goodrich agreement

[tamblynhirst]

Has anyone who has received this form via the school had any thoughts about it? I couldn't help but think what a blatant waste of money this has been, an exercise in stating what should be obvious to the majority of parents. I would like to know ( as a parent ), how the school can justify this expenditure. Your thoughts please.

[Dorothy]

Yes, I agree with you.

[wee quinnie]

Can you elaborate for those of us who aren't Goodrich parents?:)

[Ted Max]

I would like to know ( as a parent ), how the school can justify this expenditure.

The school doesn't have a choice.

Sections 110 and 111 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 set out that:

* All maintained schools, city technology colleges and city colleges for the technology of the arts adopt a home-school agreement and associated parental declaration

[tamblynhirst]

I have it on an another authority that the school has also employed the services of another company. Their job has been to work out how many 'sick days' members of staff have taken. The cost of this is high. I think the school itself could work out this conundrum ,realising that they are not a business, and after all a service that as tax payers we expect.

[Ted Max]

Oh I see. You're just generally on the lookout for stuff to have a whinge about.

Good luck with that, then.

[tamblynhirst]

After some correspondence from the school we were given a pizza like leaflet outlining what the school expected from us as parents, from the pupils, and the teachers. Things like, observing respect for others, punctuality, completion of homework, keeping the school fresh with new ideas......I have a few a new ideas, i'm not sure they would appear in that leaflet.

[tamblynhirst]

Dear ted,

I,m not whinging. The school has spent upwards of a gestimate of two and a half thousand pounds doing this stuff, i can't help but think this money would have have been better spent.

[DaveR]

I got the leaflet. Notwithstanding the apparent statutory obligation, I have a problem with the basic idea behind it e.g that state education is provided by way of some sort of three way contract between schools, kids and parents. I can understand that this is superficially attractive, but it kind of unravels when you think a bit more. Parents are required by law to make their kids attend achool (unless they home school, not a realistic option for many), and kids at school are subject to school rules. Schools have a number of specific legal duties, and (in the eyes of most parents at least) an overwhelming general one i.e. to provide the best all round education for their pupils. None of these obligations are in fact interdependent - it is no excuse to truanting to say the school is not good enough, and, crucially, it is no excuse to being a shit school to say the parents and kids are not good enough, and these sort of agreements suggest that it might be.

[Ant]

I'm with DaveR - this agreement seems to be just window dressing. Though the school seems to have had no choice in the matter so no point moaning at them about it.

If it's true that the school has paid another company to work out how many sick days members of staff have taken then I'd possibly be more concerned. I'd assume these are the sort of records the school could reasonably be expected to keep. Surely it can't be that hard to look it up in the records. It makes me think there's more to it that we're not hearing, so again not worth moaning at the school. Not yet at any rate. (Perhaps they're looking into why all three Yr2 teachers are signed off sick at the moment!)

[Penguin68]

If the school is employing external HR specialists they may be better placed (through experience) to see 'significant' patterns of sick leave than school admin people. In general sick absences in the public sector run much higher than the private (for broadly like-to-like occupational comparisons). It's not just a matter of totting everything up, it's about seeing when (in the week) how frequently, what reasons are being given and so on. It may also be politic, if it comes to issues of discipline, counselling etc. if the analysis is being done by an 'independent' external assessor who has no history or any obvious axe to grind.

[ianr]

>this agreement seems to be just window dressing.

s.111(5) No person shall be excluded from such a school or suffer any other adverse consequences on account of any failure to comply with any invitation to sign the parental declaration.

{6} A home-school agreement shall not be capable of creating any obligation in respect of whose breach any liability arises in contract or in tort.

So if one felt at all anxious about the possible 'informal' consequences of an alleged failure of parent or child to keep to the agreement, one might perhaps decide it would be better simply not to sign it.

s.110(5) Where the governing body consider that a registered pupil at the school has a sufficient understanding of the home-school agreement as it relates to him, they may invite the pupil to sign the parental declaration as an indication that he acknowledges and accepts the school?s expectations of its pupils.

I relish the idea of 8 year old legalistic Johny saying that, after due coonsideration, he was regretfully declining to sign the agreement.

[tamblynhirst]

dear daveR,

you are very eloquent. I would still like to know how the school can justify the expenditure in such a glossy appearance . The most important information seems to be hard to come by, term dates, parent-teacher consultations, school trips, school dinners(or lack of last term), timetables etc. Could not the agreement be set out on a photocopied piece of paper like the rest of our information? Or has that not been an efficient way of contacting parents.....?

[Huguenot]

I'm impressed by the generosity of spirit, by the desire to get involved, and by the positive ambition demonstrated by the parents on this thread. Not.

If DJKQ is wondering why education is struggling in the UK she doesn't need to look far.

[whisteria]

The school had a meeting about the agreement. Parents were able to view their thoughts and give feedback. All sorts of issues were raised and changes actioned (and followed up!) It was a good open meeting and very well attended. tamblynhirst did you go?

Discussing issues with staff is the best way forward when you are not getting what you want from a school. Write a letter. Organise a petition. But don't bad mouth on social networks when you clearly don't have all the facts and appear to have done nothing to action change. It makes you look bad tamblynhirst.

[peterstorm1985]

I rather suspect that the appearance of this form has been designed with the less interested parent in mind. Those who do care about their child's education; by ensuring they're always in school on time, teach them to respect their teachers, never take them out of school inappropriately etc, would respond just as well to a photocopied piece of A4. Unfortunately, I'm sure there are a number of parents who need something that looks as if it has come from an official or outside source to take it seriously. It's a shame that so much money has to be spent for so few but then it is often the few who are the most disruptive (child and parent). Targeting those parents may be highly valuable in the longer term even if the means do so does cause some irritant to the majority.

And if it does look like a pizza leaflet, maybe that's intentional.

[Hannahzz]

I have a child in year six at Goodrich and a little one about to start reception in another community school (long story but we don't live near Goodrich any more). I also nearly moved the one in year six to a different school closer to me.. Both these other schools gave me similar agreements to sign and for the children to sign too (including my four year old who is about to start reception and can barely write her name). It's new but standard practice already in lots of state schools.. complete rubbish really, but not the fault of Goodrich.

[citizenED]

Yep, got the agreement and after a little snigger at the playschool linguistics I, naturally, signed. Everone you generally agrees with the main thrust of such a thing ought to sign. As has been pointed out there is no legal side to it. It's helpful for the school to know who are the supportive parents and which of their students are going to struggle due to the negative attitude of their parents.

[DaveR]

"I'm impressed by the generosity of spirit, by the desire to get involved, and by the positive ambition demonstrated by the parents on this thread. Not.

If DJKQ is wondering why education is struggling in the UK she doesn't need to look far."

Have you read the thread? Or indeed the relevant document? No, thought not.

The OP made the point that the money could have been better spent, and later said that the school ought to pay more attention to providing more important information to parents more efficiently, e.g. dates and times of significant events. (I completely agree with the latter point). I don't like the idea behind these agreements, and I explained why. Then you chipped in with some glib throwaway nonsense from a position of complete ignorance. Well done.

[Huguenot]

I'm pleased to come from a family with three generations of teachers on both sides of the state/private divide. We lived, ate and breathed education.

It wasn't the leaflet that raised my eyebrows, and that's why I didn't mention it.

I can assure you from a well informed position that the inability for some parents to recognise that education is a three way contract between the child, the parents and the school is one of the biggest problems facing our education system.

[Ant]

the school ought to pay more attention to providing more important information to parents more efficiently, e.g. dates and times of significant events.

I'm sure most parents will have these links already, but just in case anyone's missed them:

http://www.goodrich.org.uk/ - see under diary for term dates etc.

http://www.friendsofgoodrich.com/ - for PTA news

[DaveR]

"I can assure you from a well informed position that the inability for some parents to recognise that education is a three way contract between the child, the parents and the school is one of the biggest problems facing our education system."

I disagree, both with your analysis and your claim to be well-informed. A contract is an exchange of promises - you don't do your bit, I won't do mine. It's this kind of analysis that enables schools (or more likely individual teachers) to say "the parents are rubbish, the kids are badly behaved, why should I have to try?", or kids to say "my teacher is rubbish, why should I behave?". The responsibilities of parents, kids and schools/teachers are separate and distinct. What I expect from the school is a good standard of teaching and pastoral care, a clear set of rules, policies etc. backed up by strong leadership, and consistent, transparent processes. That's their job. Setting standards for parenting isn't, and bad parenting will not be addressed effectively by drawing up glossy pointless 'contracts'.

[Huguenot]

And therein lies the tragedy of the UK education system.

Done to death by a meanness of spirit, a lack of imagination, parents passing the buck, and a stubborn adherence to a set of 'rules' that by their definition can only appeal to the lowest common denominator.

[DaveR]

H, you're talking shit. I know lots of teachers (actually teaching in UK schools now, not your Grandpa), and both what they tell me and the anecdotal evidence (not least from schools in ED) is that the difference between good schools and bad schools is leadership, and leadership is not about a contract with parents, it is about setting high standards and doing everything you can to ensure that teachers and kids meet them. You can only do that by having very clear rules and processes - it sounds dull but it means teachers have security and confidence that they can get on with the job.

As to the contract, every school will have some parents who are either unable or unwilling to meet their end of the contract - how should a school treat their kids? The same as all the others is surely the right answer, thus exposing the idea of the contract as meaningless.

I have absolutely no problem with bad parents being told to smarten their ideas up, and provided with support to do so if that is needed. However that is not primarily the job of the school, and these contracts are likely to have zero effect.

[Huguenot]

I don't disagree with you DaveR, and part of good leadership is being able to reach out, engage and communicate with all your key stakeholders - staff, children and parents.

Part of that process is to let both teachers and parents be aware of the hardwork and effort that needs to be shared in order to make a success of the education process.

'Contracts' don't have to be literal in order to meet this goal, they can be symbolic. Either way, they're not 'meaningless' any more than a Victoria Cross or a secret note of our life's ambitions is 'meaningless'.

Part of those who are most destructive in this environment are those who refuse to engage with the process, start talking about 'legal rights' and communicate both consciously and subconsciously to children that school is something to be mistrusted and teachers to be undermined.

Those that are most constructive are those that support and encourage ('lead' if you like) efforts in delivering a team solution, talk up school, and congratulate and motivate those tasked with looking after their children's best interests.

The fact that education is falling behind in the UK is because there's an increasing number of the former, and the latter group are under pressure.