:sunglasses: 23.1 % :pray: 7.7 % :laughing: 69.2 %
User avatar
By Malcolm Armsteen
#66085
ARK 'one of the better ones'?

(laughs hollowly...)
User avatar
By Tubby Isaacs
#66094
I wouldn't like to work there, but think it's hard to argue now that some chains haven't performed well over a period of time, ARK has a decent number of schools (not just in London), and don't spend all their time pissing about in the media, unlike eg Birbalsingh. But it's of course a daft system overall, and academies have unfair advantages.

Corbyn said he'd end academisation, but in practice he'd have had to concentrate on sorting out the ones that have been underperforming- there are loads of these, particularly at Primary level. Even that's not quick, because the LAs don't have the capacity to take them on. I never really saw ARK etc being taken back in house for a long time.
User avatar
By Malcolm Armsteen
#66100
ARK are in it for the cash, pure and simple. Not education, about which they have very outdated and limited ideas.
User avatar
By Tubby Isaacs
#66102
Lots of academy chains fancy themselves as doing old fashioned education and overpay executives, but at least ARK performs with poorer kids. Or at least it used to- can't find a more up to date report.

The number of underperforming chains on page 25 there is pretty terrifying. You've got a lot to sort out before you get to ARK.

https://www.suttontrust.com/our-researc ... my-chains/
By satnav
#66152
None of the big chains seem to be in any rush to expand anytime soon. Outwood the chain I work for have only taken on one new secondary school in the last three years. They seem to be consolidating their position rather than rushing for growth.

There are a couple of small secondary schools in the area that have been failing for a while but none of the Academy chains want to touch them because they are so small that they would require a lot of time and resources put into them with no easy gain.

I think most academies have now worked out that in the average secondary school students in the top two sets are assured of getting 5 good GCSE's if they attend on a regular basis and attend regular revision session. At the bottom end there are probably 20% of students who are very unlikely to get 5 GCSE's regardless of how hard they work and how many resources schools throw at them.
So all the gains that are to be made are in set 3. At the school where I work SLT have really targeted set 3 classes. Earlier this year I worked in a Year 11 Set 3 Maths group where I was working with the head of Maths and a one to one tutor so we had 3 adults in a class of 20 students which meant that all the students in the class got plenty of attention and their marks have steadily gone up. The flip side of targeting set 3 is that the bottom set groups have been given less support. I suspect similar measures are being use in other academy chains up and down the country because it helps schools improve their outcome figures without pushing up costs.
Tubby Isaacs liked this
By Youngian
#66537
I don't recall shameless Mr Neil as the sensible centre right counterbalance to Wootton and Neil Oliver in the build up to GBNews's launch. He was fully signed up to conspiracism about wokes and related bollocks. After a few years rebuilding his reputation at the BBC, it was puzzling why he was so quick to flush it down the toilet. Well not really, a large paycheque of course.
By Bones McCoy
#66538
Youngian wrote: Wed Apr 24, 2024 10:32 am I don't recall shameless Mr Neil as the sensible centre right counterbalance to Wootton and Neil Oliver in the build up to GBNews's launch. He was fully signed up to conspiracism about wokes and related bollocks. After a few years rebuilding his reputation at the BBC, it was puzzling why he was so quick to flush it down the toilet. Well not really, a large paycheque of course.
Poor old Ardronil.
Claims he didn't start the fire.
Seen leaving building with empty petrol can and half used box of matches.

Cunts are like uranium.
Too much in one location and you'll have a shitshow.
User avatar
By Andy McDandy
#66542
He was there to give it gravitas, and a stamp of authority. Otherwise you'd be left with systems analysts (Michelle Dewberry) and archaeologists pontificating over current affairs, and while I acknowledge their expertise in those fields, you'd get much the same result from livestreaming a shit pub.
User avatar
By Tubby Isaacs
#66555
Youngian wrote: Wed Apr 24, 2024 10:32 am I don't recall shameless Mr Neil as the sensible centre right counterbalance to Wootton and Neil Oliver in the build up to GBNews's launch. He was fully signed up to conspiracism about wokes and related bollocks. After a few years rebuilding his reputation at the BBC, it was puzzling why he was so quick to flush it down the toilet. Well not really, a large paycheque of course.
Neil the executive was certainly pitching that way. But equally his interviews were pushed fairly heavily, and I think he saw himself, as a presenter, as being slightly detatched, doing higher quality stuff with a higher budget whenever he felt like it. Not surprising that other executives objected to that.
User avatar
By Malcolm Armsteen
#66561
Andy McDandy wrote: Wed Apr 24, 2024 11:12 am He was there to give it gravitas, and a stamp of authority. Otherwise you'd be left with systems analysts (Michelle Dewberry) and archaeologists pontificating over current affairs, and while I acknowledge their expertise in those fields, you'd get much the same result from livestreaming a shit pub.
He is/was not an archaeologist!
By Youngian
#66565
R4’s Media Show interview a prickly head of Ofcom at pains to tell us how tough they are in implementing the rules. Apparently, even Andrew Neil told her to get a back bone with regards to dealing with GBeebies blatant use of politicians. The tough regulator boss also mentioned surveys have shown people like a range of views. Demonstrating she doesn’t quite understand what news is.
kreuzberger liked this
By davidjay
#66589
Youngian wrote: Wed Apr 24, 2024 5:55 pm R4’s Media Show interview a prickly head of Ofcom at pains to tell us how tough they are in implementing the rules. Apparently, even Andrew Neil told her to get a back bone with regards to dealing with GBeebies blatant use of politicians. The tough regulator boss also mentioned surveys have shown people like a range of views. Demonstrating she doesn’t quite understand what news is.
Saying GBNews has a range of views is like the barmaid in the Blues Brothers who says, "We have two types of music - country AND western."
mattomac liked this
  • 1
  • 91
  • 92
  • 93
  • 94
  • 95
  • 96
long long title how many chars? lets see 123 ok more? yes 60

We have created lots of YouTube videos just so you can achieve [...]

Another post test yes yes yes or no, maybe ni? :-/

The best flat phpBB theme around. Period. Fine craftmanship and [...]

Do you need a super MOD? Well here it is. chew on this

All you need is right here. Content tag, SEO, listing, Pizza and spaghetti [...]

Lasagna on me this time ok? I got plenty of cash

this should be fantastic. but what about links,images, bbcodes etc etc? [...]