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Archive => Archived Boards => Local Issues => Topic started by: Loobylou on February 27, 2012, 02:59:07 PM

Title: Marple Hall School
Post by: Loobylou on February 27, 2012, 02:59:07 PM
Dear Posters and Readers
I am new to the area and one of my children, who is currently in primary school, could be attending Marple Hall School from September onwards. Can you please tell me, in your own words, what kind of school you consider it to be?
I am particularly interested in parents whose children have recently attended or are currently attending the school.
Title: Re: Marple Hall School
Post by: alison on February 27, 2012, 05:44:44 PM
I'm not a recent pupil, but a former one. All I can tell you is that I went back for an open day two years ago and was taken round by some very polite, articulate and amusing current pupils and I was very impressed with some of the facilities especially the drama block and the sports hall.

Alison
Title: Re: Marple Hall School
Post by: Bowden Guy on February 27, 2012, 09:29:13 PM
Can't say I'm a great fan. My son was there from 2001-2006 and, basically, did the bare minimum. I went to Parents Evenings every year and not one teacher ever said he might not be reaching his potential. He then went on to Cheadle & Marple and it was much the same experience, unfortunately. Luckily he "found" literature and started basically teaching himself and ended up with a First at Uni. One or two good teachers at both places, however.
Title: Re: Marple Hall School
Post by: hollins on February 27, 2012, 09:43:18 PM
It is a big school so, on the law of averages, you will get some good teachers and some bad. My two children have been very happy there and have done well academically and in "after-school" activities - primarily sport. The school has just (i.e. this month) been "done" by Ofsted, so you will soon get a chance to look at an official review. I'm happy with how it educated my children.
Title: Re: Marple Hall School
Post by: chicky on February 27, 2012, 10:32:08 PM
My children have all been extremely happy there and have come out with good results overall.  As with any school there have been one or two not so good teachers but the majority have been excellent.  There is also still lots of extra curriculum activites sport, music,drama, Duke of Edinburgh award.  I would definitely recommend this school.
Title: Re: Marple Hall School
Post by: Dave on February 28, 2012, 09:03:04 AM
It is a big school so, on the law of averages, you will get some good teachers and some bad. My two children have been very happy there and have done well academically and in "after-school" activities..... I'm happy with how it educated my children.

In our case it was three children - but otherwise this was exactly our experience too.  As at any school, the quality of teaching you get is down to pot luck, really! 
Title: Re: Marple Hall School
Post by: Duke Fame on February 29, 2012, 01:08:54 PM
It is a big school so, on the law of averages, you will get some good teachers and some bad. My two children have been very happy there and have done well academically and in "after-school" activities..... I'm happy with how it educated my children.

In our case it was three children - but otherwise this was exactly our experience too.  As at any school, the quality of teaching you get is down to pot luck, really! 

That's a little depressing, surely if a teacher isn't any good, the school should be getting rid? I know they've got very strong unions but letting teachers know early in their career's that teaching isn't really for them would be fairer for everyone.

Title: Re: Marple Hall School
Post by: gazwhite on February 29, 2012, 02:26:16 PM
I attended the school until 1999. 

MHS is a fantastic school with some excellent achievements and fantastic staff, management team and governers. 

Marple/Bridge/Romiley/Offerton is a strange area in that it has a mix from each of the far ends of the social spectrum or demographic classification.  From what I've seen/personal experience, this vast mix brings with it some serious social problems - from either ends of the scale! 

These appear to be dealt with well by the school.  Knowing a number of people who attend, and a govenor at the school, if the child wants to do well and succeed, they will - support must come from home too I guess!

The big question I'd ask is if it intends to become an academy? (does it? - I haven't heard any more recently)
Title: Re: Marple Hall School
Post by: Bowden Guy on February 29, 2012, 04:48:07 PM
"if the child wants to do well and succeed, they will"

Pardon me, but what's the point of the school if they aren't "adding any value", to use that awful phrase?
Title: Re: Marple Hall School
Post by: Duke Fame on February 29, 2012, 05:44:04 PM
"if the child wants to do well and succeed, they will"

Pardon me, but what's the point of the school if they aren't "adding any value", to use that awful phrase?

I think it depends on the parents. Schools are not places for parents to absolve themselves from responsibility in teaching their kids. From a sports perspective, a lad is unlikely to reach his potential from a PE lesson 2x a week and a game against another school in the short window where there is enough light after school and before the tennis season kicks in. The same applies to acedemic skills, the kids need encouraging throughout their home life.

The reality of life is that school performance is a function of teachers, parents and sociology. Parents that send their kids to private school don't really pay for better teachers but by shelling out cash, there is a good chance that their home life will be dominated by performing well as well as the other kids in the classs.
Title: Re: Marple Hall School
Post by: Bowden Guy on February 29, 2012, 09:04:55 PM
Duke, we are already "shelling out cash" for our children to attend our local school. Marple Hall gets £4461 for every one of its pupils, paid for by you, me and everyone else who contributes to this Forum - i.e. the taxpayers.
Title: Re: Marple Hall School
Post by: Miss C on February 29, 2012, 09:24:21 PM
Which surely you don't begrudge, Bowden Guy?
Title: Re: Marple Hall School
Post by: Duke Fame on February 29, 2012, 09:26:46 PM
Duke, we are already "shelling out cash" for our children to attend our local school. Marple Hall gets £4461 for every one of its pupils, paid for by you, me and everyone else who contributes to this Forum - i.e. the taxpayers.

I know, what I'm saying is kids can be bright from whatever their background but if parents haven't supported them before school & at school they don't have a hope. Thats why you can't blame the school entirely if things don't go well.

What I'm saying re splashing the cash is that parents who send their offspring to private school are really just buying a great peer group for their kids.
Title: Re: Marple Hall School
Post by: Bowden Guy on February 29, 2012, 09:45:51 PM
Absolutely not, Miss C. I just believe we should have very high expectations of our public services. We pay a lot of money for them.
Title: Re: Marple Hall School
Post by: Miss C on February 29, 2012, 10:00:14 PM
I agree with Duke- our kids are at school for only 6 hours. It's my responsibility as a parent to support my child through school and to support my child's school in it's work with him. My experience of Marple Hall is that it has high expectations of the students and supports and encourages them.
Title: Re: Marple Hall School
Post by: Dave on March 01, 2012, 09:41:16 AM
surely if a teacher isn't any good, the school should be getting rid?

And in the worst cases, that's exactly what happens.  Mrs Dave was a governor at MHS for some years, and on several occasions served on small panels convened to deal with staff disciplinary and capability issues.

Pardon me, but what's the point of the school if they aren't "adding any value", to use that awful phrase?

You are pardoned, Bowden Guy.   :D

There's a huge amount of research out there on child development, and one thing stands out: success at school and later in life is largely determined before kids ever set foot in a school.   Teachers can add value, but that's small beer compared with the 'value' that is put there by good parenting in the early years. 
Title: Re: Marple Hall School
Post by: Duke Fame on March 01, 2012, 10:26:52 AM
surely if a teacher isn't any good, the school should be getting rid?

And in the worst cases, that's exactly what happens.  Mrs Dave was a governor at MHS for some years, and on several occasions served on small panels convened to deal with staff disciplinary and capability issues. 

In the worst cases? Isn't that the problem? One of my teacher mates complains bitterly that some teacher colleagues get an automatic pay rise along with him yet are not performing very well. The structure of teacher's pay needs to be linked to performance.

I was very surprised to learn that secondary school teachers are on the same pay scale as infant & junior teachers which can't be right. We're inundated with junior & infant teachers and still struggle with seniors, it's obvious why.

That said, I completely agree with you Dave, it's all about parental involvement.
Title: Re: Marple Hall School
Post by: marveld on March 01, 2012, 12:06:43 PM
The structure of teacher's pay needs to be linked to performance.

Duke, I don't disagree with you, but I'm interested in your views as to how this would be measured?
Title: Re: Marple Hall School
Post by: heather on March 01, 2012, 12:30:33 PM
couldn't agree more with you Dave the most important thing you can give your children is time they will remember if you sat and read with them and did other things  much more then what you bought them
Title: Re: Marple Hall School
Post by: Dave on March 01, 2012, 12:49:28 PM
One of my teacher mates complains bitterly that some teacher colleagues get an automatic pay rise along with him yet are not performing very well. The structure of teacher's pay needs to be linked to performance.

Teachers' pay scales are quite complex nowadays.  As I understand it, there is a basic scale which has six points, and annual progression through these is more or less automatic, which is what Duke's teacher mate is referring to, I guess.  However, progression beyond the top of that scale is performance related - there's a upper scale, and some teachers can also be promoted to be 'Advanced Skills Teachers', which I believe means they do some coaching/ mentoring of other teachers as well. 

Maybe Duke's teacher mate or someone else can tell us how schools assess the performance of teachers on the upper scales?  I worked in colleges before I retired, and there lecturers were observed in classes by the principal or a head of department, but obviously any half-way competent teacher can produce one decent lesson if they have to - what really counts is the ability to be consistently inspiring day after day! 

Maybe schools could set targets to individual teachers for exam passes, but if they did I'm not sure I would place too much reliance on the outcome.  Targets are notoriously open to being fiddled, and can also produce unintended consequences.   :(
Title: Re: Marple Hall School
Post by: Duke Fame on March 01, 2012, 04:00:58 PM
The structure of teacher's pay needs to be linked to performance.

Duke, I don't disagree with you, but I'm interested in your views as to how this would be measured?

I see the difficulty, O'level results at the most basic level. Measuring improvement against a child's potential at another basic level. The problem being is that targets are open to manipulation. 
Title: Re: Marple Hall School
Post by: Dave on March 01, 2012, 05:28:24 PM
Indeed.  It's sometimes referred to as Goodhart's Law:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodhart%27s_law.    The so-called 'gaming' that is now widespread in education, the health service and elsewhere provides good examples.   ::)
Title: Re: Marple Hall School
Post by: hollins on March 02, 2012, 01:02:46 PM
The latest Ofsted report for Marple Hall (February this year) has just gone up on the School's website at
http://www.marplehall.stockport.sch.uk/index.php/news/story/142 (http://www.marplehall.stockport.sch.uk/index.php/news/story/142)
Presumably it will appear on the Ofsted site in due course.

Nothing very exciting. Probably that's good.
Title: Re: Marple Hall School
Post by: Dave on March 02, 2012, 01:58:25 PM
Indeed.  Although the language of these reports seems to be increasingly strange.   So if you click on the link to the 'letter to students', first you read 'We found that you go to a satisfactory school', and you think, oh, that's OK then.  But it goes on to say 'While some of the teaching is good and outstanding, too much remains satisfactory'.

'Too much remains satisfactory?' How can you have too much satisfaction?  If someone said 'Did you have a nice holiday', would you say 'it was far too satisfactory'?  'What your new car like?' 'Oh, it's too satisfactory.'

Presumably what they really mean is UNsatisfactory?  In which case, the inspectors' English is unsatisfactory.  Or do I mean satisfactory?    ::)
Title: Re: Marple Hall School
Post by: Harry on March 02, 2012, 03:21:01 PM
I think this is because 'satisfactory' is no longer satisfactory, but is a euphemism for 'needs improvement'.

See http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2012/jan/17/ofsted-satisfactory-rating-scrapped (http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2012/jan/17/ofsted-satisfactory-rating-scrapped) for an explanation.

Title: Re: Marple Hall School
Post by: Duke Fame on March 02, 2012, 07:00:31 PM
I think this is because 'satisfactory' is no longer satisfactory, but is a euphemism for 'needs improvement'.

See http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2012/jan/17/ofsted-satisfactory-rating-scrapped (http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2012/jan/17/ofsted-satisfactory-rating-scrapped) for an explanation.



Wuite, Offsted have to address the falling standards. No what do they call O' levels in schools these days?
Title: Re: Marple Hall School
Post by: Dave on March 03, 2012, 07:57:39 AM
I hope standards of spelling haven't fallen any lower than this....    ;)

Wuite, Offsted have to address the falling standards. No what do they call O' levels in schools these days?

Title: Re: Marple Hall School
Post by: finetimefontaine on March 03, 2012, 08:53:23 AM
We al make speling mstakes Dave - its nott the mezure ov a man/wuman
Title: Re: Marple Hall School
Post by: Dave on March 03, 2012, 09:51:23 AM
Indeed, finetime - but peeple who make speling mistakes wuld be well advised not to moan about 'faling standards'.   :D
Title: Re: Marple Hall School
Post by: Duke Fame on March 03, 2012, 12:29:51 PM
Indeed, finetime - but peeple who make speling mistakes wuld be well advised not to moan about 'faling standards'.   :D

Oi, 'falling' was the one word I got right. The answer to my question was A' levels.

note to webmaster, is there a way of allowing the text to scroll up when replying on here.
Title: Re: Marple Hall School
Post by: JMC on March 03, 2012, 11:10:32 PM
I have two children there at the moment. I also went myself many years ago!

My kids are very happy there, any bullying issues were sorted out. Only thing we had a problem with was form allocation for one (all other kids from primary together with friends and my child with no friends but with someone who they were bullied by previously-MH wouldn't change forms and said 'there are plenty of others who will have your place'-charming!) but as time went on they settled after a rough start.

I find teaching is good and my children both enjoy going. They do push them to succeed and there are loads of good extra curricular clubs to join. The house system is a good idea and having a specified house pastoral manager makes liasing with school easier since it is such a big school. They seem to be tackling disruptive behaviours and have a Waterloo RD style 'cooler' for persistant offenders, so I am told! Overall, behaviour seems very good when I have been in the school with most kids very polite etc. I would recommend the school and overall have mostly very good experiences.

Title: Re: Marple Hall School
Post by: Rachael on March 04, 2012, 12:14:28 PM
My son left 2 years ago nearly, we were very pleased with Marple Hall.  I attended an independent school , which is tiny in comparison, I dreaded my son going to Marple Hall as its so big ,  but I needn't have worried, the school years  are  split into houses , my son got fantastic results in his GCSE's, although this was not without nagging from his teachers !   ;D

He is now at the Ridge , and doing very well there :)
Title: Re: Marple Hall School
Post by: Lisa Oldham on March 06, 2012, 11:01:28 AM
Ive got 3 kids there at moment.

At times its been great.. no problems at all.. at times its been horrendous!

Teaching for my eldest when he got there was fantastic, amazing incredible.  Marple hall has THE best Maths teacher that ever walked this earth in my opinion! Teaching for my next child initially was awful,  both in Maths and English. ( maths teacher who taught maths in german!!) Teaching for my newest one there is ok.. no complaints. generally good all round!

I prefer the old head to the new, as do all the children I've talked to. The new one seems to be less visible than the last!

General behaviour I think considering the wide catchment area for the school is very good. I think it highly unlikely that you will find a local school that takes such a range of children from so many different backgrounds.  I've heard of several bullying problems over several years where the school haven't dealt with it very well and the children being bullied have moved school, which i think is sad.  However i also think its really hard for any school to deal with serious bullying problems nowadays so i guess this would be the same anywhere you go. 


I find the worst thing about the school is the uniform policy.  Its not consistent at all  They tell girls off and give out detentions if they don't wear white underwear but let them walk around with skirts that show their knickers and painted like they're out on the town! This is clearly outside school... but inside as well. A lot of the lads look slovenly.. including my son who i think is possibly the worst looking child in the school and is never pulled up about it( if you see a 6ft 3 VERY long haired crumpled looking lad hes mine!) . I pull him up.. i send him looking "ok" but whats the use of me trying if the school don't back me up.  And yes I know its where kids "rebel" but wearing just a belt(girls) at the age of 12 is a bit too much!

If i had my time again to choose a different school... hmmm tough one! I might..for my eldest.. but then his obscene love of maths comes from that fantastic teacher! I wouldn't for my 2nd.. but her absolute hatred of maths comes from that rubbish maths teacher !  But in the end they can walk there in 10 minutes, they can have a social life i don't have to be involved in ( giving lifts to other parts of stockport!) And they might all have had certain issues there, but they've learnt valuable life lessons as a result.

So Marple Hall.. its alright.. its not the best ever.. but its far from the worst... proper normal in fact :D
Title: Re: Marple Hall School
Post by: gazwhite on March 07, 2012, 05:04:34 PM
"if the child wants to do well and succeed, they will"

Pardon me, but what's the point of the school if they aren't "adding any value", to use that awful phrase?

It is a two way street, unless both parties are up for maintaining an effective working relationship, no one will feel any benefits or reward.
Title: Re: Marple Hall School
Post by: The Giffer on March 12, 2012, 06:17:07 PM
Have a son at MH and  a daughter due to attend in September . Living in Marple Bridge we have very little local alternative other than MH [unless we pay of course]
Perhaps my expectations are high but overall our experience overall is B-.   MH has the basics in place but could do with a bit more effort and hard work . Perhaps the school is simply too big but i have been disappointed with feedback and communication from teachers/Management . The parents evening we attended [last year] was chaotic - poorly organised and discussions were very general and had  no privacy -infact on  couple of occasions  i wasn't convinced the teachers  know who  my son was.  . We had no follow up to a few issues we raised on the night  .When i tried to communicate with the Head last autumn about an area of concern my sons subject teacher responded .The Head appears very distant and i am told has very little interaction with the pupils .
The Board of Governors are simply non existant . Oh and if you are have children who have a talent for Football or Cricket then forget it - However if your sport is Rugby then fine - All the sports teachers appear obsessed with Rugby .[Sorry that's my predjudices showing]
 I think overall my son has made reasonable progress and appears fairly content  but i never the get the impression he is pushed to excel - if he is to be believed - and i have no reason to doubt him he gets approx 2 hours  a week  combined subjects set homework maximum  -i would have expected more . We could of course get him to do more . My son says some of his teachers are very good - Two or three appear to have made a real impression .He has also said  that there are a couple that are  " out of their depth " - His words . The children [his friends ] generally appear very decent but i am aware of two  of his peers who have left in the past 18 months because of  alleged bullying. Uniform policy is not consistently managed.
Title: Re: Marple Hall School
Post by: Lisa Oldham on March 13, 2012, 01:38:29 AM
Id probably agree with most of what giffer says too...
Title: Re: Marple Hall School
Post by: Duke Fame on March 13, 2012, 07:38:13 AM
A couple of points Giffer, if the teachers aren't pushing your kids, shouldn't you help them to excel.

In the issue of teaching rugby, rugger is favoured because football tends to expose talent and athleticism. Rugby tends to be for fat kids who weren't good enough to play football and tends to be more inclusive.
Title: Re: Marple Hall School
Post by: Dave on March 13, 2012, 09:21:50 AM
Perhaps the school is simply too big .....The Head appears very distant and i am told has very little interaction with the pupils .

I think you'll find those two facts are inextricably linked.  It's a massive school, and now Offerton has closed it's getting even bigger!.  The person running it has to prioritise her time ruthlessly.  It always goes down well with parents if head teachers are seen chatting with pupils in the dinner queue, but to be honest, it is not the best use of their scarce time.  For example, interaction with teaching staff is more important, in my experience. 

The Board of Governors are simply non existant .

That's a bit harsh.  Exactly what do you expect of them, Giffer?  School governors are public spirited people who generously give up their time and contribute their expertise for the good of the community.  Mrs Dave was a governor at MHS for several years, and was constantly going to meetings, attending events, and serving on panels dealing with staff and pupil disciplinary matters etc.  If you think you can do better, then why not stand as a parent governor? 

I think overall my son has made reasonable progress and appears fairly content  but i never the get the impression he is pushed to excel - if he is to be believed - and i have no reason to doubt him he gets approx 2 hours  a week  combined subjects set homework maximum 

Don't worry about this - it's called being male  ;)  We had two sons through the school, and they were both just like that - doing the minimum necessary for a quiet life!  But it passed, and they went on to do well at GCSE and A level, and subsequently at university. 
Title: Re: Marple Hall School
Post by: hollins on March 13, 2012, 09:53:08 AM
I agree with Dave - when the school has nearly 1500 pupils over 5 years, and is probably one of the two biggest single employers in Marple, then the headmistress has to be primarily a manager and isn't going to be having much day-to-day contact with pupils. The governors got mentioned in the Ofsted report: I'm sure they will take note.

I have one daughter who has finished and gone on to CAMSFC and another daughter in year 10. They have done well and been very happy at the school: I think any child going there with a positive attitude and supportive parents would do the same. Three areas stand out as being particularly well taught: mathematics, science and languages, but I think all the subject teachers did the best they could with the current GCSE curriculum. Neither child experienced any form of bullying whatsoever.

I would encourage you to keep an eye on the school's website - they keep fairly well up to date with school news and activities. They are also getting involved with a "Vision For Marple".

As for rugby - well, it's a brilliant sport (ask Howard!). However, according to the school's prize lists they seem to have county representatives in many other sports, including many that I never got a chance to play at a much smaller school.
Title: Re: Marple Hall School
Post by: Rachael on March 13, 2012, 11:00:17 AM
Its a big school, but the years are split into houses.  its nearly 2 years since my son did his GCSE's at Marple hall, but the teachers were fully suportive of my son, with a constant supply of phone calls or emails to me  because the "boy thing " Dave talks about, isnt exclusive to Daves  family :) . .... the minimum two hours combined homework, we may have reached one hour in our house, although his teachers would tell me something very different at parents evening  ( the hamster my son drew in five minutes over his breakfast for Art homework, when pulled up for scribbling his work, my son explained that it was a rough haired hamster  ... and subsequently got an apology!  )

My son really enjoyed his time at Marple Hall, and loved many of his teachers, but I must admit, although he wasnt a trouble causer, he did get away with murder when it came to banter with his teachers .
Title: Re: Marple Hall School
Post by: Duke Fame on March 13, 2012, 05:17:55 PM
In the issue of teaching rugby, rugger is favoured because football tends to expose talent and athleticism. Rugby tends to be for fat kids who weren't good enough to play football and tends to be more inclusive.

Although I'd disagree with the "tends to be for fat kids" remark, your definition of it as inclusive is spot on. There's a position for anyone in rugby whether you're big (front row) tall (second row), small & nippy (scrum half) or just average (everyone else).

I've coached children from six to thirteen at Marple Rugby Club for the past six years and everyone is taught respect and discipline which is vital for a team game. Everyone gets a game and the prime reason for playing is to have fun. In my experience, if you're not a reasonably natural athlete, even in local clubs, in football you have little chance of a regular game.


I don't think it's anymore likely to teach kids respect for others than football but because football is so much more competetive, it's likely that a good few of the lads will already be head and shoulders ahead of the others in terms of ability. We have to remember that rugby was indeed invented by William Webb Ellis because he wasn't as good as his peers so whilst stood with his hands down his shorts, when the ball was passed towards him, he panicked and picked up the ball and hey presto, Rugby was invented and fat rotund fellas within the comonwealth and France had something to do whilst the real sportsmen got on and played football.

In my school we played Rugger and Football at school, if the footbll teams didn't have a game, we (the football team) played rugger and invarably won. When the football team had a match which clashed with Rugby, the rugger team tended to lose.
Title: Re: Marple Hall School
Post by: The Giffer on March 13, 2012, 07:20:12 PM
A couple of points Giffer, if the teachers aren't pushing your kids, shouldn't you help them to excel.

In the issue of teaching rugby, rugger is favoured because football tends to expose talent and athleticism. Rugby tends to be for fat kids who weren't good enough to play football and tends to be more inclusive.
 
 I am very aware  of my responsibilities - I try my best but i also  have clear expectations of what teachers  should provide - and as you can probably conclude in my opinion there are some who are " coasting " in respect of their duties and responsibilities.
Title: Re: Marple Hall School
Post by: The Giffer on March 13, 2012, 07:50:07 PM
Sorry Dave/Hollins but can't agree with your defence of the Heads low profile - She is not  a  " mere " Manager  - She is the Chief Executive [CEO]  She employs other Middle/Senior Managers to manage day to day activity [ i assume ] - The CEO requires presence not so they can sit in their office all day . In my view the Chief Executives job is to take time out and regularly engage with both employees and in a Heads case - the children - Not every one of course individually  but using processes that allow some form of interaction and feedback - I think the idea of periodically going to the canteen and speaking to the kids is a splendid one .I'll pass it on.

Re Governors - my comment is entirely justified in my opinion .They are the schools equivalent of the  board and in [nearly]   three years not one has ever presented themselves to me or communicated in anyway about what they do or what contribution they make . 
At least i get Councillors and wannabee councillors visiting every May [although interestingly  some of the Governors are also Councillors - read into how you wish  ]
As for standing for Parent Governor myself  not sure i have the qualities required . :D
Title: Re: Marple Hall School
Post by: Dave on March 21, 2012, 03:51:24 PM
Sorry Dave/Hollins but can't agree with your defence of the Heads low profile....I think the idea of periodically going to the canteen and speaking to the kids is a splendid one

Maybe you're right, as long as it is only 'periodically'.   We pay headteachers quite a decent salary (some get more than 100K, I think, though I have no idea what this head gets), and for that money I think we should expect them to focus primarily on strategic issues, rather than having a nice sociable time chatting with the kids! 

Re Governors - in [nearly]   three years not one has ever presented themselves to me or communicated in anyway about what they do or what contribution they make .  At least i get Councillors and wannabee councillors visiting every May

Councillors are seeking your vote, Giffer, that why they call on you. We had one knocking the door the other day - first time for ages - I wonder why   ;D  The nearest equivalent on school governing bodies are parent governors, who ought to issue a statement of what they stand for when they stand for election.  But it isn't the business of other school governors to go round individually 'presenting' themselves.  They are appointed, not elected, and their responsibilities are to the school, not to parents.  And if you feel you don't have the qualities required to be a school governor, maybe you should be a bit more generous in acknowledging the efforts of those who do have those qualities? 
Title: Re: Marple Hall School
Post by: Miss Marple on March 21, 2012, 07:00:27 PM
Hey Dave I might consider being a Governour !  So what  are these so called qualities one must have  ;)
Title: Re: Marple Hall School
Post by: Heritage on March 21, 2012, 07:15:56 PM
Sounds like The Giffer needs to get his / her sleeves rolled up and pitch into changing the culture from inside the tent. The qualities required of any decent Governor are primarily around a passion for excellence and a halfway decent ability to speak plainly. The Giffer's postings hint at having just those qualities but if I were you I'd channel them into a Governor position y'self.....
Title: Re: Marple Hall School
Post by: Miss Marple on March 21, 2012, 08:21:07 PM
Bring back Mr Saville !  Happy Days !
Title: Re: Marple Hall School
Post by: Lisa Oldham on March 21, 2012, 09:31:49 PM
Oh I loved Mr Saville! He knew the name of every child in the school and would make sure each and every one of us knew!  and he forgave me falling asleep in his law class! :D  His punishments were harsh ( not to me I might add!!) but he was consistent, very visible and terrifying!  Can't think of  one teacher my son "worries" about upsetting..though he likes lots of them. My daughter is still a little nervous being relatively young and well behaved but even she is now questioning the teachers and pushing the boundaries in a way I would never have considered.  Don't think its Marple Hall in particular, just the way society/we bring our kids up now, media influence and the fact the schools hands are tied over so many small but significant issues.
Title: Re: Marple Hall School
Post by: Dave on March 22, 2012, 09:53:46 AM
Hey Dave I might consider being a Governour !  So what  are these so called qualities one must have  ;)

Being able to spell 'governor'   ;)
Title: Re: Marple Hall School
Post by: Miss Marple on March 22, 2012, 07:26:50 PM
Off topic post removed by Howard
Title: Re: Marple Hall School
Post by: hollins on May 08, 2013, 04:05:58 PM
Marple Hall School has a new Headmaster for September: Mr Barker (currently Deputy Head).