What's Going On At Castle Rushen?

[Snaipyr]

Once more the DOE and the Minister cover themselves in glory. A year ago the Minister ordered an enquiry and a special inspection of CRHS. Result in December was a report commending the school and the headteacher. One year later and the DOE and the Minister are apparently trying once more to oust the headteacher of the best performing secondary school on the Island. Perhaps the Minister should consider her own position. And where are our fearless journalists ? What do the Governors say ? What do the teachers say ? What does the headteacher say ? What do the parents say ? Why aren't the reporters getting some answers ? What happened on Monday ?

 

??What if the DOE and Governors said, "Here's a big fat cheque if you resign and go away - and, by the way, say nothing."

 

Teachers respond, "Phew - at last!"

 

Headteacher, "Thanks very much - I'm outa here!" --"Oops, I shouldn't have said anything."

 

To quote Manx Radio: "Last month, Castle Rushen celebrated superb A level results - placing the school among the top handful of state comprehensives in the UK."

 

Ah, thinks the Minister. Too elitist by half. Better get rid of her, before parents in the other schools complain !"

 

 

Or, perhaps, there may have been no improvements in the 'serious weaknesses in the management of the school' in 2007?

 

http://www.gov.im/lib/news/education/castlerushenhigh.xml

 

http://www.gov.im/lib/docs/education/crhsr...t271107pdf1.pdf

 

 

Some weaknesses with results like that !!

 

Piss poor data analysis Angelo - the comparison needs to be with what the results would have been if the head had actually been any good at her job. Hard to make a comparison with a theorectical so you might consider the head and her "achievements"

 

She was a pathetic manager, the staff hated her, the parents (and the report) thought that communications at the school were atrocious; AFAIK teachers from feeder schools were seeking ways of getting their kids to other island secondary schools if she remained head at CRHS; She failed to keep good staff and replaced those that left with the youngest, cheapest alternatives around (and still couldn't balance the books); she failed to consider the school's role as a part of the social fabric - it was only CRHS that didn't allow social clubs to hire the sports facilities that our taxes paid for. In short, she was a poor

 

As a parent, I met her twice, encountered her 'policies' several times and never have I felt so appalled at any teacher in my, or my children's, educational experience.

 

Sure, if you want to just evaluate one year's exam results, go right ahead, but you're just another deluded fool who thinks that the biggest numbers at one end is all that matters. I think CRHS was right up their with other well-funded, middle class schools over there but if we're taking the UK as a guide, perhaps we're setting our sights too low

 

QLD

 

Sums her up nicely - and on the unfortunate occasions I've had to listen to her lengthy speeches she used it as a platform to sing her own praises.

[spanna]

QLD is spot on.

[angelo]

Once more the DOE and the Minister cover themselves in glory. A year ago the Minister ordered an enquiry and a special inspection of CRHS. Result in December was a report commending the school and the headteacher. One year later and the DOE and the Minister are apparently trying once more to oust the headteacher of the best performing secondary school on the Island. Perhaps the Minister should consider her own position. And where are our fearless journalists ? What do the Governors say ? What do the teachers say ? What does the headteacher say ? What do the parents say ? Why aren't the reporters getting some answers ? What happened on Monday ?

 

??What if the DOE and Governors said, "Here's a big fat cheque if you resign and go away - and, by the way, say nothing."

 

Teachers respond, "Phew - at last!"

 

Headteacher, "Thanks very much - I'm outa here!" --"Oops, I shouldn't have said anything."

 

To quote Manx Radio: "Last month, Castle Rushen celebrated superb A level results - placing the school among the top handful of state comprehensives in the UK."

 

Ah, thinks the Minister. Too elitist by half. Better get rid of her, before parents in the other schools complain !"

 

 

Or, perhaps, there may have been no improvements in the 'serious weaknesses in the management of the school' in 2007?

 

http://www.gov.im/lib/news/education/castlerushenhigh.xml

 

http://www.gov.im/lib/docs/education/crhsr...t271107pdf1.pdf

 

 

Some weaknesses with results like that !!

 

Piss poor data analysis Angelo - the comparison needs to be with what the results would have been if the head had actually been any good at her job. Hard to make a comparison with a theorectical so you might consider the head and her "achievements"

 

She was a pathetic manager, the staff hated her, the parents (and the report) thought that communications at the school were atrocious; AFAIK teachers from feeder schools were seeking ways of getting their kids to other island secondary schools if she remained head at CRHS; She failed to keep good staff and replaced those that left with the youngest, cheapest alternatives around (and still couldn't balance the books); she failed to consider the school's role as a part of the social fabric - it was only CRHS that didn't allow social clubs to hire the sports facilities that our taxes paid for. In short, she was a poor

 

As a parent, I met her twice, encountered her 'policies' several times and never have I felt so appalled at any teacher in my, or my children's, educational experience.

 

Sure, if you want to just evaluate one year's exam results, go right ahead, but you're just another deluded fool who thinks that the biggest numbers at one end is all that matters. I think CRHS was right up their with other well-funded, middle class schools over there but if we're taking the UK as a guide, perhaps we're setting our sights too low

 

QLD

 

Sums her up nicely - and on the unfortunate occasions I've had to listen to her lengthy speeches she used it as a platform to sing her own praises.

 

Whenever I've heard her she's sung the praises of her senior staff, her teachers, and her students. Never once mentioned herself. The report last year criticised poor communications in the school. Found nothing else amiss. Government ringingly endorsed the head and the school. Minister now says she's surprised the head is not there. So what happened last Monday ? What do the Governors say ? Nothing as usual. That's where your problems lie.

[sarahc]

'serious weaknesses in the management of the school' is much much more than a lack of communication. Education reports are usually quite woolly. When words like that are used, someone's for the chop.

[angelo]

'serious weaknesses in the management of the school' is much much more than a lack of communication. Education reports are usually quite woolly. When words like that are used, someone's for the chop.

 

But the management team wasn't chopped. A communication plan was agreed and implemented. And the school and the headteacher got a vote of confidence from the Minister and the DOE.

 

A headteacher can only be removed for criminal offence or similar. So what's the allegation ? Each pub in Castletown has its own version. One I heard was that the head had bullied those strapping folk in the PE department, and they had gone crying to the Governors.

[thesultanofsheight]

A headteacher can only be removed for criminal offence or similar.

 

I know nothing about this case (so this is a general comment) but I doubt that bold statement is correct. Every profession has its set disciplinary procedures and I'm sure if your competence is formally questioned and set procedures are followed then you have grounds for dismissal. Unfortunately when you don't follow those procedures and the staff go or get told to go your totally f**ked and often end up paying compensation even if the staff were clearly not competent to do their jobs.

 

Elsewhere its called performance management. You manage people out of jobs that they're not capable of doing by setting targets and benchmarks you know they don't have the ability to meet and clearly documenting every step of the process from day one.

[Static]

A headteacher can only be removed for criminal offence or similar. So what's the allegation ? Each pub in Castletown has its own version. One I heard was that the head had bullied those strapping folk in the PE department, and they had gone crying to the Governors.

 

She'd very obviously done something in the past to wind up the PE department as they were on a work to rule until mid way through last year. No extra-curricular activities....i.e. no after school clubs, etc.

 

She also lost some very good teachers over the last few years who found other jobs due to lack of motivation to teach under her.

 

Are you so sure that a head can only be removed for a criminal offence or "similar" (what is similar to a criminal offence?).

 

I'd have thought ruining a good school, losing your best teachers through de-motivating them and having a report last year that stated there were "serious weaknesses in the management of the school" would have been enough to have done something.

[angelo]

A headteacher can only be removed for criminal offence or similar. So what's the allegation ? Each pub in Castletown has its own version. One I heard was that the head had bullied those strapping folk in the PE department, and they had gone crying to the Governors.

 

She'd very obviously done something in the past to wind up the PE department as they were on a work to rule until mid way through last year. No extra-curricular activities....i.e. no after school clubs, etc.

 

She also lost some very good teachers over the last few years who found other jobs due to lack of motivation to teach under her.

 

Are you so sure that a head can only be removed for a criminal offence or "similar" (what is similar to a criminal offence?).

 

I'd have thought ruining a good school, losing your best teachers through de-motivating them and having a report last year that stated there were "serious weaknesses in the management of the school" would have been enough to have done something.

 

But after the lengthy enquiry and the subsequent report the DOE and the Minister decided no action was necessary, and commended the school and the staff. Result this year: outstanding results.

 

You can only cite criminal activities or similar serious offences as everything else (poor communications, demotivating teachers etc.) is entirely subjective. Some teachers no doubt dislike her, others like her. Some parents dislike her, others (e.g the ones whose sons and daughters are now going off to the finest UK universities) like her a lot.

 

But it's the school Governors who are responsible for supervising the Headteacher. If she is now in trouble. so should they be.

[QLD-Bloke]

A headteacher can only be removed for criminal offence or similar. So what's the allegation ? Each pub in Castletown has its own version. One I heard was that the head had bullied those strapping folk in the PE department, and they had gone crying to the Governors.

 

She'd very obviously done something in the past to wind up the PE department as they were on a work to rule until mid way through last year. No extra-curricular activities....i.e. no after school clubs, etc.

 

She also lost some very good teachers over the last few years who found other jobs due to lack of motivation to teach under her.

 

Are you so sure that a head can only be removed for a criminal offence or "similar" (what is similar to a criminal offence?).

 

I'd have thought ruining a good school, losing your best teachers through de-motivating them and having a report last year that stated there were "serious weaknesses in the management of the school" would have been enough to have done something.

 

But after the lengthy enquiry and the subsequent report the DOE and the Minister decided no action was necessary, and commended the school and the staff. Result this year: outstanding results.

 

You can only cite criminal activities or similar serious offences as everything else (poor communications, demotivating teachers etc.) is entirely subjective. Some teachers no doubt dislike her, others like her. Some parents dislike her, others (e.g the ones whose sons and daughters are now going off to the finest UK universities) like her a lot.

 

But it's the school Governors who are responsible for supervising the Headteacher. If she is now in trouble. so should they be.

 

The Governors - there's another issue I took offence at re CRHS.

 

Remember the last election for parent-governor? I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't because the notices went out of wednesday/thursday of one week and the closing date for nominations was Monday the following week. Like my wife and I, how many other parents of typical teenagers didn't get notice? The only person who seemed to be ready for the short nomination period was also the only governor who voted to retain Mrs T when a unanimous vote was required to remover her.

 

What are the chances of that happening?

[SteveP]

the notices went out of wednesday/thursday of one week and the closing date for nominations was Monday the following week.

 

You're probably reading more into that than there is. I'm not sure how things work exactly on the island, but that would be a pretty standard notice period for these things in the UK.

 

While we're on the subject of governors, why doesn't the island have 'professional' people on governing bodies? OK, there may be some but it seems to me that there are an awful lot of people who are governors because they've nothing better to do - rather than because of the skills they can bring to the role.

[Graculus]

The eldest has been told that, for one particular subject, the piggy bank is empty, i.e., no funding available (this at the start of the academic year). So, if the already outdated equipment that they use breaks, no money will be forthcoming to repair or replace. There's also a suggestion that teachers have been dipping into their own pocket to buy the materials necessary to ensure that course work can continue.

 

I've no idea if this situation is replicated across the board in other subjects but if it is, it's a sorry state of affairs.

 

Never mind, we'll have the runway extension soon!

[Lonan3]

As an outsider, with no axe to grind, I find it incredible that everyone is being kept in the dark about what's happening.

Surely the parents and their children have a right to know? It is quite disgraceful that no form of clarification has been attempted by the Education minister, by the board of governors of the school or by the school's 'management team.'

If it was my children who were involved, I'd be trying to organise a group to go and sit in, and refuse to move, until they'd received an adequate explanation.

It is, unfortunately, another example of those with a tiny amount of authority refusing to clamber down from their ivory towers and explain what they're up to.

What do they want us to believe? That the head was abducted by aliens?

[angelo]

As an outsider, with no axe to grind, I find it incredible that everyone is being kept in the dark about what's happening.

Surely the parents and their children have a right to know? It is quite disgraceful that no form of clarification has been attempted by the Education minister, by the board of governors of the school or by the school's 'management team.'

If it was my children who were involved, I'd be trying to organise a group to go and sit in, and refuse to move, until they'd received an adequate explanation.

It is, unfortunately, another example of those with a tiny amount of authority refusing to clamber down from their ivory towers and explain what they're up to.

What do they want us to believe? That the head was abducted by aliens?

 

Yes, and poor communication is what the headteacher is accused of ! ! Talk about calling the kettle black !!

I see by the way that the monitoring report on the school issued at the end of April and read out in Tynwald said the school was doing really well. So what just happened ???

The Governors and the DOE and the Minister are disgraceful in their refusal to spill the beans. No doubt because they are about to be sued to hell.

[manxlass]

The eldest has been told that, for one particular subject, the piggy bank is empty, i.e., no funding available (this at the start of the academic year). So, if the already outdated equipment that they use breaks, no money will be forthcoming to repair or replace. There's also a suggestion that teachers have been dipping into their own pocket to buy the materials necessary to ensure that course work can continue.

 

I've no idea if this situation is replicated across the board in other subjects but if it is, it's a sorry state of affairs.

 

Never mind, we'll have the runway extension soon!

As Graculus wrote about the piggy bank being empty,

My son attends CRHS and is doing his GCSE's next May/June he has been given excersise books for the subjects he is doing but has been told when these books are full that they have to buy their own. Fair enough if the child has lost their book, I know you can pick up books cheaply but is this what we pay taxes for.

[thesultanofsheight]

My son attends CRHS and is doing his GCSE's next May/June he has been given excersise books for the subjects he is doing but has been told when these books are full that they have to buy their own. Fair enough if the child has lost their book, I know you can pick up books cheaply but is this what we pay taxes for.

 

Aren't exercise books the ones that you write in yourself? Tell him to write less - it will save you buying new ones in Moochers at £1 each.