Serious - Is anyone else a School Governor?

[Greenstreak-Andy D]

Daniel, I too work at JCB, so are you involved with the JCB academy?

The bit that concerned me was how the school could move away from the national curriculum, which for a primary school concerns me. What happens when they move to secondary school, will there be inconsistencies between schools?

We all want the best for our kids, still not sure this current vogue is going to hold good long term. If it ain't broke… analogy

[jeff oakley]

My experience is in line with the comment of those with time, but little to offer and those with lots to offer but no time is the mix of governors on too many schools. It always struck me as perverse that many were just popular with other mums but had no idea how to deal with real issues.

As for academy schools. This all depends on clear vision and leadership at all levels. The national curricula in my opinion is not that good anyway as too much has gone away from what a basic good education should be. When we have kids leaving school who struggle to read and communicate with others there is something fundamental wrong.

The previous government made all kids feel if they did not go to UNI that they had somehow failed, so if allowing schools to all go in one general direction but allow them to cater for others outside the curricula then it is fine in my opinion.

Some teachers will embrace this, especially those I have known who did not go straight from school to teaching themselves, others will dislike the change as they like to have a uniform structure for all schools which makes it easy to compare performance.

What is clear from the press recently any academy school still needs close control otherwise special interest groups for example the recent Muslim schools where radicals have taken over the control to pedal their hate to all (not that it is indicative of the Muslim faith).

For governors in an academy you need more business minded people who will hold the head and teachers accountable and less of the mumsy do gooders.

But in final comment, the reason that academy schools have become popular is that the local education boards that were in control were and are so woefully lead, staffed by the wrong people, did not care, dictated by political and union dogma, paid too much attention to being PC and as a result lost sight of the primary function which is to provide first class education to all children to equip them to fully function in a world of opportunity.

[Mooch]

^^^+1 Spot on!

[dhutch]

Daniel, I too work at JCB, so are you involved with the JCB academy? 

 

I work as a Design Engineer for Loadall, so my experience is limited to what I see of the students who do work experience with the design office, and whistle stop tour I was given as per of our graduate intake program a few years ago.

 

A while away from having my own, and nine years from leaving 6 form to go start University, I cant really comment. Although It was my understanding that the JCB academy took people through to a-levels, at which point unless you decided to make the change, the compatibility with other high schools is not really an issue. Further more, as someone who moved school outside of the normal route, both between primary and secondary, and secondary and a-levels I can at least say that its not seamless even within the current 'conventional' system.

 

If one of the moves away from the curriculum involved removing the requirement for more maths/science minded GCSE students who struggle with English to study Shakespeare, I might not have been so ostracised from the subject, causing me to fail it and have to then scrape through a resit during my a-levels before being allowed to continue, taking my time from studying the subjects I have gone on to use in later life. 

 

 

Daniel

[stephenh]

Daniel, I too work at JCB, so are you involved with the JCB academy? The bit that concerned me was how the school could move away from the national curriculum, which for a primary school concerns me. What happens when they move to secondary school, will there be inconsistencies between schools? We all want the best for our kids, still not sure this current vogue is going to hold good long term. If it ain't broke… analogy

I think you will find that Academies have to follow the framework of the national curriculum, but have more scope for adding to it. So in the case of the JCB academy they follow the "core" national curriculum, but add their own emphasis on design and technology (or whatever it is called now).

And from what I've seen of it, they do it rather well!

[John Williams (Panda) - Joint Manchester AO]

I think you will find that Academies have to follow the framework of the national curriculum, but have more scope for adding to it. So in the case of the JCB academy they follow the "core" national curriculum, but add their own emphasis on design and technology (or whatever it is called now).

And from what I've seen of it, they do it rather well!

 

 I believe that the academy can be more creative with the curriculum than a LA school, and that is one of the selling point from the teachers.

[dhutch]

I think you will find that Academies have to follow the framework of the national curriculum, but have more scope for adding to it. So in the case of the JCB academy they follow the "core" national curriculum, but add their own emphasis on design and technology (or whatever it is called now).

And from what I've seen of it, they do it rather well!

 

Yes, as said, I hear little about it and most that I do is via the company publications, but the word on the street is its a pretty good setup, and certainly the kids I see seem to enjoy there time there and been fairly switched on and motivated.

 

Daniel