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Southwark praised for Key Stage 3 results
Southwark schools have the best improved English key stage three results in the country – bar the Scilly Isles. The results arrived late after a series of problems with the national agency charged with running the exams and the ‘News’ understands that many schools are still unhappy with the consistency of marking.
English results are up 10 per cent on last year, with the previously published maths results showing a massive 7 per cent rise, both well above the national average of a 2 per cent increase.
The Schools’ Minister David Miliband MP was so impressed by the performance of the borough’s 14 year olds that he cited the borough as the best example of improving results.
“I am particularly pleased to see that some of the biggest improvements have been seen in economically disadvantaged areas, mirroring the success at primary this summer – for example Southwark,” he said.
Cllr Bob Skelly the council’s Executive Member for Education, also welcomed the results, saying that they were proof of real changes in the quality of schooling in the borough. “These are the biggest increases in both Maths and English which is excellent news for Southwark. But there is general unhappiness in Southwark and the country at large as to the accuracy of the English results.
The ‘News’ understands that many Southwark schools believe the results to be over marked, whilst others feel that they have been hard done by.
The Managing Director of the National Assessment Agency Jonathon Ford resigned from his post on the same day that the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority published a damning report into the difficulties experienced in this year’s Key Stage three exams.
“We’ve accepted responsibility in the report and will be writing to schools early in the New Year outlining the steps we will take to ensure that the problems are not repeated,” said a spokeswoman for the QCA. (Southwark News 25.11.04)
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Pupils treated at Twickenham
Children from Robert Browning Primary in Walworth and Charlotte Sharman in the Elephant and Castle travelled to Twickenham on Saturday to play the curtain raiser before England’s match against Canada.
The children used the changing rooms next to the England team’s and formed the guard of honour during the national anthems. They then had front row seats to watch the match, in which England beat Canada 70-0.
Children from Southwark Tigers Rugby Club, the first inner-city rugby club when it was launched in 2001, also played at the home of rugby on the same day. They took on the Brixton Bulls and were beaten 6-5.
Vernon Neve-Dunn, Southwark community Games co-ordinator and Southwark Tigers manager, said: “Seeing Southwark primary school children walk out on the Twickenham pitch was a really moving moment and the icing on the cake. They did the borough proud”. (Southwark News 18.11.04)
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Web of intrigue
Girls from St Saviours and St Olaves School quizzed some of the country’s leading scientists at the launch of a national science web forum on Tuesday.
The panel, including Prof. Sue Hill, the Department of Health’s Chief Scientific Officer, tried to explain issues such as MRSA, HIV retrovirals and asthma to the inquisitive audience.
The head teacher, Dr Irene Bishop, said: “Having the opportunity to talk with healthcare scientists of this calibre was a real bonus for the students, and we are sure that they will continue to use the forum throughout the next month.”
http://forum.learnaboutscienceinhealth.org (Southwark News 18.11.04)
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Entrepreneur Fever
It is National Enterprise Week and The Academy at Peckham has been engulfed by entrepreneurial fever.
Tuesday and Wednesday saw Year 10s completing in ‘I’m an entrepreneur, get me out of here!’ With the help of real entrepreneurs each student constructed a business plan to be judged for possible development.
Friday launches a six month project called Changemakers, which encourages students to look at what they would like to change both in their school and in the wider community. They will then develop projects to achieve the changes.
This week is the enterprise of Dawn Taylor, work, learning and enterprise co-ordinator at the Academy. She said: “Enterprise is not just about business, it’s about change. We are even having a teachers’ enterprise day which is about weird ways of teaching lessons.”
The ‘News’ talked to four students, of whom Edward Edejor and Peter Adewumi, both 14, were most concerned with making money, though they admitted confidence and knowledge were also important.
Remi Stephenson, 14, who wants to make clothes, said: “You can be more in control if it’s your business – it’s you who decides your future.”
Ms Taylor explained that if the students’ business plans were strong they could stay behind after school and take extra lessons such as business studies to get a head start. (Southwark News 18.11.04)
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Peckham Youths Create Curriculum
A Peckham–based youth project is creating a curriculum to tackle gun crime for the whole of London’s schools.
The From Boyhood to Manhood Foundation (FBMF) were chosen by London Mayor Ken Livingstone as part of an anti-guns initiative called ‘Calling the Shots’.
They are currently piloting some of their 18 lessons at Geoffrey Chaucer School in Walworth, and were at Kingsdale School, Dulwich, before that.
“Lessons are based on six themes”, explained FBMF founder Decima Francis. “The myth behind guns, self confidence, self control and dealing with authority, amongst others.”
FBMF deals mainly with boys excluded from mainstream school, providing them with teaching and support. It has just been granted Ofsted independent school status. “We have a good base to test the language and content of the programme,” she said. “It’s about explaining some of the stereotypes young people have and looking at the thinking behind the lifestyle.
They wear the hooded tops and the baggy trousers to scare people because they think that will make them safe.
“When they stop they see that people look them in the face and they get stopped less by the police.” (Southwark News 18.11.04)
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Fangtastic!
Over 200 parents, boys and ghouls turned out for a fangtastic fancy dress Halloween party and disco at Redriff Primary School in Rotherhithe.
The children and their parents dunked for apples and danced at the two hour long celebration of Halloween, which raised over £250 for the Parents’ Association.
The chair of governors, Diane Heafield, said, “we raised some money for the school but more importantly the children had a great night – lots of treats and not too many tricks.”
Demon Headteacher Mickey Kelly said: “The children and staff have worked very hard so it’s good to let our hair down once in a while.” (Southwark News 11.11.04)
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Waverley students on song
Dulwich and West Norwood MP Tessa Jowell visited Waverley School last week to see pupils taking part in the national Big Sing.
The MP went to the Homestall Road school last Friday, as the students sung the Big Sing song ‘Each Day’. The Big Sing is an event designed to promote singing together in schools and the community. (Southwark News 11.11.04)
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‘Magical’ teachers
Two Southwark teachers have been nominated for national teaching awards.
Russell Jones of the Elephant and Castle’s Geoffrey Chaucer School and Laura Vallins of Dulwich’s Charter School were both put forward after winning the London-wide awards in the summer.
Russell Jones was commended for infusing his teaching with his experiences as an actor when nominated for the innovation in education award but the best testament to his quality is the six-fold increase in the number of students taking his classes. “There are some teachers that are good, some that are great and some that are just magical. Russell belongs quite definitely in the magical category,” said the judges at the awards.
According to her head teacher Laura Vallins also has that magic. “She is one of the most gifted new teachers I have had the privilege to work with in 35 years,” said Charter School’s Mrs Bowmaker. Ms Vallins, an English teacher hailing from Canada, was nominated as the best Outstanding New Teacher in a Secondary School. (Southwark News 4.11.04)
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Bermondsey primary revamp may be put on ice until 2008
It was four years ago that a Bermondsey junior school drew up plans for what Ofsted described as a ‘dynamic and visionary’ scheme, yet now governors have been told that they may have to return to the drawing board,
Parents and governors of Eveline Lowe Primary School petitioned Southwark Council’s Executive on Tuesday night after finding out that, despite earlier promises, they may have to forgo direct funding and wait until the Bermondsey Spa regeneration scheme’s planning gain money comes on stream in 2008.
The school is concerned that funding from regeneration would be dependent on land being released to developers – spacious grounds central to a school which was founded in the 1960s on the ethos of being a green oasis in the midst of the city.
Everyone agrees that new facilities are required for the older students at the school, and until this year it seemed that there was a common vision for addressing the issue.
Ofsted, the government’s school inspectors, said that the accommodation for pupils in years 3-6 was “cramped and entirely unsuitable” but left little room for doubting the strength of the new plans, describing them as ‘dynamic and visionary’ adding that “They have considerable scope in helping to raise standards further for pupils.”
The council’s own asset management committee made the project their number one priority and, according to the school’s chairman of governors, officers promised that the project would be council funded if central government money wasn’t forthcoming.
Yet recently the school was informed that the entire project was to be reconsidered in the light of the upcoming Bermondsey Spa redevelopment.
“It came as a bit of a shock. Why was the decision made without any consultation? This isn’t supposed to be the way it works,” said Eileen Adams, chairman of governors.
“It’s fair to say that the staff of the school are very disappointed,” said the school’s head teacher, Gary Foskett. “These plans, which Ofsted themselves said were urgent, have been put on hold for five years now.”
Ben Humphries, of the architects Archiform, said he had had “whole buildings, designed built and occupied” since undertaking the design work in 2000.
In the 1960s the original one storey school had been featured in the national press with its rejection of classrooms and corridors heralding a new, progressive approach to education. The school has continued to emphasise the importance of place and space in the development of the child, with its community garden and discrete swimming pool, which the school fears will be lost if the upper site is sold off.
Yet the council insists that it has to make the most of the limited resources.
“We remain committed to providing a new school building for Eveline Lowe but we need to look at the most cost effective way of doing that,” said a council spokeswoman.
“The option we’re currently looking at would provide new buildings at little or no cost to the council, which would make more money available for other schools in the borough. We hope to make a decision very shortly in order to minimise delays.”
Local MP Simon Hughes said that “nothing should be decided until the commission [into the future of local primary provision] reports.
“The swimming pool is very well used and I’m very keen it continues. We should only lose any asset belonging to Eveline Lowe if we ended up with better facilities for that particular school.” (Southwark News 4.11.04)
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Headteacher defends his stance on downtown
A Rotherhithe Headteacher was defiant this week following the resignation of seven governors in protest at his “domineering behaviour”.
Redriff Primary’s Michael Kelly told the ‘News’: “This school was judged by Ofsted prior to my arrival as having serious weakness. Ofsted rated my leadership and management as excellent. They did have a few comments about the governing body but we will pass over that.”
The seven resigned shortly after the election of a new head of governors in the first meeting of the new term. “If we remain,” they wrote, “it is our belief that we will be asked to rubber stamp decisions made by others in private.”
One governor claimed that these ‘decisions’ were in part to do with the proposed development by Barratt of the Downtown site: a derelict 4.7 acres of land directly behind the school, and involved the school running a new community centre to be built as part of the development.
Mr Kelly denied that any such decision had been taken. “There can be no details on this until planning permission is granted,” he said. “All of the governors who resigned were present at a meeting (on the subject). When the decision is made by the local authority there will be 106 (planning gain) money available. Our hope will be that some of that will come to the school.”
Despite the strength of feeling against the height of the proposed development among many parents, he said it was not his place to take sides. “If there is a big fence we will sit on it,” he said.
Diane Heathfield, head of the governors, echoed the sentiment, saying that although as a resident she opposed the height of the current development, “something will go there whether we like it or not. As a school we just hope we get the best for the children.”
But Steve Cornish, chair of the Downtown Defence Campaign told the ‘News’: “It’s not fair for Mr Kelly to decide. It’s for the parents, who have told me in no uncertain terms that they don’t want those heights and densities there, the width of a wire fence away from the school.”
A spokesperson from Southwark Council said the authority was aware of the situation and was providing support to the governors. (Southwark News 4.11.04)
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Technicolour play
Rotherhithe Children returned to school this week to find their playground had turned technicolour.
Unbeknown to pupils, a crack team of investment bankers from JP Morgan Chase had descended on Rotherhithe Primary School over half term to paint climbing frames, benches, posts and fences in a dazzling kaleidoscope of red yellow and blue.
Billy and Fallon, both ten, approached their head teacher to inform her that “a rainbow had fallen on the playground.”
“It should be called Rotherhithe Rainbow School,” said Fallon.
Her fellow pupil, Ishaka, 9, told the ‘News’: “The benches make you want to sit down now. Before it was all grey. It makes you want to go round the whole school and look at it all.”
As well as giving the playground the fluorescent treatment, works of art by the children have been blown up and attached to the outside walls of their school. “This was an African mask,” said Alenjna, 8. “It was hard to colour in. My hand was aching.”
Head teacher Janet Anns said: “We had about 75 volunteers come over two days. They did re-turfing, planting and an awful lot of painting.” (Southwark News 4.11.04)
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