WHAT PARENTS & PUPILS MUST KNOW!

September 2009 - THE FACTS

Parents you must be aware of the following from a Parkview teacher's perspective with 3 full weeks to end of term:

 

There is an overwhelming feeling that provision can not match or better what is currently being provided within our school community at Parkview.

 

• Our rise in standards to above national average A* - C results and the successes of Thorncliffe and Alfred Barrow will be compromised if the Academy plan is implemented without thoroughly observing and taking on board current best practice within the three identified schools.

 

• At no point have current staff been observed in the classroom or spoken to on a professional basis about their skills and classroom practices. Much of the expertise will be sacrificed.

 

• It would seem that the Academy process is very much ‘out with the old and in with the new’. This may work in failing schools but it seems catastrophic to ignore the workings of a thriving learning community.

 

• The Academy vision – many promises made of world class education/establishment but little reference is made to a real forward looking or inspirational curriculum.

 

• There appears to be nothing tangible behind the visionary thinking and it will fall firmly in the laps of the teaching staff to pull a curriculum together for delivery in September.

 

• Teaching staff posts have not been finalised, it will be at least three more weeks before we will be able to start working within our new teams which will leave approximately 2 weeks to work on the Academy programme.

• There is no timetable, no groupings and no confirmation of who will be attending which site or which teachers are likely to populate those sites.

 

• We would normally begin this process much earlier in the year – a full restructure would take at least an academic year to plan, appraise and implement.

 

• A world class establishment will not happen in the near future.  In the meantime, pupils will undoubtedly suffer.

 

• Alternative curriculum for SEN and  Gifted & Talented as above, are not in existence –

 

• There is a distinct lack of information available to all stakeholders, misleading information and lies.

 

• Pupils feeling insecure due to uncertainty of who will teach them (especially  Y10)

 

• Staff insecurity – which site will they be attached to? Teachers will effectively have to start again from scratch if placed at other campus with children that they have never taught before.

 

• Admissions policy failings.

 

• Consultation process was cursory – pupil, parent and staff voices not heard.

 

• Little or no transition work with year 6 pupils and parents

 

• Appalling treatment of staff and devastating loss of experienced, committed staff

 

• Some teaching staff and all support/office/maintenance staff etc still not matched to posts

 

• Functioning on two sites with one staff structure

 

• No budget in place for resourcing subject areas within the two campuses to enable the equality of learning experience that the Academy strives for and promises, as we currently do not share the same access to teaching resources.

 

• With a funding agreement as yet unsigned the budget is unavailable.

 

• Option process (as described by the Academy team) – lets the most academic down by limiting their choices to mainly block 1 and to some extent block 2.

 

• If a BTEC is chosen from one of the less academic pathways, other more academic subjects cannot be chosen alongside. Oversubscription to some courses has resulted in selection of pupils based on prior performance – is this inclusive?

 

• Some pupils will be taught option subjects at another campus (as would seem realistic), but which again proves that provision at each campus will not be matched as promised.

 

• Behaviour policy – leaves onus on the classroom teacher and is far removed from the policies that currently work well within Parkview. It does not seem to be based upon a structured system of agreed boundaries with use of praise and sanctions that the pupils have contributed to. This is not a progressive move, and will lead to disruption

 

• It would seem that the reason why we are involved in the Academy process is that we were identified as a failing school (CCC) and that Building Schools for the Future money was not available.

 

• The truth is, we are not a failing school and BSF money is available to South Cumbria schools. Importantly, this means that our current schools could benefit from a refurbishment programme and remain as they are.

 

So far, we have a name, logo and uniform design. It is not the 11^th hour; it’s about quarter past 12!!