DagmarJ

I think that's all for grabs. Once the fence is removed there is supposed to be a 6 months trial period during which complaints, dog fouling etc will be monitored and maybe there will be another consultation on the issue. At the end there could be no division at all or a new fence at the same position or a new fence for a different bit. The council - due to pressure by anti-fence and pro-dog residents - has decided to remove the fence and then monitor/consult. I've written several times to council officers and members on the issue and attended Friends of Goose Green meetings in support of the dog free zone, but they seem set on this approach now. I just hope they don't remove the fence until later in the year so we have another Summer with a - relatively - dog free zone.

Well, there is a lot happening at Goose Green right now, so I won't move my child in a hurry but support the school in it's efforts and it'd be great if others in the area didn't write it off too quickly.

I did not suggest sending your child to a 'crap' school - if you read my post you will find that I talk about 'a decent non denominational state school'. Regarding the head teacher who has unfortunately just left - he was one of the reasons we did opt for the school. Also very happy with the current interim head we have on loan (recruitment campaign was put on hold for a bit due to the Ofsted) and we are obviously hoping that we can attract a good new permanent one. I agree, the head teacher is a crucial appointment.

My son also goes to Goose Green Primary, just finishing reception, and we are very happy with the school so far. Parents, governors and staff at the school were totally shocked when the Ofsted report came out (and I believe the Local Education Authority did also not expect this), it's not at all what we expected and most of us feel it is not justified. Somebody asked why the school didn't write an official reply - in Ofsted's books that wouldn't earn you any points, on the contrary, they interpret this as the school not being even aware of it's failings. So most people advise to just swallow the bitter pill and get on with putting your energy into those weak areas which were justifiably identified. The head teacher at the time did in fact write a very detailed response supplying plenty of evidence to counter some of the report statements - which were based on observations and impressions over two days -, but hardly anything was taken on board. Unfortunately he left shortly after the inspection report (totally unrelated), otherwise he might have taken this further. Goose Green is a school with a high percentage of kids on free school meals and a high percentage of kids for whom English isn't the first language. This puts a lot of parents off who fall into the 'middle-class' bracket, which I guess is something along the lines of having some sort of further education and being financially independent and secure. Somebody in this thread said that it's only understandable if people opt for a better school if they can. Very true, but if it entails pretending to be of faith to get into a faith based school, hmmm, I think that's a bit of an iffy choice. And if the same people lament the state of our divisive society and oh, what on earth can be done about the rate of teenage pregnancies and drugs and crime, hmmm, are they really concerned about that or more about the career prospects of their offspring? As long as my son enjoys going to school, grows up enjoying learning and being inquisitive, learns to value the diversity of people and gets the basics the primary school is supposed to teach him, I'm happy and content. Of course we will be monitoring how our child progresses and if anything goes awry, we will naturally look at options and, if necessary, take action. That, by the way, would and will apply to any school, sports club, holiday camp and whatever else he attends. I would just like to urge anybody thinking about primary schools not to be put off by the Ofsted and come and have a look and talk to some parents and teaching staff and support the school. I know it's hard, particularly with the first child when all this educational stuff is like a complete new world, and, of course, we also looked at Ofsted reports when we had to make our choice. But if it's between moving away, pretending to be something you are not, paying for private education or giving a decent non denominational state school on your door step a go - well, you know what our choice was. I absolutely agree with other posts in this thread, unless the system is changed it'll be nigh on impossible to bring true equality into our schools.