Mailwatch(ed) Forum

Cunt.

The current leadership of OFSTED appear to be rushing around making cosmetic changes to justify its existence. But there really needs to be a fundamental look at how schools are inspected and regulated. When John Major established OFSTED he talked about schools having rigorous inspections every four years and at the time he set up OFSTED the vast majority of schools were under local authority control.

If a school failed an inspection or got into difficulties local authorities could step in a support the school and help it to improve. Today less than half of all schools in the country are under local authority control and and local authorities have reduced their education departments to a skeleton staff so when a school does fail they usually end up becoming academies because there is no longer any local council support to help turn a school around.

Perhaps now is the time to give local authorities more of a role in inspecting and regulating schools in their area. If this was to happen intervention could happen much quicker and schools could be turned around before they reach the point at which them are labelled as failing.

In recent years many schools that have been labelled outstanding have been spared regular inspection so by the time an inspection team finally arrive an outstanding school could have gone rapidly downhill. This would be less likely to happen in local authorities were monitoring schools because they would be better placed to know if concerns were being raised locally.

And again the question begs to be asked - is she the only bloody headteacher in the country?

She's seems to be only headteacher in the country who is allowed to indulge in politics without being criticised by the right wing media who seem to think that she is god's gift to education.

She gets the little buggers to line up and shut up. That makes her a god in their eyes.

Except...it just seems like she's cosplaying teaching. For her it's all about the discipline and having Surprising Yet Firmly Held Views on things. They just seem to be stuck in the mindset they had when they were working on the Ironic Review or whatever it was called.

It's really odd that she's still getting the press whilst blatantly and openly running a borderline scam. Any school could show the results Michaela gets if they similarly trimmed out subjects and pupils to suit.

I think you have to allow that the results are impressive, if that's what you want to prioritise. I wonder how much work she actually does towards them nowadays, mind. And they shouldn't get her special status to act totally unprofessionally, as she's done frequently.

But the subject offer is indeed very limited. The school I used to live virtually next door to in Tower Hamlets (very well regarded school, but no tv show for the head) offered far more.

Watchman wrote: ↑Mon Sep 02, 2024 1:23 pm https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... singh.html

Setting aside the fact she'd have a nuclear hissy fit if she didn't get "Outstanding"; two phrases stand out. I'm sure Ruth Perry's family appreciate her sympathy

"Good heads remain as heads or executive heads."

BUT, abolishing judgements because of leaders 'feeling bad' is a nod in the wrong direction. It is an indulgence of the tyranny of 'feelings being more important than facts'.

As ever, can't make up my mind whether she's thick or purely unpleasant. The fact is that facts and judgements haven't been abolished. Just a silly one word conclusion that lots of people barely read beyond.

It is perfectly possible to be thick and unpleasant, as she amply demonstrates so often.

Well, I know, but does she genuinely not get the point that the report's going to be full of facts and judgements?

Whatever it said, she'd have something to say. Her actual message being "Look at how clever I am", or daring The Libs to come at her and her Surprising Yet Profound Opinions.

All she does, in effect, is parrot the regressive opinions of 1980s West Indian parents...

Right. I missed a bit off the end of my post before.

I went to a school that was in one building but two separate institutions, like a Catholic Grammar Semi. The boys had a decent enough reputation, tended to get pretty impressive results and was seen as one of the better schools in the area. The girls was much the same. That is, until league tables became a thing.

The girl's school began to open up a gap year on year, to the point where they could boast that 99+% of A Level pupils were getting 3 "C" grades or better. They turned out to have made this performance gain by quietly insisting that "problem" girls* who might not hit such heights take their exams under the auspices of the local technical college. It all eventually came out when the principal got popped stealing booze from the local supermarket and was eventually forced into medical retirement.

I think I can picture Birbs trying to pinch Smirnoff from a Curley's Off-Licence some time in the future



*One of whom is now First Minister. They liked to do this same neat trick to reduce their relative abundance of teenage mothers too.

Andy McDandy wrote: ↑Wed Sep 04, 2024 4:23 pm Whatever it said, she'd have something to say. Her actual message being "Look at how clever I am", or daring The Libs to come at her and her Surprising Yet Profound Opinions.

It's easy for a teacher to look clever when picking arguments with 12 year olds.
Backed with the nuclear option of detention or worse.

That turns out to be poor training for actual world discourse.
You might come across as needy, unpleasant and get called on your bullshit.

Indeed. Now she hasn't got any friends in government running interference for her, she will be called out on her bullshit and be exposed as the lightweight she is.

Yug wrote: ↑Thu Sep 05, 2024 1:11 pm Indeed. Now she hasn't got any friends in government running interference for her, she will be called out on her bullshit and be exposed as the lightweight she is.

I'm sure a GB News contract awaits.

She's shaping up to her role under a Labour Government, I see. Already talking like Bridget Phillipson needs to visit her school. And has found her own bizarre angle on the policy to make school uniforms cheaper. Something about branded trousers being a defence against gangs, if I've understood. Anyway, 3 branded items are still allowed.

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2 ... on-uniform

If you read between the lines it’s almost like branding is just some money-making scam.

When school I work at was was taken over by Outwood all the students were given a free uniform supplied by Trutex. This was a good PR exercise on behalf of the trust but now students are required to keep using the same company. I think originally pupils were required to buy white shirts from the same company with the logo on but that requirement has now been dropped.

The uniforms are not cheap an the quality is pretty poor. I've seen lots of pupils walking around the academy with blazers that are split on the seems because they have been so badly made.

Bridget Phillipson is a Marxist ideologue who dislikes acadamies.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/li ... -live-news

Bridget Phillipson accused of having 'Marxist ideological dislike of academies' by leading headteacher
Katharine Birbalsingh, who is credited with being one of the best headteachers in the country because of her success with Michaela school in London, has launched a ferocious attack on the education secretary, Bridget Phillipson.

In an open letter published on social media, Birbalsingh described Phillipson as having “a Marxist ideological dislike of academies” and claimed she was unable to answer questions about her schools bill when they met on Monday this week.

Birbalsingh also claimed Phillipson showed no interest in learning how Michaela, a non-selective inner city school, has been able to achieve outstanding results.

Two weeks ago Kemi Badenoch quoted Birbalsingh at PMQs when criticising the children’s wellbeing and schools bill, which will limit the freedoms enjoyed by academy schools. Birbalsingh, who is widely admired by Tories but who describes herself as a floating voter, published a lengthy criticism of the bill last month. But her latest critique is much stronger.