| Topic: | Re:polemic comment (not to be confused with the facts) | |
| Posted by: | Terence Barker | |
| Date/Time: | 31/01/11 19:40:00 |
| Your point is well made Andy. Why would Berrymede Junior want to risk being embraced by the Academy network run from Whitehall and cut itself from Ealing Council? The school has, for a long time, had a fruitful relationship with the local authority on day to day matters and, also, at times when extra support is needed. As a teacher there (now part-time) I can tell you that since the mid eighties Berrymede has taken many steps to become an outstanding school and the staff have made it clear that we want nothing to do with opting out of the local authority. I don't think that any of the four head teachers in that time, would claim that they were solely responsible for Berrymede's progress. Each one has brought their own excellent qualities which when married to good leadership within the school, have provided the fruitful ground on which the children at Berrymede have flourished. Crucially it is a local school for all children, which in practise means children from the South Acton estate but with a few other families who have discovered it's undoubted qualities. The children have a variety of abilities and aspirations and the ethos is inclusive, multi-cultural and based on high expectations.. It is, in my view, the opposite of the restricted and narrow vision of education espoused by Toby Young and his band of status -seeking zealots |