Grammar schools and academy status?

Discussion of all things non-11 Plus related

Moderators: Section Moderators, Forum Moderators

hermanmunster
Posts: 12815
Joined: Fri Sep 15, 2006 9:51 am
Location: The Seaside

Re: Grammar schools and academy status?

Post by hermanmunster »

Snowdrops wrote:
Now then, where's that thread from many moons ago when we all allocated ourselves jobs within 'our' school?

I was thinking about that thread on the way to work this morning... we quite easily could have staffed a school (only trouble is that we were all over the country)... :roll:
Snowdrops
Posts: 4667
Joined: Wed Nov 21, 2007 5:20 pm

Re: Grammar schools and academy status?

Post by Snowdrops »

Have you ever heard of remote learning???
Image
Snowdrops
Posts: 4667
Joined: Wed Nov 21, 2007 5:20 pm

Re: Grammar schools and academy status?

Post by Snowdrops »

or commuting and boarding?

Don't let these things defeat us!
Image
hermanmunster
Posts: 12815
Joined: Fri Sep 15, 2006 9:51 am
Location: The Seaside

Re: Grammar schools and academy status?

Post by hermanmunster »

well.. cyber school did come to mind ... and the thought of boarding in the dales would be quite appealing!!
sherry_d
Posts: 2083
Joined: Tue Sep 01, 2009 4:38 pm
Location: Maidstone

Re: Grammar schools and academy status?

Post by sherry_d »

Snowdrops wrote:I do know some teachers who are very worried about the HT's ability to award pay rises/set rates of pay if this goes ahead. They couldn't get their heads around the fact this is what happens in the 'outside world' and are feeling very uneasy that things could become competitive between themselves (I did try to point out the postives, but they really are running scared).
SD I was just going to comment about that. On Channel 4 news tonite was a teachers union rep and she was already talking about industrial action. Sorry teachers but that OTT, why the heck should teacher not rewarded if there are more hardworking? Why should everyone be paid an equal salary. The minimum pay band yes but those who excel or hard to find subject teachers should be paid more.

Earlier someone suggested that headteacher may start spending money on themselves, staff meetings in marjoca and a cool mercedes for the head. That doesnt bother me as long as standards are raised. I am tired of bog standars schools and have no qualms in anything that raises standards. I have seen the difference a hardworking headteacher can make. My DD's sink school had a headteacher up until 3 year ago who had been in this school for over 22 years and left to retire. She didnt give a toss and standards were plummetting and I bet she was paid the top for the number of years service. Now we have a new head and she has really worked hard and even the KS2 results have improved by over 40 points. She is getting tough on discipline and is genuinely interested in the kids but my guess is she is paid well less despite how she is turning around this school. How can that be fair and in the interest of the children? I would rather see this new headteacher with mercedes than some sod getting paid for years in service whilst doing nothing whatsoever. Some headteachers dont deserve to even be teachers, let alone be given a free reign on schools. Its no wonder local authority had too much inteference.
Impossible is Nothing.
Sassie'sDad
Posts: 459
Joined: Tue Jan 22, 2008 3:36 pm
Location: Rugby

Re: Grammar schools and academy status?

Post by Sassie'sDad »

On the car radio at 5pm (ish - radio4) tonight there was a very interesting piece by a woman (ex Head Teacher) who has been very much involved with facilitating Academy Schools. The gist of her 'four pennith' was that schools becoming Academy status was no guarantee of a school becoming better per se. The intended changes to the regs will enable (new) schools to be outside the ambit of LEA, giving the Head Teacher far more power/control and eventually total discretion about curriculum.

The point was made this is likely to herald the breakdown of order in admissions procedures. She went on to give a short dissertation an the Charter Schools in the US. In short, while some are very good it would seem others are the pits.
ourmaminhavana
Posts: 966
Joined: Mon Sep 07, 2009 11:14 am

Re: Grammar schools and academy status?

Post by ourmaminhavana »

I must admit I tend more towards Dark energy's view on this and have a natural scepticism of academies, however presumably this means grammars schools could then choose to do the more rigorous IB exams as a number of top indies do already?
Incidentally in September both of my children will be at schools rated 'outstanding', one secondary, one primary, however I can't imagine either of them applying to be made into academies (but Floss may know more? :) )
Marylou
Posts: 2164
Joined: Sat Feb 25, 2006 2:21 am

Re: Grammar schools and academy status?

Post by Marylou »

I suppose the crux of this has to be the generally held opinion - one we are always hearing - that schools and teaching staff should be left to get on with what they do best, without constant interference from national and local government. By freeing them from the worst of the bureaucracy and top-down micromanagement that currently strangles them, hopefully we'll see improvements in terms of results, discipline, etc. Of course this assumes that all schools are capable of managing without outside support, which we all know is not the case. Therefore the schools being offered the "fast track" to academy status are the very ones that have already shown that they are competent, while less successful schools will hopefully be given more support in their attempts to improve and become autonomous. All schools would still be subject to national regulations relating to admissions etc. but where these rules are open to interpretation then it should be the school that decides what is best for itself, not the LEA.

As with everything, there is potential for good and bad in the proposals and I suppose it is simply a matter of how it is all managed. :|
Marylou
hermanmunster
Posts: 12815
Joined: Fri Sep 15, 2006 9:51 am
Location: The Seaside

Re: Grammar schools and academy status?

Post by hermanmunster »

Marylou wrote:I suppose the crux of this has to be the generally held opinion - one we are always hearing - that schools and teaching staff should be left to get on with what they do best, without constant interference from national and local government. By freeing them from the worst of the bureaucracy and top-down micromanagement that currently strangles them, hopefully we'll see improvements in terms of results, discipline, etc. Of course this assumes that all schools are capable of managing without outside support, which we all know is not the case. Therefore the schools being offered the "fast track" to academy status are the very ones that have already shown that they are competent, while less successful schools will hopefully be given more support in their attempts to improve and become autonomous. All schools would still be subject to national regulations relating to admissions etc. but where these rules are open to interpretation then it should be the school that decides what is best for itself, not the LEA.

As with everything, there is potential for good and bad in the proposals and I suppose it is simply a matter of how it is all managed. :|
total dejavu this morning ..... first wave fund holding gp practices / first wave primary care trusts... all the ones who were competent / in budget etc etc ... ultimately when all became part of subsequent waves the kudos went and it was back to square one.... I so hope the schools really get something out of it this time... not just the windscale effect
yoyo123
Posts: 8099
Joined: Mon Jun 18, 2007 3:32 pm
Location: East Kent

Re: Grammar schools and academy status?

Post by yoyo123 »

a respite from " initiatives and strategies" would be nice too
:roll:
Post Reply