Contacting your MP: Any concerns about the school can always be addressed to our MP, Andy Slaughter at: MP for Ealing and Acton, House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA or via the House of Commons switchboard: 020 7219 3000. Alternatively by email at http://www.writetothem.com/ or finally via http://www.andyslaughter.com/contact.php
Firstly, for the sake of clarity I must point out that the TG who writes these posts is not anyone who shares those initials, including ex-members of staff. Apologies to her in particular for any confusion or discomfort this has created for her.
There was a long piece in the last school newsletter asking for this blog to go away, or at least for all you readers to stop reading it and certainly stop commenting. Even good comments are bad news apparently! This blog finds this a strange approach - a while back a way was suggested for this blog to go away but the suggestion has been completely ignored.
Of course the Board of Governors would like issues to be raised directly, or in writing, but there is no trust. Governors and Head Teacher - some (maybe many) parents do not trust you. This is regretable, but reality. If you are serious about rebuilding trust then please put in place a meaningful and safe process to hear people's concerns and then actually address them. Yes, there are issues of confidentiality, but it is not a get out clause to be hidden behind. The recent obsession with confidentiality is probably one of the reasons why trust is vanishing...
Anyway - how about a sort of vote on the future of the blog? Please leave comments on the blog that will not be published. I really would prefer a name and a reason. Options are a) completely vanish forever, b) go 'on hold' until the end of term, c) business as usual or d) some other option that has not occurred to me.
Over to you.
3 comments:
I had an interesting experience this afternoon while waiting to pick up at the Junior gate. A parent that I had never spoken to, had only seen in passing now and again, started speaking to me. Turns out, he is unhappy with the current head and feels strongly that the atmosphere of the school has changed dramatically from a cheerful environment under the last head, to a more gloomy and somber one. He seemed very concerned about this. What surprised me was not the comments he made, but rather that he, with his fragmented English, struggled to express to someone, even me - a stranger, his dissatisfaction with the current situation. It appears that more and more such people are willing to come forward.
The state of play at St Vincents at the end of the summer term.
1. Letter from Bishop stack, May 2 stating his support for the headteacher and the governing body. States the school exhibited problems from the last ofsted? STRANGE AS NO EVIDENCE WAS FORTHCOMING AND A PICURE AT ODDS WITH THE RESULTS IN KEY STAGE ONE AND TWO OVER THE PAST 5 YEARS AT THE SCHOOL.
2. Governors meeting and pre meeting of class representatives in may. MR PITTENDREIGH A SEEMINGLY CONSTANT FIGURE AT THE GOVERNORS MEETINGS FROM THE DIOCESE. HE STATED THAT THE SCHOOL WAS CLOSE TO SPECIAL MEASURES AS A RESULT OF THE LAST OFSTED. WHERE IS THE EVIDENCE FOR THIS. AS BEFORE NOT THE PICTURE KNOWN TO PARENTS. OURS WAS A PICTURE OF GREAT SPORTING, MUSICAL AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS COUPLED WITH A HAPPY COMMUNITY AND A COMMITTED STAFF.
Mr pittendreigh also stated that those children that had left the school under the leadership of Mrs Cleugh had in fact left the area. AS PARENTS WE KNOW THAT THIS IS NOT TRUE.
AS BISHOP STACK AND MR PITTENDREIGH ARE TWO PROMINANT MEMBERS OF THE DIOCESE AND CATHOLIC EDUCATION, THIS APPEARS TO LEND SOME CREDIBILITY TO WHAT HAS HAPPENED OVER THE LAST 18 MONTHS. IT HAS INSTEAD ONLY SERVED TO QUESTION THEIR HONESTY. I FEAR INSTEAD A WHITEWASH OF THE TRUTH AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL. A SITUATION FACED BY THOSE AT ST MARY'S HILLINGDON AS PORTRAYED BY T. RUTH.
3. Two governors have resigned in recent weeks. A FURTHER SIGN OF DISCONTENT?
4. I believe that at least 6 members of teaching staff and two non teaching staff are leaving in July. One being the Assistant head teacher. THEREFORE IN REALITY WE HAVE 1. A CONSULTANT HEADTEACHER FROM EALING FOR SEPTEMBER (not known yet whether this person will be on site at the school on a full time basis, as she had other duties).
2. NO KNOWN DEPUTY HEAD AT PRESENT.
3. POSSIBILITY OF NO ASSISTANT HEAD TEACHER.
would it not be more appropriate for the diocese to send in a senior management team to run the school until such time that trust and stability is restored. Are we as a community not worth that?
4. A long standing member of staff who has been off for 8 months. This member of staff has taken a grievance out against the head teacher. This is a member of staff who is well thought of in the school community and a worrying situation for the school.
SO IF IT TRANSPIRES THAT UNTRUTHS HAVE BEEN TOLD TO US TO PLACATE US FROM THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF CATHOLIC EDUCATION WHO CAN WE TURN TO.
ARE WE GOING TO BE LEFT WITH A CARBON COPY OF ST. MARY'S HILLINGDON. A COMPLETE TURNOVER OF STAFF AND GOVERNORS, WITH NO ACCOUNTABILITY OF THE HEAD TEACHER'S ACTIONS?
How many are leaving?
Obviously there must be some staff leaving at the end of this term otherwise why advertise. By the end of Mrs Cleughs second term 12 had left and a further 6 at Christmas. That makes a total of 18 in 1 year rather a high figure I would have thought. As we are constantly being told that the school is a happy place to work in and all the staff are happy. I would expect no more than two or three teachers to leave this summer. I wonder when we will be told - maybe in September, when Mrs Cleugh is off sick.
Have I missed anybody out?
Anne Williams - SMSA – left Feb 2006 without a job (interestingly at that time her son was in Year 6 at St Mary’s in Hillingdon - Mrs Cleughs previous school)
Lisa Pritchard – French teacher – left at Easter - She wrote to the chair of governors in April 2006 explaining why she had resigned.
Anne Ryan, Tami Grosset and Patricia Davies – left July 2006 - all experienced teachers who requested an exit meeting with governors.
Teresa Heyes and Elaine O’Keefe – SENCO and Special Needs Teacher – left July 2006
Veronica Tregidgo and Caroline Mead – Admin Assistants – left July 2006 without jobs
Megan Deans – Teacher – left July 2006 to go back home to New Zealand.
Nicola Hibbs – Reception Teacher – left July 2006
Nicola Loftus – SMSA/Classroom Assistant – left July 2006
Patricia Loughrey – Teacher – left Dec 2006
Janine Grech – Teacher – left Dec 2006
Mike Thompson – Teacher – left Dec 2006
Lorraine Dunne – Classroom Assistant – left Dec 2006 – left without a job
Margaret Martinez – SEN support – left Dec 2006
June Mortimore – SMSA – left Dec 2006 moved away
There is another member of staff who cannot go on this list as she is still an employee of the school even though she has been off work for 8 months now.
One can’t help but notice when you speak to a teacher that they are constantly looking over their shoulder. Are they paranoid, frightened or am I just imaging it?
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