The Virtual Pub
Come Inside... => Saloon Bar => Topic started by: Snoopy on September 15, 2008, 06:56:08 AM
-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7615872.stm
So only three candidates for every post advertised eh? Does that not tell somebody something. Despite salaries starting around £35k and building to a massive £65k suitably qualified people just don't want to be head teachers. Nothing to do with the fact that Ed Ballsup and co keep messing about with the goal posts I don't suppose.
AND reading between the lines where are all these "retiring" heads going? Surely they could be prevailed upon to stay in post for a couple more years? Of course not ~ they can't wait to grab the pension and run. Teaching is no longer a vocation. Mr Chips is dead and buried. They are there for the pay packet and then get out as fast as possible. Thank you successive governments of all hues who have brought it to this. We ask only that you provide a decent education for our children and the best way to do that would be to leave it to the teachers to get on with it and NOT keep setting ever more stupid targets. That way we might get kids who can read and write and teachers who enjoy their work enough to stay in it.
Since 1997, we have been force-fed 14 Education Bills, 370 consultation papers and over 1,600 new parliamentary regulations just to teach our children to read, write and add up.
National Curriculum in the UK = 635 pages
National Curriculum in Sweden = 21 pages
No prizes for guessing which country has better educated teenagers. Banghead
-
happ096
Well said Snoops...
-
I quite agree. Dunno why this has surfaced now though, it's been well known (and covered in the trade press) for at least three years. Oh, of course, party conference season,,,,,,,,
-
Exactly ~ but we don't all read the "Trade Press". The figures toward the end of my rant come from the Lib Dem education spokesmen but I think we can trust his researchers to have got them right.
-
In Suffolk they're reorganising their school system from a three to two schools, cutting out the 'middle school' Currently there is a surplus of head and head of department teachers as they amalgamate the various schools.
-
We were talking about this at the weekend. MILFH reckons a lot of it has to do with the fact that headships have been in the main a male post. And that in the last few years there has been a significant lack of men entering the profession due to the pay scales lower down. Schools and governors seem unwilling these days to appoint women due to maternity leave and so there is a dearth of "suitable" candidates. There is also of course the paperwork issue and the demand that schools be run as a business rather than an educational zone. (I don't mean they should run in the red but cost cutting and profit making should not be a priority.)
As for the retiring heads, on their pension I'm not surprised they are doing so. There is no incentive for them to stay and every reason for them to leave.
-
In Suffolk they're reorganising their school system from a three to two schools, cutting out the 'middle school' Currently there is a surplus of head and head of department teachers as they amalgamate the various schools.
That three school system was one of the reasons we left Bedfordshire to move here
-
And another prob with recruiting male heads (and teachers) are the worries about being accused of being a paedo for wanting to work with small children.
-
And another prob with recruiting male heads (and teachers) are the worries about being accused of being a paedo for wanting to work with small children.
Also an issue. During teacher training there was a two hour lecture only for male students covering this aspect, very very strict guidelines. Mr Wench won't even do private tutoring for female students the risk is just too high.
-
Is he a pervert then? Doesn't trust himself, like? noooo:
-
Is he a pervert then? Doesn't trust himself, like? noooo:
No dearie. It just isn't worth taking the chance.
-
Put him on Bromide?
-
I quite agree. Dunno why this has surfaced now though, it's been well known (and covered in the trade press) for at least three years. Oh, of course, party conference season,,,,,,,,
Well its partly that but the government is also cherry picking head teachers for its flagship academies which pretty much strips the pool of candidates.
This may be a daft question but do schools need head teachers? Why not put an administrator in place to deal with the running of the school so that the teachers can concentrate on teaching?
-
I disagree. My unvarying experience of working in schools, colleges and universities for the past, um, 30 years is that there is a strong and direct correlation between the qualities of the Boss and the qaulity of the institution. It's not just about admin - they have bodies for that if they are lucky. A visionary Head (like the brilliant one at the Boy's currentnd forthcoming schools) makes a HUGE difference.
-
Thats true, and I'm not saying that if you put an administrator in place they should have total control of the school. But if you can create a post that takes up most of the day to day admin and red tape that a head teacher currently has to deal with then you have a chance of making the post more appealing as well as giving the visionary head teachers more time to be able to do what means so much to them.
-
In that case we agree. But you asked "why do schools need headteachers?" I said why, and now you have backed off.
Well done!
Mr Nick defeats all comers yet again (except Mrs TG scared2:)
-
Thats true, and I'm not saying that if you put an administrator in place they should have total control of the school. But if you can create a post that takes up most of the day to day admin and red tape that a head teacher currently has to deal with then you have a chance of making the post more appealing as well as giving the visionary head teachers more time to be able to do what means so much to them.
That would be a fantastic idea. A person that would work in tandem with the head to take over the vast majority of the admin and red tape. Leaving the head free to do his actual job and perhaps teach a couple of classes a week too. They would benefit as would the kids.
-
The Boy's school is big enough to have a "secretariat". That is what they do, 4 of them.
The Head motivates, leads, insipires and sorts out probs.
Argument, unfortunately, for either bigger schools or better school funding. His last school was weeny. Hopeless head spent all day filling in forms with one PT secretary to field calls.
-
In that case we agree. But you asked "why do schools need headteachers?" I said why, and now you have backed off.
Well done!
Mr Nick defeats all comers yet again (except Mrs TG scared2:)
I was still half asleep and hadnt had coffee when I wrote that first post so it wasnt exactly what I had meant to write. eatdrink013
-
The Boy's school is big enough to have a "secretariat". That is what they do, 4 of them.
The Head motivates, leads, insipires and sorts out probs.
Argument, unfortunately, for either bigger schools or better school funding. His last school was weeny. Hopeless head spent all day filling in forms with one PT secretary to field calls.
Unfortunately the government has already got an answer for the first argument and probably the second one as well with its 'academies'
-
Not for primary. And the stuff about Academies is ideological, not managerial
-
And another prob with recruiting male heads (and teachers) are the worries about being accused of being a paedo for wanting to work with small children.
Also an issue. During teacher training there was a two hour lecture only for male students covering this aspect, very very strict guidelines. Mr Wench won't even do private tutoring for female students the risk is just too high.
We used to advise tutors to keep the door open and ask the mother to bring them cups of tea.
-
rubschin:
-
Not for primary. And the stuff about Academies is ideological, not managerial
Just wait and see, given the chance they will expand the program if they think they cen get away with it.
-
Fair point, but myoriginal argument stands
See also: http://www.ncsl.org.uk/ (http://www.ncsl.org.uk/)
-
The Boy's school is big enough to have a "secretariat". That is what they do, 4 of them.
The Head motivates, leads, insipires and sorts out probs.
Argument, unfortunately, for either bigger schools or better school funding. His last school was weeny. Hopeless head spent all day filling in forms with one PT secretary to field calls.
Small beer indeed.
The THW's school has a teaching staff of 105 (that includes the "special needs" people), a secretariat of 15 and a "behaviour " team of 24 eeek:
-
The Boy's school is big enough to have a "secretariat". That is what they do, 4 of them.
The Head motivates, leads, insipires and sorts out probs.
Argument, unfortunately, for either bigger schools or better school funding. His last school was weeny. Hopeless head spent all day filling in forms with one PT secretary to field calls.
Small beer indeed.
The THW's school has a teaching staff of 105 (that includes the "special needs" people), a secretariat of 15 and a "behaviour " team of 24 eeek:
Jack Baur? eeek:
-
The Boy's school is big enough to have a "secretariat". That is what they do, 4 of them.
The Head motivates, leads, insipires and sorts out probs.
Argument, unfortunately, for either bigger schools or better school funding. His last school was weeny. Hopeless head spent all day filling in forms with one PT secretary to field calls.
Small beer indeed.
The THW's school has a teaching staff of 105 (that includes the "special needs" people), a secretariat of 15 and a "behaviour " team of 24 eeek:
Jack Baur? eeek:
drumroll:
"Behave or you get water-boarded"
-
"The following takes place between 6am and 5pm on the first day of term..." whistle:
-
Seriously ~ even the teachers refer to them as "The Gestapo". They have been infiltrated and trained over the past year but this new term is the first time they have all been in place. At the moment, according to the THW, they are a damn nuisance as they have only a few "problem" kids to deal with and are contstantly patrolling looking for trouble.
He denies it but we believe that as this county doesn't have a "behavioural unit" in any school and hitherto sent their hooligans to Flintshire for "Corrective Education" the new head intends to create such a unit here and cream the extra budget. County would be behind this move on cost grounds as they have to pay to transport and accommodate their miscreants in the Flintshire unit and the new head gets more money, more staff and more brownie points. Previous heads have always refused to have anything to do with such a scheme.
-
But you are in WALES!
-
The Boy's school is big enough to have a "secretariat". That is what they do, 4 of them.
The Head motivates, leads, insipires and sorts out probs.
Argument, unfortunately, for either bigger schools or better school funding. His last school was weeny. Hopeless head spent all day filling in forms with one PT secretary to field calls.
Small beer indeed.
The THW's school has a teaching staff of 105 (that includes the "special needs" people), a secretariat of 15 and a "behaviour " team of 24 eeek:
He is in a small Primary, you are talking a big secondary in WALES!
-
Oh our primary has 200 pupils, 12 staff + headteacher + P/T secretary