East Dulwich Schools

[kittysailing]

Seriously, Emily, as an outsider reading this thread you are not doing yourself or the school any favours.

[Emily]

Go to the meeting

[kittysailing]

I appreciate what you are trying to do. The problem lies in your reference to dastardly deeds and foul play - this simply serves to detract from the issue you clearly care about.

[Emily]

Let's see what happens at the meeting

[clux]

But Emily, nobody knows what you're talking about!! You keep talking about the police and a parent governor being persecuted (which makes Goodrich sounds like the most unpleasant school I have ever heard of to be honest - not sure if thats what you're actually trying to achieve) but unless you have children at Goodrich this is not going to make any sense.

Shouldn't you be having this discussion with people at Goodrich??

[sew]

Emily, you are obviously angry and upset but this isn't the place to air your concerns. Who do you think is reading this who can do anything about the situation that's upsetting you? The only course of action if you are worried about the overall picture at Goodich is to keep lobbying the school and the governors and obviously attending the next meeting that James Barber mentioned. The EDF is about supporting local businesses and institutions and scaring people away from local schools is not going to help any of us.

The other thing is that in the face of such public and anonymous criticism I would imagine that Southwark Council will do everything they can to support and keep all the staff at Goodrich. How do you think it feels to the many staff there who work really hard every day to read this? It must be horribly demotivating to say the least! If you have got particular concerns about your own childs learning/happiness at Goodrich it would be far better for you to raise issues with them in person or in writing so that they at least have a chance to respond. Perhaps you feel you have tried that and got nowhere which would explain your frustration but I still don't think you are going to find a satisfactory solution with these kind of posts - more likely you are making things worse.

[duchessofdulwich]

this thread was "titled" east dulwich schools? so I do think (within reason) people should be allowed to express their opinions good and bad of local schools.

[Monkey]

Agree with duchess of dulwich. Isn't that what the forum is all about? I find posts advising Emily on where to air her concerns very patronising.

[sew]

Sorry, don't mean to be patronising! I was trying to express the view that balance is important as is constructive criticism and that message boards can sometimes whip up a frenzy of anxiety and emotion without achieving real results.

Think will stop reading this thread as am afraid of getting whipped further into it!

[James Barber]

Hi Emily,

Contextual Value Added - is a "score which measures the progress made by pupils from the end of KS1 to the end of KS2 using their test results. It takes into account the varying starting points of each pupil?s KS1 test results, and also adjusts for factors which are outside a school?s control (such as gender, mobility and levels of deprivation) that have been observed to impact on pupil results"

I'm not aware of the great results from the previous head you talk about. Can you point me to those please.

I'm hoping to have the last 3 years KS1 results today and will post them here.

The slur you've mentioned sounds like a terrible misunderstanding which with temperatures rising is more likely to happen. That temperature rising is partly from people on this forum asking for the heads head. All the professional advice is she is doing a good job for the kids. So the only way she will leave is through being wrongfully sacked - which would cost the school many hundreds of thousands of pounds for illegal wrongful dismissal. As this would be against any councils advice or normal employment actions the governors might be personally liable. How would the school or governors pay for this. OR the head is put under so much pressure and can quote so much professional back-up that she could choose to leave and claim contributory dismissal and again the school would be financially wiped out.

Posting on this forum can have much higher stakes than anyone bargains for and the unintended consequences for local kids and families attending this school could be catastrophic.

The latest parent governors meeting I believe had people stating the results were going down when all the expert advice (including that purchased externally by the governors) is saying their is no such clear overal picture.

The number of parents attending was much higher than usual at I understand 60 attended covering 713 children on the school roll.

BUT a public meeting to go through the schools performance is going to take place 1 March. I would encourage people to attend to have the whole story explained and ask questions.

[intexasatthe moment]

It's tricky isn't it - if you have worries about a school and voice them on a public forum you run the risk of damaging that school's reputation and making a bad ( or possibly a perceived bad ) situation worse.

On the other hand if you feel that your efforts to address your concerns with the school are falling on deaf ears or even being thwarted ,I can see why you might want to discuss that on a thread about East Dulwich schools .

My experience of a range of schools - primary and secondary in this and other local authorities - is that when it comes to dealing with parents ,individually or in groups ,they are very able to suppress genuine concerns and to manipulate both people and statistics .

But I hope that any problems that exist at Goodrich can be resolved within the school to the satisfaction of parents without more recourse to public forums .

[BB100]

As someone who has had past experience of schools with vocally dissatisfied parents and working in HR management, all I can say without knowing anything about the school is that a school that allows things to get this out of control usually has poor management skills and lacks the people skills to turn it around. Having said that, a quick peek at Goodrich SATS makes me think the school is not that bad, pretty average really, and supportive parents can only make it better, whereas such a public airing of complaints can only bring it down. The question should be is your child happy there? - if not, its time to look for somewhere else.

[Tony Rabbit]

Thank you duchess for trying to pull this back on its intended path.

Two days ago I posted:

I made this original post. I was rather hoping that we could fly the flag and blow golden trumpets for those schools, Goose Green, Heber and Rye Oak who now seem to be progressing extremely well after a long period as the underdogs. However I was also interested in the forum's opinion of any schools available to Dulwich residents which were not performing perhaps as well as previous.

I seemed to have inadvertantly opened a can of worms in respect of alleged issues at Goodrich.

However this post now seems to be firmly entrenched discussing Goodrich.

If the forum intends to follow Goodrich we must fairly seek a balance and blow the golden trumpets for what Goodrich has achieved to improve its status in what was a neglected run down Victorian building i.e. New offices and reception area, new kitchens (fully refurbished with new equipment), new reception area (toilets, playground, equipment etc), new toilets with disabled facilities, most classrooms fully carpeted, new IT equipment (children and staff) and network and servers, new security (cameras and locks), all classrooms with interactive white boards, new books for library and classes, large screen A/V in upper hall, children's hands on gardening, new sports equipment, ongoing extension and improvements to the PDC, breakfast club, many after school clubs, language tuition, development courses for staff, etc..

We must not forget the support many parents give the school and a huge thanks to FOG.

I have observed that Goodrich has been a building site for the past two years while all internal and external work was taking place and the academic restructuring occurring. This must have had an effect on the children having to use temporary classrooms on occasions, walking halfway round the building to find a toilet, dirt and noise from the contractors, SMT engrossed in the organisation of the building work when they would have preferred (I am sure) to get on with their proper school job.

If the school needs to be critercised it is probably their lack of communication and autocratic attitude. A few odd lines dispersed in the weekly news letter I feel is not sufficient for the 21st century and most parents.

Should be better use of the web site.

Printed illustrated brochure with a professional presentation highlighting the long successful history of the school AND A CLEAR STATEMENT OF THE VISION OF THE SCHOOL AND THE WAY FORWARD.

GOODRICH. IN THE 21st CENTURY YOU MUST BE THE FIRST ONE TO FLY YOUR FLAG FORWARD AND BLOW THE TRUMPETS IN YOUR OWN CAUSE AND LET'S DO IT AS EXPECTED FROM A PROFESSIONAL BODY - PROFESSIONALLY.

The result of pathetic communication with the school is obvious from the responses in this forum.

No doubt the EDF will now respond.

[Fuschia]

In reply to http://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?29,611827,620988#msg-620988

James Barber Wrote:

>

> The slur you've mentioned sounds like a terrible

> misunderstanding which with temperatures rising is

> more likely to happen. That temperature rising is

> partly from people on this forum asking for the

> heads head. All the professional advice is she is

> doing a good job for the kids. So the only way she

> will leave is through being wrongfully sacked -

> which would cost the school many hundreds of

> thousands of pounds for illegal wrongful

> dismissal. As this would be against any councils

> advice or normal employment actions the governors

> might be personally liable

governors would never be personally liable

From govs guide to the law

"Governing bodies are corporate bodies and, because of this, individual governors are generally protected from personal liability as a result of the governing body?s decisions and actions. Provided they act honestly, reasonably and in good faith, any liability will fall on the governing body even if it has exceeded its powers, rather than on individual members."

http://www.governornet.co.uk/linkAttachments/GTTL%2005.12.09.doc

[Emily]

I have deleted various posts until after the meeting. My last word is that I think misunderstanding is entirely the wrong word, and it would be useful when discussing the last meeting to have the minutes...but where are they?

[Dorothy]

Well, that went well then.

Hope you got whatever you were looking for on this thread Tony.

[Tony Rabbit]

Dorothy Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Well, that went well then.

>

> Hope you got whatever you were looking for on this

> thread Tony.

NO

It seemed to get entrenched at Goodrich despite attempts to move it on.

It seems I've been the only one to post anything positive about Goodrich.

It would have been more pleasant and more in my line of thought to hear how the other schools have progressed after their 'makeovers'.

I think I should have left off in my original post "while others are giving cause for concern".

However it does lean towarded proving the fact that only scandle sells newspapers and tv soaps and perhaps makes EDF popular as well.

[lucky]

Hi, I think is disgusting to come to the Forum to air all the dirty laundry and is not very intelligent either, think of your children and your local school. Please, discuss any problems at school through the parent Governor and stop egging them on. I suspect what these people want is to be the Head of the school themselves. Why not open an independent school, it will do very well with so much brain power and all the backstabbing. I am a Goodrich parent and I don't particularly like or dislike the Head. My position is to try and respect her as she is the Head and anyway who hires the Head? Is it not done with the help of the parent Governors? I am very happy with the teachers and happy at times with the admin staff but hey! NOBODY IS PERFECT. Is a big school, huge intake. What do you prefer, for the school to have excellent results and unhappy teachers/children or for your children to get a good education and to be happy and socially well adjusted? I take it results are everything...

And anyway why are these matters allowed to be discussed in the EDF? The original question was to do with all schools in ED and this is now only about Goodrich... MOST UNFAIR FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES IN THE SCHOOL.

[citizenED]

Goose Green School came out of Special Measures recently which was great news for East Dulwich kids. Any comments on its progress now?

[mrs.lotte]

Since coming out of special measures last spring Goose Green has, off the top of my head,

1. Achieved its best ever sats results

2. Had more families than ever before put it as their first choice school for a reception place.

3. Been the first school in Southwark to be awarded the every child matters award

(The inspector commented to a parent that she had never seen a school turn around so quickly)

4. Been awarded the eco school silver award

5. Improved the appearance of and access to the reception playground

6. Held a fantastic summer carnival on Goose Green raising thousands of pounds which were spent on resources for the children.

7. Retained funding for the building of a kitchen so that healthy school dinners can be prepared on site

8. Begun a project in conjunction with the wildlife garden centre to build a green shield of climbing plants along the Grove Vale fence

9. Welcomed children joining our school from other local schools

[duchessofdulwich]

It interesting to see how schools swing in round abouts. I have heard that Heber is over subscribed and is a good school? Obviously the subject of schools in east dulwich is something people feel very passionate about from reading other posts

[BB100]

lucky Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

Why not open an

> independent school, it will do very well with so

> much brain power and all the backstabbing.

I was thinking that if only all that passion and energy could be channelled to support the school it would do very well.

[Administrator]

Complaints have been made about this thread and its tone so please keep it above board. Any allegations made by users of this forum are the responsibility of those users, if any complaints are made about specific users and specific messages we, the forum, will comply fully with the law. That can include disclosing information about users, so if you have posted something defamatory about someone I suggest you retract it as soon as possible.

[Emily]

Administrator: If serious threats re legal action have been made why not pull the thread?

[Administrator]

I did not say serious threats re legal action have been made, I said "complaints have been made".