Balls up
.. to it again! (From Times Series)
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Balls up .. to it again!
11:35am Thursday 12th June 2008
Yesterday afternoon Mr Ball’s department, the Department for Children, Schools and Families told the media of their latest initiative to improve education. Apparently the worst schools in
the UK were to be named and shamed and then ‘supported’ into improving results.
The Hendon Times was able to post the story on their website Tuesday 10th at 11.23 am saying schools told to improve or face closure. The Council received an e-mail advising us of the statement at
17.13pm. The Chief Executive received a letter Wednesday morning. Why does the Government think the media should be briefed before the Head teachers or the Council?
Whitefield School and The Ravenscroft School were named in the list of schools.
Neither school is in special measures.
Both schools have recently been inspected by the Government’s Inspectors (Ofsted) and judged ‘outstanding’ – the top category.
Both schools are in the top percentile for added value – i.e. the measure of what a school achieves with the children.
On 26th June Mr Balls is visiting Whitefield School’s Record of Achievement Evening which will make an interesting visit. Perhaps Mr Balls will have the guts to tell the Head, the teaching
staff and parents why he singled them out for public criticism despite being an ‘outstanding’ school according to Ofsted.
Management by media is no way to improve school’s results. The dedicated staff at both schools can only wonder what the Secretary of State hopes to achieve.
Odd that on the same day statistics showing pensioner poverty and child poverty had increased for the first time in 10 years was released. A co-incidence I’m sure.
