OTHER AREAS OF CONCERN WHERE SCHOOLS WON’T LISTEN TO PARENTS

Although this website is primarily about exclusion issues and the abolition of school league tables, parents will often raise areas of concern with a school, only to be rebuffed. Perhaps any Heads of independent schools reading this would like to consider some of the following concerns highlighted by various parents.

Synchronisation of term dates – last Easter holidays were a nightmare for working parents with children at different schools. Some schools were a fortnight out of sync. with one another. Ditto half terms, which can stretch to 2- 3 weeks.

Sport – not all children are born to play rugby or lacrosse. At a time of rising obesity, schools should and could provide alternative activities for those either reluctant or unable to play traditional sports – trampoling, swimming, learning a modern dance routine from something like High School Musical would be a good start.

Prep schools refusing to prepare for common entrance at eleven. This is particularly true of prep schools with senior schools attached, when they don’t want to lose pupils at eleven and won’t help prepare for external exams.

The Curriculum – why, in history for example, is there no continuity if you change schools? My son has ‘done’ the Norman Conquest 3 times and my daughter, the Egyptians, twice. Surely it can’t be that difficult to teach chronologically.

Class size – one of the main reasons parents choose independent schools over state education is because of class size. No, parents do not want classes of 24 and above.

Fees – my son, who has an August birthday, was made to stay down a year in Reception. At his present school, when in Year 9 which is Key Stage 3, we were being charged for Key Stage 4, solely on his age. I phoned ISIS and the Department of Children, Schools and Families, Independent Schools Team, both of whom confirmed that the convention is that school fees apply to tuition being received, not the age of the child. Again there is no mechanism in place to which I could appeal – the school can do what it likes and I have to pay up or leave.

Despite the option of belonging to a Trade Union, teachers and staff could also need an Ombudsman – quote from The Daily Telegraph, March 19th 2008:

“Independent schools are forcing staff to work illegally long hours as pushy parents demand good examination results for their money, teachers said yesterday.

Some are paying less than the minimum wage and refusing to put teachers on written contracts as they exploit staff to maximise test scores, it was claimed at the Conference of Teachers and Lecturers.

… One £25,000 –a-year boarding school expected a housemistress to work more than 120 hours a week on an hourly rate of £3.75.

Another school sacked a teacher claiming exam results were not good enough, only to reinstate him when other staff threatened to strike.”