows with parents. She recalls that the low point of her career so far occurred when she had a shouting match with an angry parent in front of her class. A furious mother stormed into the school hall in the middle of a play rehearsal demanding to know why her son was not offered a more important part.

Another public face-off with an aggressive parent may prompt Sue to sign up for one of the many assertiveness-training courses for teachers that are now a growing strand of in-service instruction. They offer conflict management, mediation and communication skills for teachers requiring support to deal with difficult parents. It is a sign of the times that teachers’ organisations even now have leaflets on topics such as “fear of parents’ evenings”. One leaflet titled, Meet the Parents, published by the Teachers Support Network, cautions that it “can be a daunting experience”. It warns that sometimes parents will “support their child against the school — no matter what”, that they can turn “hostile, defensive and confrontational” and in rare cases even become “aggressive or violent”.

Predictably, sections of the teaching profession have responded to displays of parental disrespect by returning the favour. Educators blame parents for the low achievement and poor behaviour of their children. Without thinking of the damaging consequences for parental authority, many educators too have no inhibitions about ticking off irresponsible parents in front of their kids.

It is difficult to unravel the origins of the divisive feuds among grown-ups that afflict institutions of education. But it is evident to me that these squabbles have been exacerbated by recent government policies. A few months ago, a report published by the MP Alan Milburn argued for harnessing the energy of “pushy parents” to improve standards of education. He echoed the suggestion of the former Education Minister, Lord Adonis, that more pushy parents were needed to force schools to improve. In March, the Government announced a scheme that would allow parents and pupils to use “satisfaction ratings” to grade their school. Such measures risk reinforcing the tendency for parents to vent their frustration on their children’s schools, while failing to provide any constructive measures to improve the quality of education.

Mobilising parents’ instinctive love for their children to shore up the institution of education does not solve deep-seated problems. It simply encourages parents to become their children’s advocates, leading to the widespread adoption of the “my child, right or wrong” attitude. Once such attitudes gain momentum, parents can easily lose sight of what is in the best interest of their child and his or her classmates. One father told me that having challenged the mark that his daughter got for her geography project and questioned the teacher’s judgment, he knew that he had gone too far. “It got to be bigger than a dispute about the grade and it felt wrong,” he says.

It’s not hard to see how parents have got here. With increasing pressure on state schools and growing anxiety about standards, schooling has become a focus of intense competition for parents. Many devote considerable resources to get their children into a “good” school, some paying as much as £2,000 to get legal help with their appeal if children don’t win a place. Rob, 43, a businessman from Birmingham, was appalled when told that his 11-year-old son was refused a place in his school of choice. He appealed and showed up to a panel hearing with a solicitor, who specialised in education law. He says: “I made sure they knew that I meant business.”

Paying for legal advice, moving house to live in the catchment area of a desirable school, or even joining the congregation of a church with an attached school, is now not unusual. Studies indicate that a fifth of secondary pupils in England and Wales receive private tuition. In some middle-class secondary schools more than half of students had used a private tutor. Once the children are in the “right” school, their parents play an active role in helping them with their homework and projects. According to a report by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, two thirds of parents help their children with GCSE coursework — and many do far more than “help”: it is often parents, not the students, who are busy looking for information on the internet or at the library.

Despite all these efforts, petty and divisive bickering between parents and teachers will undermine all the good that parents try to do. If adults behave authoritatively towards youngsters at home and in their communities, teachers will feel comfortable in exercising authority in the classroom. However, if grown-ups point the finger at one another for a school’s alleged failing they undermine not only the authority of the teacher, but of all adults.

Education works best when it is underpinned by a genuine intergenerational conversation. Ideally, through such a conversation, the experience and wisdom of the adult world is transmitted to children. But when grown-ups find it difficult to speak with one voice and education becomes a battlefield on which pointless conflicts between grown-ups are fought, those intergenerational transactions are lost. Teachers and parents need to be on the same side — for the sake of education. Our children and our futures depend on it.

Frank Furedi is a professor of sociology at the University of Kent. His book Wasted: Why Education isn’t Educating is published by Continuum International this week at £16.99. To order it for £15.29, inc p&p, call 0845 2712134 or visit timesonline.co.uk/booksfirst.

Mark Ellwood, 46

‘There is a climate of fear in the classroom’

Ellwood was forced to leave his family home and prohibited from contact with his daughters while false allegations against him were investigated.

The former kick-boxing champion helped to look after children removed from class for bad behaviour at David Lister School in Hull. When he asked a 15-year-old boy to put away his mobile phone and take off his coat the pupil threatened to stab him and said: “I will have you killed.”

He marched the teenager out of the classroom but the boy kicked him in the shin. Ellwood “gently” swept the boy to the floor, but did not injure him. The boy’s mother accused Ellwood of assault against her son and within weeks he had been arrested, fingerprinted, held for 22 hours and charged with common assault.

Social services forced him to move out of his home, leaving his wife Julie and two teenage daughters. He slept on the floor of a gym and was banned from contact with them before he was allowed to return two weeks later.

He has just been cleared after nine months by a judge, who said the “nightmare” was now over and Ellwood could rebuild his life.

Ellwood said after the case that there was a such a “climate of fear” in the classroom that teachers are scared to act when threats of stabbing and murder are daily events in schools all over the country.

Jane Watts, 52

‘I felt like a criminal. I couldn’t cope with what happened to me’

Watts had been a primary school teacher for 30 years when the mother of a five-year-old pupil accused her of hitting her daughter on the hand during a lesson.

The next day Watts was suspended from Duke Street Primary School in Chorley, Lancashire, pending an investigation. There had been no witnesses and a teaching assistant in the class at the time did not report anything until the girl’s mother complained, Watts said. “I felt dirty and like a criminal. I’ve always loved teaching and I couldn’t cope with the thought that this had happened to me.”

A month later Watts was arrested for assault. She was interviewed and was released on bail. The police found no case to answer. But the school wanted its own investigation. She took a lie-detector test, which she passed, but the school did not appear to take the results into account.

Watts was sacked in March 2008 for gross misconduct after an internal inquiry, but reinstated on appeal when the punishment was downgraded to a final warning.

The distress caused by the accusation and the investigation meant that Watts was unable to return to school because of ill health and a fear that she would be constantly under suspicion. She was sacked again in June this year for non-attendance.

“The effect it had was that I went from someone who would happily take 220 children for hymn practice and meetings for parents and Inset training, to someone who was afraid to walk around Chorley and didn’t want to go to the local supermarket.”

Judi Sunderland, 60

‘It’s hard to believe it took seconds for this boy to wreck my life’

Sunderland was found innocent by a court after allegations that she had assaulted a pupil. The investigation by the police and then the school took three years after a 13-year-old pupil at Immanuel College school, in Bradford, said that she had attacked him at the end of 2003.

Sunderland had worked at the school for only three months when she heard raised voices in the corridor outside her office and saw a teaching assistant trying to deal with a pupil. She went over and told the boy he should do as he was told.

The pupil slid down the wall and started kicking out so Sunderland, who was in teaching for 33 years, repeated her request for him to behave. He started swearing at her and swiping his legs towards her. Sunderland stood back and the boy got up and she put her arms around him from the back to restrain him. The boy complained and she was accused of using excessive force. The court was told that the case had put her through a “living hell”.

The prosecution gave no evidence against her and she walked free from Bradford Magistrates’ Court. But an internal disciplinary before the school governors decided that she had committed an “unlawful act — but invited her back to teach at the school. As a result, she appealed to the governors about the ruling, but lost the case and then decided to resign. Because of this ruling she was prevented from chaperoning her own grandchildren to drama lessons.

“The whole incident lasted seconds. It’s hard to believe it took less than a minute for this boy to wreck my life.”

Shakil Akhter, 42

‘The past two years for me have been a nightmare’

Science teacher Akhter was sacked from the International School & Community College, Birmingham, after a 12-year-old boy with a history of trouble making told the headmistress that the teacher had hit him.

The father of four, denied the allegations — made in December 2005 — and the police and social services did not pursue the claims after a two-year investigation.

But the school suspended Akhter, who has a PhD in forestry, and after an internal inquiry later sacked him six months after he joined the staff.

The GTC, the profession’s watchdog, ruled that there was not enough evidence that the teacher had thrown a punch and said that a teaching assistant in the classroom had not seen him do so.

Akhter could not take the local education authority — Birmingham City Council — to an employment tribunal because he had not been at the school long enough to bring proceedings against it.

Akhter said after he was cleared:

“It’s hard to think that they chose to believe this boy over me. I’m very relieved. The past two years for me have been a nightmare because I took on a lot of debt to train as a teacher, but now I can try and rebuild my life.”

The Daily Telegraph

2009-10-26T13:00:00.008Z

Cleared teacher calls for greater protection against allegations

The first teacher in Britain to take a lie detector test to try to clear her name after she was wrongly accused of assault last night called for greater protection against false allegations.

Published: 7:00AM GMT 26 Oct 2009 Daily Telegraph

Jane Watts, 52, claims her life was left in tatters after she was accused of hitting a five-year-old girl in her reception class. Police dismissed the allegation against her but she was still sacked from her job at a primary school in Chorley, near Preston, Lancs.

Mrs Watts, who has been forced to rent out her home and is now living in “exile” in Spain, still recalls her fear at being arrested and taken to a police station.

“It was absolutely horrendous,” she said. “I was warned that I might be handcuffed and put in a cell. I was fingerprinted, had my DNA taken and photographed.”

“I had been on the senior management team and had an unblemished record. I was terrified.”

Mrs Watts spoke out after the Daily Telegraph revealed how Michael Becker, a special needs teacher, was convicted of assault by beating for daring to eject a disruptive pupil from his classroom.

Mr Becker, 62, from Stutton, Suffolk, took action because the boy refused to stop telling racist jokes. He was fined and ordered to pay costs. An imminent disciplinary hearing is expected to confirm his dismissal after 32 years in the classroom.

The case comes as a poll by the the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) found a quarter of school staff have been falsely accused by a pupil of wrongdoing while one in six has faced malicious allegations from a pupil’s family.

Half of those questioned said there had been at least one false allegation in their current school.

Mary Bousted, the union’s general secretary, said false allegations were blighting teachers’ lives.

“You get allegations of inappropriate sexual contact, you get allegations that you have hit a child, you get allegations that you have been unreasonable in your behaviour to the child.” she said.

“It is a totally isolating experience.” said Bousted, who added that many teachers never went back because they felt a cloud was hanging over them.

Mrs Watts, speaking from her new home in Cantabria, said teachers should learn that ‘nobody is their friend.’

“The Government should look at suspensions and at their procedures very, very carefully, and it needs to be somebody independent to look at them.”

“Children need to be protected, but so do the adults.”

Her 30-year career effectively came to a halt in September, 2007, when a youngster accused her of hitting her on the hand during a lesson at Duke Street Primary School.

She spent £25,000 trying to clear her name, even going to the trouble of submitting herself to a polygraph examination. The test came back clear but the school said it was unreliable.

Mrs Watts, who maintained throughout that she had struck a desk rather than the child, was reinstated after an appeal. After declining an “invitation” to return to the school she applied for early retirement, but this was turned down. The stress continued to wear her down and she was eventually sacked for non-attendance in 2009.

“I don’t know how I’ve survived,” she said. “Without the support of my family I would have lost it. There were days when I couldn’t get out of bed and it took months for me to go into town.”

“At one point I almost lost my house. I spent all my life savings just to stay afloat and almost had to sell my house.”

She added: “It finally seems like people are talking about the issue, and I won’t rest until I get changes made.”

Ken Cridland, Lancashire secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said the human cost to teachers subjected to false allegations “cannot be underestimated”.

He added: “This is a brutal system that wrecks the careers and home lives of innocent teachers.”

“There are some older children who are wise or unwise enough to attempt to get staff into trouble.”

Protecting School or Children ?

2009-10-01T13:00:00.000+01:00

Over this weekend, there have been numerous articles about the dinner lady, Carol Hill, who was sacked on the grounds of gross misconduct.

She was in breach of school confidentiality rules when she informed a girl’s parents that their daughter was being bullied. The girl had been tied up with a skipping rope and was then whipped by other children (one being the son of a school governor !).

Why dinnerlady Carol Hill deserves a medal, not the sack

Daily Mirror, 26 Sep 2009

We have now heard that Mr. Kidd has instructed staff that any similar breaches in school / pupil confidentiality would not be tolerated at Duke Street. He went further to emphasise that staff who supported Carol Hill could find themselves in serious trouble and reminded them that the school name and image is important.

It was barely a year ago when the school tried to conceal that there had been a rat infestation in the kitchen :

The ‘Pied Piper’ of Duke Street

Whilst we concede that all schools have similar confidentiality restrictions; this is yet another example where the priority of the school is to protect its reputation in deference to the safety and well‑being of our children !

2009-08-24T13:00:00.018+01:00

Last Post ...

2009-08-22T13:00:00.000+01:00

We have received numerous queries about the autumn term start. We have to agree with other parents, that this fundamental information should be on the school website - but there is nothing of any use to be found.

As far as we know, Duke Street Primary School Autumn Term start is :

Monday, 7th September 2009

We suggest that you e-mail the school :

head@duke23.lancsngfl.ac.uk or bursar@duke23.lancsngfl.ac.uk

Closing Down ... For Sale

2009-08-21T13:00:00.032+01:00

A year on and three of us are no longer parents at Duke Street. Support and feedback was not as we had hoped - nevertheless we express our thanks to those who became involved.

There remains a wealth of good ideas and considered opinion and we leave this blog dormant until others might feel motivated to continue our efforts.

If you would like to become the new custodian of this blog then please e‑mail us at :

dukestreetschool@gmail.com

Remember the best schools are those where parents are actively involved in their school - parents helping children, parents helping teachers ... and parents helping parents !

Parents' Support

2009-07-25T13:00:00.004+01:00

Mrs. Watts says "I wish to thank the Parents' Support Forum, once again, for their continued support. However, I feel that I must point out that the aim of the Forum is to promote open dialogue between parents and school. Unfortunately, a debate, such as this, could undo all the good that has been achieved so far. Therefore, any parents wishing to continue to comment / debate are invited to use the link below which is my blog site. I would hate the Parents' Support Forum to become blocked over an issue such as this."

Parents' Support

The Times - They Are A Changing

2009-07-16T04:50:00.032+01:00

Mrs. Watts featured in yet another tragic story of a teacher’s misery in The Times today in an article entitled :

MPs say teachers need protection
against false claims of pupil abuse
We understand that, through her campaign for justice, her efforts resulted in a meeting of the House of Commons Select Committee for Children, Schools and Families that took place on 17 June 2009.

Also, we have been informed that her submitted evidence and her book, ‘False Allegations Against Teachers’, have been included in the government report that was published today :

Allegations Against School Staff HC695
According to Google, this morning, there were 136 news articles published that featured this story - a truly astounding effort !

The Daily Mail, 19 July 2009 featured Mrs. Watts’ story.

... we feel certain that we’re going to see more of this story ...

Keeping Safe

2009-06-27T13:00:00.014+01:00

One of the reasons Classwatch has been so successful at Stockwell Park is the school only uses the system for positive action, such as to resolve a dispute or allegation, or to benefit teaching.

It is not deployed to discipline members of staff and cannot be viewed by just anyone.

“The teachers are a lot more relaxed about it now,” said Ms. Tapper. “At first some were slightly dubious, but now they realise that the cameras are there solely to deter and for information, they are now all for it.”

“Above all Classwatch is to make teaching feel safe and secure. You could go a year without needing the cameras but when an incident occurs and you do need them, you really need them,” she added.

It is not just the teachers who have been won round by Classwatch, the pupils at the school are also in favour of the system.

“It has given the children a great sense of security and of their rights,” said Ms. Tapper.

“When an incident occurs, the children know the cameras will reinforce what has happened.”

“It is a good idea as we know what is going on and when there is a problem it can be stopped,” agreed a girl from Year 7.

The pupils in Year 11 shared a similar sentiment. Here are just some of the positive comments voiced : “The cameras have calmed the school down.” “There are less fights than 2 years ago.” “I feel like I’m safer in the school now.” “I think they should stay.”

BBC News	: A school introduces CCTV cameras
Guardian	: Classroom life in high definition
Daily Mail	: Big Brother CCTV (Complete with CPS evidence kit)
BBC News	: How CCTV works in schools
BBC News	: Teachers voice CCTV concerns

Let us know your opinion - we all want our kids to be safe !

Mr. Kidd In The Stocks

2009-06-20T13:00:00.013+01:00

Courtesy You Tube 2009

Well done Mr. Kidd who braved the stocks on a cold, cloudy day, to raise money for the school, at the School Summer Fair.

Congratulations also to the Parents Association for their efforts. We understand that a total of £1600 has been raised. This money will be used to enhance outside play areas.

In response to a request by Mr. Kidd, we wish to make it clear that this is not an official school video.

Cuckoo In The Nest

2009-06-06T13:00:00.003+01:00

Prompted by the announced departures of Mrs. McGloughlin and Mrs. Watts, a parent wrote to us to share her observations and concerns.

She pointed out that a total of 12 teachers will have left Duke Street Primary School over the past five years :

Mrs. Callandar, Mrs. Dring, Ms. Ishard, Mrs. Larne, Mrs. Markland, Mrs. Marquis, Mrs. McGloughlin, Mrs. Poppleton, Mrs. Procter, Mrs. Quinton, Mr. Roberts, Mrs. Watts

Three teachers were deputy heads, the majority had long and successful careers at Duke Street and Mrs. Quinton was the only teacher who retired.

In comparison with other local schools and indeed national figures, staff turnover rates are excessive.

Duke Street has lost a core of experienced, committed and valuable teachers. Today, even one of the school’s management team has only 18 months teaching experience. Maybe this is the reason why Mrs. Quinton continues to enjoy her supply teacher position and that of school governor even though she retired some years ago ?

What are your thoughts ?

Goodbye, Mrs. Watts

2009-05-11T13:00:00.002+01:00

Goodbye, Mr. Chips is a novel by James Hilton, first published in 1934.
The novel tells the story of a much-loved schoolteacher, Arthur Chipping (“Chips”) through the long years of his tenure at Brookfield, the fictional boys’ public boarding school where he has taught. Despite his own mediocre academic record, he goes on to have an illustrious career as an inspiring educator at Brookfield.

Jane Watts
Duke Street Primary School
1988 - 2009
It is with much regret and sadness that we announce that Mrs. Watts is no longer employed as a teacher at Duke Street Primary School. Over a long career of some 30 years, 20 at Duke Street, she must have taught something approaching 1,000 children !

She was a great teacher who was committed and dedicated to her vocation - she was always prepared to listen and help.

We wish her well and extend our sincerest thanks for her kindness, understanding and loving devotion to our children and us parents.

“Goodbye, Mrs. Watts”

We took the decision to disallow comments on this entry. However we will forward your e-mails to Mrs. Watts.
(Please title your e-mail as ‘Letter(JW)’)

We have recently learned that Mrs. McLoughlin will also be leaving Duke Street at the end of the summer term. Mrs. McLoughlin joined Duke Street over 20 years ago - at the same time as Mrs. Watts. We are sorry to hear that she is leaving as she has been a very supportive and competant teacher.

Chinese New Year

2009-01-31T13:00:00.006Z

We do hope that you saw the recent article of our children in the Chorley Citizen last week. It is a lovely photograph; we can not share it with you though as it is unwise to place such pictures on the Internet. But maybe copies can be obtained from the Citizen ?

According to the Chinese Zodiac, the Year of 2009 is the Year of the Ox. The Ox, or the Buffalo sign symbolises prosperity through fortitude and hard work. Those born under the influence of the Ox or Buffalo are fortunate to be stable and persevering. The typical Ox is a tolerant person with strong character. Not many people could equal the resolution and fearlessness that the Ox exhibits when deciding to accomplish a task. Ox people work hard without complaints at work or at home. They know that they will succeed through hard work and sustained efforts, and do not believe in get-rich-quick schemes. (In today’s economic climate there can’t be many of those !)

Green Pigs

2009-01-11T13:00:00.017Z

Here’s a great idea for the new garden areas for the school - RolyPig composters.

Several of you made this suggestion but we think that St. John’s Methodist Primary School in Brinscall beat you to it ! They look really good and our children can learn and be encouraged to think ‘green’ - or maybe to think ‘green pigs’ !

RolyPig Explained	Journey Through RolyPig

courtesy RolyPig Ltd

The RolyPigs are supplied in orange, green and pink and cost around £150.00.

According to St. John’s school there is grant of up to £500.00 available from Global Renewables UK.

These would make a wonderful addition to the school grounds and maybe there’s a profit to be made by selling the compost !

Keep your ideas coming - this is a good one !

It’s Too Late To Fight

2009-01-07T13:00:00.057Z

Over the past couple of months, we received several e-mails that expressed worries about an incident that happened at Duke Street some 15 months ago.

The teacher involved in this incident has requested that we should not pursue this matter but has granted us permission to add her letter as a comment to this entry.

Answers to the Christmas Quiz :
1. The Beatles; 2. Coal; 3. White Christmas; 4. David Bowie; 5. All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth; 6. Jingle Bells; 7. Always On My Mind (by The Pet Shop Boys); 8. The Snowman; 9. Pipers Piping; 10. Jackie Wilson’s (Reet Petite).

Merry Christmas

2008-12-13T13:00:00.007Z

“I stopped believing in Santa Claus when I was six. Mother took me to see him in a department store and he asked for my autograph.”

Shirley Temple

Christmas Quiz

Which act has had more Christmas number one singles than any other ?
According to the song “Frosty The Snowman”, what were Frosty’s eyes made out of ?
Which Christmas song won an Oscar for Best Song at the 1942 Academy Awards ?
The first line of the song “Do They Know It’s Christmas ?” by Band Aid was originally intended for which singer, who finally got to sing it during Live Aid ?
Which Christmas song includes the line “It seems so long since I could say ‘sister Susie sitting on a thistle’” ?
In 1965, which Christmas song became the first song to be broadcast from space ?
In 1987, the Pogues featuring Kirsty MacColl were denied a Christmas Number One with the song “Fairytale Of New York”. Which song kept them at number 2 with Pogues singer Shane McGowan saying “we were beaten by two queens and a drum machine” ?
From which animated short film does the song “Walking In The Air” come ?
In the song “Twelve Days Of Christmas”, what are there 11 of ?
In 1986, whose song was Christmas number one in the UK, 2 years after he had died ?

We wish you all a very Happy Christmas and a good New Year.

Parents Helping Parents

There will be no more blog entries this year.
The next is scheduled for 3 January 2009.

Queue Ahead

2008-12-06T13:00:00.014Z

As you might imagine, we have and are continuing to receive many e‑mails. We had expected that many more of you would contribute to the comments as we had hoped that there would be greater parental discussion. We will try to answer your e-mails but our time is restricted so please be patient.

We agree with the headteacher’s sentiments in the newsletter of 27 November. Duke Street is indeed a school of which to be proud. Our children and their successes should be recognised, publicised and encouraged. We feel sorry that the Chorley Guardian has not yet published the article, as we all love to see our children’s name in print.

Several parents have suggested that the school’s website needs to be updated and that it should contain some of the children’s work. (Some have said that it would be nice to see pictures of the children but, in our opinion, sadly it is not a good idea for many reasons.)

It is a pity that there is so little on the school’s website. Many children’s relatives and friends live miles away or even abroad and it is important to consider that they might enjoy seeing aspects of life at Duke Street.

The school brochure says “Our website is slowly evolving and we have had some positive feedback about it.” The reality is that nothing has evolved and that the ‘Pupil’s work’ page has been ‘under construction’ for many years.

Extract from The sky’s the limit: creating a school website :

“Creating a website for your school offers the world a window on its community and work, in what could be argued to be the most appropriate form for a dynamic educational institution. While a website doesn’t replace your school’s prospectus, it can support it by offering readers heightened depth and scope. But there are certain pitfalls to avoid; a weak website could in fact diminish your public standing ...”

Discussion Not Suppression

2008-11-29T13:00:00.001Z

From the school website (05 March 2008) : “I am not happy with the school as we have reported my cousins being bullied there, however the school has taken no action upon this and the bullying is still going ahead.”

Reference to the above comment was made in an earlier discussion and we note that it subsequently was removed from the school’s guest book. We would like to assume that there was resolution to that particular problem. However, we have received e-mails from frustrated parents who have complained that their comments have been removed and that their issues were never addressed.

And here lies the dilemma. A school guest book is NOT the right place to post such criticisms / comments - it is too public. The Parents Support Forum acknowledges the same problem. Initially, posted comments were unmoderated but that had to be changed as some views / opinions / concerns were not considered to be suitable for public release.

Nevertheless, the comments and e-mails that have been received are valid and have been collated and should be actioned - it would be wrong to simply delete and disregard such expressions.

(It is suggested, even though the school’s website is far from active, that they use moderated comments for their guest book and respond to those comments if possible.)

There must be ‘Discussion not Suppression’.

How can this be achieved ?

There needs to be concerted effort made by the school governors to investigate and review their role and interaction with the school. Duke Street is no different from many schools - the governors are distanced from the school and they have no direct contact with staff, parents or children.

It was suggested that one of the Parents Support Forum join the school governors but parent governors have a very restricted role :

“Parent governors are representative parents rather than representatives of parents. Although being available to advise parents on appropriate routes of action is a very important aspect of the role, it is vital that parent governors do not personally become involved in individual concerns. Apart from the possibility of this jeopardising appropriate complaints and appeals procedures, no governor has the authority to act individually on behalf of the school.”

From a discussion at governornet :

“I feel the problem at our school is the head’s ostrich tactic when it comes to complaints. Our parents tend to be very vocal and will broach the head with issues they are concerned about around their children. The head, it seems, will often let them hear what they want to hear but not actually do anything. Rather than moving on to a written, formal complaint the parent either leaves the issue - just moaning about the outcome - or puts in for a transfer to another school. So issues don’t come, officially, to the GB so we can’t act on them - and the head trundles on.”

Several e-mails asked us who we are and why don’t we come forward as a group. The answer is that we can’t. We have no official recognition and we remain troubled by concerns about our children. At the moment, at Duke Street, there is a sense that no one wants to talk - one e-mail said “there is a prevailing atmosphere of suspicion and mistrust” - and that was from staff !

The school has to realise that we all like to moan. And probably 99.9% of the time it is just that - moaning ! But there does need to be an official group who can listen and react to parental concerns - and good ideas too ! It’s all about listening, understanding, discussion and involvement.

A comment was posted to the discussion at Deaf Ears - Breakfast Club :

“quite clearly ananymous is very self centred. I can clearly understand why the comment has been posted, however do these inconsiderate parents appreciate, that a lot of working parents work in schools and have their own famalies to look after. Maybe instead of slagging a school off with negative comments, these so called faceless parents should come up with positive ideas to support the school and their children. It seems to me, it is very easy to hide behind a useless blog, when I have always found, school staff approachable and willing to respond to positive ideas”

This unpleasant and scathing comment had been provoked by a parent’s good and constructive suggestion (that had been posted to the school’s guest book) :
	“Would like the school to have a breakfast club, so that working mums who start early have an option to drop children off at school early.”

It is disturbing to appreciate that this response was posted by the school and not by a parent !

(Whilst the Parents Support Forum promise not to breach anonymity, your activities on the forum are logged and it is possible to identify some fairly technical features of your contact - including IP address and service provider.)

So there is clearly a long way to go but with your help there can be open discussion with everyone. The first step is for the governors to form a truly representative Parents’ Council and for them to increase their participation and involvement with the school.

To conclude this discussion, we are indebted to ‘angry mother’ who made the following comment :

“If the school knows something and we parents don’t know that we should know what they know, how can we ask what they know that we don’t know!”

We couldn’t have put it better ! Thank you.

Bright Ideas and Hopes

2008-11-22T13:00:00.031Z

“Over the past few years, schools have been extending the services they offer. Many now open up their facilities outside school hours for pupils, their families and the local community. So far, more than half of all schools in the country offer some ‘extended services’ for the pupils, families and communities they serve. By 2010, the Government wants that to be all schools.”
Department for Children, Schools and Families

The services that many schools offer today include :

affordable Ofsted registered childcare from 8am until 6pm, 48 weeks a year.
breakfast clubs – a healthy meal, starting the day ready to learn.
after-school clubs – to unwind and socialise in a safe place.
homework clubs and study support – a quiet place to work, where pupils get the support they need.
holiday clubs – run by local organisations, where children can try their hand at, say, canoeing, cycling, or an adventure course.
activities for children up to the age of 14 – such as sports, computers, music, drama, art, model making and cooking.

The following publications by the Department for Children, School and Families (DCSF) tell you about extended schools :

There is also an informative video by the DCFS - Extended Schools.

The future looks bright; the concept and services that will become available will help not only our children, it will extend into our community.

Great ideas but what are the school doing ? It is tempting to say nothing, as we tend to be kept at a distance. (‘Mushroom Management’ comes to mind !)

What will the school do ? This time it is not the school alone that will provide new services, like a breakfast club and all that the government expects to be in place by 2010. Sorry ... you have to appreciate that the schools’ role is to teach our children. That is a significant task in itself - we need to let teachers and other staff do their jobs.

So who else is there ? It is us parents and other service providers who will become actively involved with the school to help our children.

The school has been transformed by the new buildings but remember it is not the fabric of a school that is important. The vital factors are the teaching staff, their training, experience, dedication and commitment and us the parents and the rest of our community who must work together to provide our children with a bright, secure and promising future.

Can we make this happen ? Yes, but we need to work together - the school governors must progress with the introduction of a Parents’ Council.

The school management must become more open and accepting of new ideas. For many years there has been an impasse - us and them.

Even in the short time that this blog has been operating, there have been comments made that might well have originated from the school - the entry associated with Deaf Ears - Breakfast Club is such an example.

It is time that they listened and “were willing to respond to positive ideas” !

Join Us - We want your ideas !

2008-11-21T13:00:00.000Z

The fundamental concept and foundation of this support forum is based on our belief that we can all help one another. As parents, each one of us has something to contribute. This is your forum and its content and direction must be guided by you.

Please join us by sharing your ideas today !

Stop Press ... Rats !

2008-11-20T13:00:00.024Z

Following up on the two recent press releases regarding the ‘rat problem’, comments that have been received include :“I can see how you came up with the assumption that cold lunches and the supposed 'rat infestation' were linked but the fact that it turned out not to be linked has, in my opinion, reflected badly on the Parents Support Forum which is a shame as I feel the Forum could be a very positive place for parents who feel unsure about approaching other parents to swop ideas and gain information about the way the school works and how they can help to improve it.”

“I rely on the fact that my children receive a hot dinner and I should have been told that they were only having sandwiches.”
This episode clearly shows that the flow of information between school and parents needs to improve.

Not only did the school not tell parents about a rat problem, they forgot to tell parents that there would be no proper catering facilities whilst building work progressed.

(The school never did explain why parents were not informed.)

There is a disconcerting complacency about the rat infestation and much is being made of the fact that it was only one rat and that it was all fixed within one day.

Make no mistake, rats are a real hazard and they live in colonies - where there is one rat then there are more.

The following informative publication from Devon Council describes the biology and behaviour of a rat : Environmental Health - Rats.

It makes the clear point :

“If a rat is seen during the day, it is usually an indicator of a sizeable infestation.”

The Prevention of Damage by Pests Act 1949 places an obligation on owners or occupiers to control rats and mice on their property and to inform the local Council of infestations. The control of rats and mice is therefore everyone’s problem not just the Council’s.

So it is a very serious matter and we should have been told !

A news report from the US that highlights the dangers of rats and the same reluctance by schools to inform parents.

Parents Support Forum’s aim is to facilitate open and frank discussion.

Whilst there has been both positive and negative dialogue, there is no doubt that communication in itself can only be seen as positive.

Playtime

2008-11-16T13:00:00.010Z

Over the past few weeks, we found numerous funny and anecdotal stories that all convey an important message.

Life is for living and without laughter, what is life ?

So we took time out to play !

(No comments this time !)

A mother repeatedly called upstairs for her son to get up, get dressed and get ready for school. It was a familiar routine, especially at exam time.

“I feel sick.” said the voice from the bedroom.

“You are not sick. Get up and get ready.” called the mother, walking up the stairs and hovering outside the bedroom door.

“I hate school and I’m not going.” said the voice from the bedroom, “I’m always getting things wrong, making mistakes and getting told off. Nobody likes me, and I’ve got no friends. And we have too many tests and they are too confusing. It’s all just pointless, and I’m not going to school ever again.”

“I’m sorry, but you are going to school.” said the mother through the door, continuing encouragingly, “Really, mistakes are how we learn and develop. And please try not to take criticism so personally. And I can’t believe that nobody likes you - you have lots of friends at school. And yes, all those tests can be confusing, but we are all tested in many ways throughout our lives, so all of this experience at school is useful for life in general. Besides, you have to go, you are the headteacher.”

A school head was alerted by the caretaker to a persistent problem in the girls lavatories: some of the girl students were leaving lipstick kisses on the mirrors. The caretaker had left notices on the toilet walls asking for the practice to cease, but to no avail; every evening the caretaker would wipe away the kisses, and the next day lots more kisses would be planted on the mirror. It had become a bit of a game. The head teacher usually took a creative approach to problem solving, and so the next day she asked a few girl representatives from each class to meet with her in the lavatory.

“Thank you for coming.” said the head, “You will see there are several lipstick kisses in the mirrors in this washroom.”

Some of the girls grinned at each other.

“As you will understand, modern lipstick is cleverly designed to stay on the lips, and so the lipstick is not easy at all to clean from the mirrors. We have therefore had to develop a special cleaning regime, and my hope is that when you see the effort involved you will help spread the word that we’d all be better off if those responsible for the kisses use tissue paper instead of the mirrors in future.”

At this point the caretaker stepped forward with a sponge squeegee, which he took into one of the toilet cubicles, dipped into the toilet bowl, and then used to clean one of the lipstick-covered mirrors.

The caretaker smiled. The girls departed. And there were no more lipstick kisses on the mirrors.

A teacher told her young class to ask their parents for a family story with a moral at the end of it, and to return the next day to tell their stories.

In the classroom the next day, Joe gave his example first, “My dad is a farmer and we have chickens. One day we were taking lots of eggs to market in a basket on the front seat of the truck when we hit a big bump in the road; the basket fell off the seat and all the eggs broke. The moral of the story is not to put all your eggs in one basket.”

“Very good.” said the teacher.

Next, Mary said, “We are farmers too. We had twenty eggs waiting to hatch, but when they did we only got ten chicks. The moral of this story is not to count your chickens before they’re hatched.”

“Very good.” said the teacher again, very pleased with the response so far.

Next it was Barney’s turn to tell his story : “My dad told me this story about my Aunt Karen. Aunt Karen was a flight engineer in the war and her plane got hit. She had to bail out over enemy territory and all she had was a bottle of whisky, a machine gun and a machete.”

“Go on.” said the teacher, intrigued.

“Aunt Karen drank the whisky on the way down to prepare herself; then she landed right in the middle of a hundred enemy soldiers. She killed seventy of them with the machine gun until she ran out of bullets. Then she killed twenty more with the machete till the blade broke. And then she killed the last ten with her bare hands.”

“Good heavens.” said the horrified teacher, “What did your father say was the moral of that frightening story ?”

“Stay away from Aunt Karen when she’s been drinking !”

A small boy was walking along a beach at low tide, where countless thousands of small sea creatures, having been washed up, were stranded and doomed to perish. A man watched as the boy picked up individual creatures and took them back into the water.

“I can see you’re being very kind.” said the watching man, “But there must be a million of them; it can’t possibly make any difference.”

Returning from the water’s edge, the boy said, “It will for that one.”

A man found a cocoon for a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared, he sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through the little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared stuck.

The man decided to help the butterfly and with a pair of scissors he cut open the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily. Something was strange. The butterfly had a swollen body and shrivelled wings. The man watched the butterfly expecting it to take on its correct proportions. But nothing changed.

The butterfly stayed the same. It was never able to fly. In his kindness and haste the man did not realise that the butterfly’s struggle to get through the small opening of the cocoon is nature’s way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight.

Like the sapling which grows strong from being buffeted by the wind, in life we all need to struggle sometimes to make us strong.

When we coach and teach others it is helpful to recognize when people need to do things for themselves.

Fred and Mabel were both patients in a mental hospital. One day as they both walked beside the swimming pool, Mabel jumped into the deep end and sank to the bottom. Without a thought for his own safety, Fred jumped in after her, brought her to the surface, hauled her out, gave her the kiss of life and saved her.

The next day happened to be Fred’s annual review. He was brought before the hospital board, where the director told him, “Fred, I have some good news and some bad news : the good news is that in light of your heroic act yesterday we consider that you are sane and can be released from this home back into society. The bad news is, I’m afraid, that Mabel, the patient you saved, shortly afterwards hung herself in the bathroom with the belt from her bathrobe. I’m sorry but she’s dead.”

“She didn’t hang herself.” Fred replied, “I put her there to dry !”

Five Monkeys

2008-11-15T13:00:00.004Z

The Monkey Story - How Policies Begin

Start with a cage containing five monkeys.

Inside the cage, hang a banana on a string and place a set of stairs under it.

Before long, a monkey will go to the stairs and start to climb towards the banana.

As soon as he touches the stairs, spray all of the monkeys with cold water.

After a while, another monkey makes an attempt with the same result - all the monkeys are sprayed with cold water.

Pretty soon, when another monkey tries to climb the stairs, the other monkeys will try to prevent it.

Now, turn off the cold water.

Remove one monkey from the cage and replace it with a new one.

The new monkey sees the banana and wants to climb the stairs.

To his surprise and horror, all of the other monkeys attack him.

After another attempt and attack, he knows that if he tries to climb the stairs, he will be assaulted.

Next, remove another of the original five monkeys and replace it with a new one.

The newcomer goes to the stairs and is attacked.

The previous newcomer takes part in the punishment with enthusiasm.

Again, replace a third original monkey with a new one.

The new one makes it to the stairs and is attacked as well.

Two of the four monkeys that beat him have no idea why they were not permitted to climb the stairs, or why they are participating in the beating of the newest monkey.

After replacing the fourth and fifth original monkeys, all the monkeys that have been sprayed with cold water have been replaced.

Nevertheless, no monkey ever again approaches the stairs.

Why not ?

Because as far as they know that’s the way it’s always been around here.

And that’s how policy begins !

Communities and community groups across Britain are faced with ever increasing opportunities to ‘participate’, yet such engagement is widely viewed as ineffective and the motives behind it viewed with suspicion. It is suggested that this ineffectiveness is often the result of decisions that are taken within the wider policy-making processes that develop and surround public involvement.

In the future, it is crucial that such barriers are removed. This must start through open discussion to construct new policies that provide the freedom to achieve common goals and aspirations.

To explore how parents might become more involved in the life of the school and in the education their child receives there, Human Scale Education received funding of £29,100 from the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) for a one year project (2004-5). This involved work with four schools in England to set up parents’ class committees, parents’ councils and parents’ forums. In June 2004, schools were invited to submit applications for funding and in July, four schools – two primary and two secondary - were selected to receive a grant of £5000 each to develop ways of involving parents more democratically in their children’s education.

The HSE produced a report “Setting up Parents’ Councils” that studied these four schools. Their report makes the following statements :

Outcomes :

Parents have a way to make their voice heard through the parents’ forum. If they have an issue they wish to raise they can do it in this group and know that it will be taken further.
A number of parents are helping the school to reach out to other families informally in the playground and at the school gate.
Events have been held at different times in order to include as many different parents and carers as possible.
There is more individual contact with parents - more parents are contacting the school to get advice or help in connection with their child.
Parents are helping more with school events, such as sports days.
Parents have been involved for the first time in a staff quiz night (at the request of staff) – contributing to improved relations.
Staff have congratulated the team who are working to develop links with parents as they have seen the benefits of this work.

Comments :

“Parents might come with more ideas of their own if we leave them some space.”
“This project is having a lasting effect. It will definitely be continued.”
“This work has given the school a way in to parents. There is a core of parents they can approach.”
“Relationships with parents have improved generally.”

“The school is very approachable.”
“There is an open door. The head and staff make you feel very welcome.”
“There has been a transformation at the school.”
“It’s good to be a part of the school and welcomed by staff.”
“It is good to be involved and consulted about my child’s education and welfare and feel valued as a parent.”

The ‘Pied Piper’ of Duke Street

2008-11-08T13:00:00.001Z

Some parents may be wondering why our children were being provided with sandwiches for lunch until recently.

A couple of us made enquiries before half-term and we were told that there was a problem with the cookers in the kitchen.

It now appears that there had been a rat infestation in the school kitchen.

From this information, there are now several questions / points that need an immediate response from the school :

Why did the school conceal the situation ?
Was the hall hygiene not compromised by rats ? (It is next to the kitchen and it would seem likely that rats could have got into the hall.)
Who advised the school about the potential health risk ?
Was the Health Protection Agency (HPA) involved ?
Can we be assured that the threat from rats has been permanently eradicated ?
Also, can we be assured that the areas affected have been professionally disinfected and are now biologically free from any possible infections ?
How did the rat infestation happen in the first place ?
Who officially knew about the rats ? (LEA, governors, headteacher, teachers, etc.)

What is hard to understand is why the school did not inform parents.

Rats are a common problem, much like lice, but their presence poses a significant health risk. This includes an infection called Leptospirosis which has mild flu-like symptoms or in extreme cases, Weil’s disease, involving jaundice and kidney failure.

The simplest course of action would have been for the school to make us aware that there was a problem and what measures were being taken.

We place our children into the care of others and expect their safety to be respected as paramount. No matter how well we set out to protect their lives, there are always dangers. What is not expected is that those carers will hide possible threats; when we can not see a danger then we are denied the opportunity to take precautionary action !

Duke Street is not the only school that recently has experienced a rat problem :

School closed by rat invasion

Rats found in North Wales school kitchen

Hundreds of schools plagued by pests

Rat problem closes primary school

Rats can’t keep a good school down

The school remain vigilant about lice and reminded us in the newsletter of 9th October of our duty to address the problem adding that lice had decided to pay a call. It is disappointing that they did not tell us that the school also had vermin as visitors ! Worse that they should conceal it !

In the end, it comes down to trust between the school, parents and our children.

The school broke that trust.

What else is there that remains hidden ?

Bullies Out

2008-11-01T13:00:00.000Z

Myths About Bullying - www.kidscape.org.uk
Friends and relatives may say some of the following things to you if you tell them about the bullying. They are well-meaning but wrong ! Bullying is NEVER a good thing; it is always damaging both for the victim and for the bully.

“I was bullied at school and it didn’t do me any harm.”
This is often said aggressively as if the person is still ashamed. They may have forgotten the pain they suffered.

“He’ll just have to learn to stand up for himself.”
Children who tell about bullying have usually reached the end of their tether. If they could have dealt with the bullying, they would have. Asking for support is not weakness but a recognition that they cannot cope with the situation on their own.

“Tell him to hit back - harder.”
Bullies are often bigger than their victims so the victim could get seriously hurt by ‘hitting back’. Hitting back reinforces the idea that violence and aggression are acceptable.

“It’s character-building ?”
The sort of ‘character’ it builds is not the sort of character most parents want for their children. Bullying can damage victims’ self esteem and can make them reserved and distrustful. (There is evidence that the victim may become a bully in adult life.)

“Sticks and stones may break your bones but names can never hurt you ?”
Bruises left by blows fade and heal but the scars left by name-calling can last for ever. An 84 year old man wrote : “I can remember every word those fiends said. I’ve been hearing their bullying jeers all my life”.

“That’s not bullying ! It’s just kids teasing.”
Teasing is one thing but when it gets out of hand it can turn into vicious taunting. Once teasing begins to hurt the victim it is no longer ‘just a bit of fun’ and should be stopped.

Resources :
	Courtesy of BullyingUK :		www.bullying.co.uk
		• Is my child being bullied ?	Finding out that your child is being bullied is a stressful and distressing experience. It’s natural for a parent to feel anger, confusion and guilt.
		• Bullying policies	All UK state schools need to have bullying policies by law, but the type of policy they use is down to the school.
		• Contacting the school	In the first instance, at a primary or junior school, see the class teacher and explain your worries in a friendly non-confrontational way.
		• Contacting the governors	Unfortunately many parents find that bullying continues after they have asked the class teacher, head of year or head teacher to sort it out.

	Courtesy of kidscape :		www.kidscape.org.uk (downloads)
		• Preventing bullying	Advice for parents.
		• Don’t bully me !	Advice for children.

	Courtesy of teachers.tv :		teachers.tv
		• Talking about bullying	A video by a London school about how they tackled bullying and transformed pupils’ behaviour. (Similar techniques are used by Duke Street and most schools.)
		• Anti‑Bullying (Downloads)	A good selection of documents and articles for advice about bullying.

Deaf Ears - Breakfast Club

2008-10-25T13:00:00.005+01:00

From the school website (06 February 2008) : “Would like the school to have a breakfast club, so that working mums who start early have an option to drop children off at school early.”

There are so many schools that provide breakfast club support - why cannot Duke Street ?

Constructive Support 2

2008-10-18T13:00:00.019+01:00

As was discussed in the previous blog Constructive Support 1 most issues and concerns are easily resolved by talking with your child’s teacher.

Problems and frustrations can rapidly escalate when there is no resolution. The various stages that are detailed in the complaints procedures are arduous, requiring significant effort and commitment by you, the parent, involving the production of a range of correspondence.

The timescales involved can be lengthy and the final outcome can be unsatisfactory and you find yourself wondering whether the LEA procedures are to protect the school rather than to help your children.

None of us likes to complain and we often feel intimidated and threatened by the ‘system’. In the end, many parents simply tolerate the problems and join the rest of us who whinge rather than take action.

Others elect to move their children to another school where they perceive that life for their children will be better - but it might not be the case !

What is needed is a Parent Council that can act on your behalf. Remember that any concerns that you have are probably affecting not only your child but others also - you may feel alone but you are not - we are all parents who want the best for our children.

We all need to work together - if you have the time, please study the following information :

Parent Councils Presentation
Setting up a Parent Council (booklet)
Setting up a Parent Council (leaflet)
Statutory Guidance on Parent Councils
Setting up Parents’ Councils (case studies)
The School Governance (Parent Council) Regulations 2007
White Paper: Higher Standards, Better Schools for All
Parent Council Information Pack
(An excellent source of information about Parent Councils in Scotland.)

Constructive Support 1

2008-10-11T13:00:00.017+01:00

If you are worried about your child’s learning or welfare at school, your child’s class teacher or head of year is the best person to approach first. Teachers will usually be in the classroom during the day but you can leave messages with the school office asking the teacher to get back to you.

If the teacher can not help or you are not satisfied with their response, you can talk to the headteacher. You should be able to arrange a meeting or a telephone conversation with the headteacher through the school office. If this is not practical, you may wish to make a written complaint.

If your complaint is not resolved, the next stage is to approach the governing body of the school. All state-funded schools are required to have a procedure to deal with any complaints relating to the school or to any facilities or services that the school provides for the local community.

If you want to complain to the governing body, ask the school for a copy the complaints procedure. All complaints to the governing body must be in writing.

The LEA have a document entitled “Guidance on School Complaints Procedures” that describes the complaints process and another option is to raise your concerns through Ofsted.

In general, it is our experience that most concerns are resolved through speaking with your child’s teacher.

Parents Helping Parents

2008-10-04T13:00:00.002+01:00

When parents are involved in their child’s learning and in the life of the school, children do better. Parental involvement is thus a key lever for school improvement.

The Education and Inspections Act 2006 places a duty on governing bodies of all maintained schools to have regard to the views expressed by parents of registered pupils.

All schools are encouraged to review their arrangements in relation to this duty and to consider enhancing them by setting up a parent council.

Ofsted inspects schools on the way in which they listen and respond to parents’ views.

These government guidelines were introduced in May 2007 by the Department for Children, Schools and Families who have produced a document entitled “Setting up a Parent Council”.

To date the school has chosen not to consider the formation of a parent council - something that we, with your help, intend to change over the coming months.

About Us

We are a group of caring parents who have decided to stop whinging in the playground and to do something positive to give our children a better life at school.Our Objectives

To provide an open forum where we, as parents, can share and discuss school related issues openly and frankly whilst preserving anonymity.
To provide encouragement and support for one another and our children.

We know our children better than anyone and we should not be made to feel that any problems are our fault or indeed those of our children.
To use our collective new found strengths to make Duke Street Primary School a safe and happy place for our children where they are able to develop to their maximum potential.
To establish better communication and involvement of the school governing body.
Our ultimate goal is the formation of a recognised parent council.

Our Rules and Guidelines

Any parent/carer/childminder can contribute to our forum.
Your privacy will be respected and we will not publish your name or any other information. You can add your comments to blog entries with the assurance of complete anonymity.

You can also communicate directly with us by e-mail : dukestreetschool@gmail.com
Be respectful of others by not using bad language even if you feel really annoyed, upset or frustrated.
Please avoid making what might be construed as slanderous statements.
Take this forum seriously. Please do not let your children send comments. It is for us Mums and Dads to help each other so we can stay strong to help them.

We reserve the right to censor/delete comments that fail to adhere to the above guidelines.

We hope you find this forum useful and look forward to working together to give our children a fulfilled and rewarding future.