Hello, back again, and isn't nice to be on the final push to the summer hols. We can look forward to Wimbledon, stawberries, summer getaways and hopefully the final stage in the grievance case against the head-teacher...
Now apparently someone has been saying that the teaching staff are anxious that they might start featuring in this blog. Well so they don't feel left out, here you are:
Thank you - you are doing a great job in incredibly difficult circumstances. The school environment must be very tricky these days and yet you soldier on caring for the children. You have our admiration and support. The fact that our head has been promoted so quickly does of course mean she has very little actual classroom experience, but I am sure she does her best to support you. We would like to get to know you better and work more closely with you. Unfortunately, the current Siberian climate makes this difficult for all of us.
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Hello from Teresa Roscow
May I be the first to echo TG's comments.
Fear not, teachers, the parents are happy with the teaching staff bar the Head. Mr Buyers is my Year 6 son's teacher, and he is Top Notch. Miss Smith too in Year 2. Mrs Cunningham and Sr Pat are worth their weight in gold. The other teachers I have not had the priviledge of meeting.
And if any Reception parents are logging on, I would like to pass on an aged parent's reassurance that from an academic point of view I would put all four of my children through St Vincent's again. Academic questions are not at the heart of the matter, and we were all doing fine under the changes of head.
So thank you teaching staff!
Teresa Roscow again - sorry, I forgot to add something.
Please can you all remember in your prayers our lovely (former) School Secretary as she takes her grievance to Appeal next week. The grievance is being heard by three of our Governors and let's all pray hard that they have the courage to Do The Right Thing and find in favour.
I agree - we have been tremendously lucky that although we have lost many excellent staff, we have also gained some fantastic ones. my personal experience of them all old and new has always been positive. However, I do worry that we will reach the point where no-one wants to come to St. Vincents which would be a great shame - whatever else happens the staff are crucial in rebuilding our community once the current "situation" has been resolved.
I have recently spoken to people from St Joseph’s, Upton in The Wirral where Mrs Cleugh had her first Headship. They have remarkably similar stories to ours at St Vincent’s and those at St Mary’s in Hillingdon. A clear pattern has now emerged at all three schools:
Concerns regarding the treatment of pupils, parents and staff
Concerns regarding the treatment of special needs children and funding provision
Mass exodus of experienced staff
Replaced by inexperienced staff many of who are newly qualified teachers
Parents withdrawing children from the school
Union involvement
Staff off work due to stress related illnesses
Concerns on the use of funding and many other issues.
In all three cases, the school communities have been radically affected, leading to what can only be described as a regime of fear, where parents, staff and pupils are afraid to speak out. These concerns only pertain to the head teacher Mrs Cleugh.
St Joseph’s R. C. Primary
Upton, The Wirral
1998 – 2001
St Mary’s R.C. Primary
Hillingdon
Jan 2002 – 2005
St Vincent’s R. C. Primary
Acton W3
Jan 2006 –
Anyone who has been affected or has concerns regarding Mrs Cleugh in any of these three communities can contact Mr A Slaughter the MP for Ealing and Acton, all correspondence will be kept totally confidencal. Only then will the enormity of people’s concerns become clear and highlight the need for an independent inquiry into the running of these three schools.
Please write in total confidence to:
Mr A Slaughter
MP for Ealing and Acton
House of Commons
London
SW1
Gratitude says
Let’s face it, teachers are a dedicated bunch and St Vincent’s has always had a high proportion of great teachers. Do you remember the headship of Mr Murphy and how the year 6 children achieved not only the highest SATs results in our history but correct me if I’m wrong, in the whole of London. And credit must go to Sister Pat and Mrs Cunningham for their fantastic work and dedication in that year. It’s hard to believe that the school was almost found in special measures a year later… or so we have been led to believe by the Diocese…
And look at the present Year 6 who seem like an extremely bright bunch of children… and are expected to achieve highly in the SATs yet again. So credit to our fantastic hard working teachers and don’t forget our wonderful teaching assistants who work tirelessly providing invaluable support behind the scenes and whiteboards!
And a very, very special thanks to all those teachers who taught the present Year 6 but have moved. You are by no means forgotten and we are indebted to you.
So please remember these teachers in your thoughts and prayers. Ms Dean, Mrs Chohan and Ms Griffin (alias Mrs Lamanto - where has she disappeared to?), Mrs Grosset, Mr Vynus, Ms Charlton and Ms Lauder who taught 6B and Ms Ryan, Mrs Davies, Mrs Anderson (who is still here), Ms Tracey and Ms Tennant who taught 6C. And gratitude to Sister Pat who worked tirelessly for numerous years in Year 6 but was then moved to prop up Year 5 after the mass exodus of 2006.
So what for the future? Well the new regime is now under way with the governor's choice of fresh teaching staff and next year’s Year 6 results can be considered the first true indication of things to come under the new management of Mrs Cleugh.
So will next year’s Year 6 outstrip the performances of all our previous SATs achievements? Will the headteacher, governors and management rise to the challenge of Bishop Stack’s definition of a school in crisis?
Because if so, then let’s put our complaining aside for we are about to witness a diocesan master stroke of such cunning, daring and subtlety that it could possibly rival the brilliance of the allied invasion of Normandy in 1944 and the heroism of 140 British soldiers who repelled repeated attacks of 3,000 Zulus at the siege of Rorke’s Drift in 1879.
We can only wait and see….
P.S. Now what would Queen Victoria think of this? …delete as appropriate (amused, not amused, rather watch my servants darn my stockings, Albert, you look dapper tonight)
A worried parent.
The fact that someone tells me not to do something, immediately causes me to become curious. This site was not difficult to find, however the contents have caused me great concern. Why have people gone to such lengths to voice their concerns, why do they not feel there is anyone else to turn to? Surely at a Catholic school, if we cannot rely on the governing body, Diocese and Bishop to be truthful and respectful of people, then we do have a serious problem at St Vincents.
I have tried as a parent to remain positive over this past academic year and to put my trust in the governing body. I am now beginning to wonder whether I have been right to do so. Looking at the information at St Mary's school, where there was a 100% turnover of staff in less than two years, how will St Vincent's fair at the end of July. I know a lot of staff left last July and more at Christmas, how many will be leaving at the end of this July?. Can someone tell me how close we are to reaching that 100% figure?
I sincerely hope that as a parent those leaving will be minimal because if the pattern is repeated, then I will see the blog information as significant evidence and that a a pattern of discontent across the school staff is emerging. A stable staff surely is a sign of good management, whereas a constant turnover is a sign of a management style in crisis. I also notice in the newsletter that a deputy head will not be advertised until spring 2008. Who then in the school will be taking on this position? Secondly will the Headteacher consultant be on site as Mrs Cleugh's replacement or will some of her time as LA advisor be spent in Ealing, so away from the day to day running of St Vincents? I urge those in the know to allay any fears I have regarding the stability of the school, otherwise I will have no option but to take very seriously the information on the blog, the concerns voiced by other parents in the school and the rumours I hear as facts.
Dear "A worried parent"
Please join the people who are trying to do something about this situation
teresa@stratlink.co.uk
D.H.A. says,
There are job changes for st Vincent's school, as posted in May from the Ealing Borough Job site. They included class teacher for foundation stage, key stage 1, key stage 2, SEN teacher, Part time teacher and Deputy head post. The interviews for the above posts were due to take place 16 th May for class teachers and 24 th May for the Deputy Head post. Therefore in answer to the comment left by "A worried Parent", yes there are obviously a number of staff leaving this summer.
To reply to D.H.A., some of the teachers we've had over the past school year have been on contract. These same teachers have now been offered full positions, and as part of the process needed to reapply for the posts, which also had to be advertised outside of the school. I know of at least one of these contract teachers who has been offered a full-time place and will now be staying on in the autumn.
I have heard that there are a number of teachers have handed in their notice around the May 1/2 term, but that ad on the Ealing website was for the reasons above.
Will there be any of the teachers from pre-Mrs Cleugh left at the start of the next school year?
From D.H.A.
Thank you anonymous for the above information, however could you be more specific about the number of teachers leaving in July. As a parent I am interested in finding out whether all classes will have a qualified teacher in place for september and that I will know who my child's teacher is before we break up for the holidays. As a parent, last year was rather distressing as parents were left in the dark about a, who the class teacher was for each form and b which children were in each class.
I wonder whether parents will be treated with respect this year as was always the case prior to Mrs Cleugh's leadership. Maybe you have some answers for me.
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