Wrexham ‘Super Schools’
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Posts
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It would be useful if the Council named the ” Through Schools ” they have visited so parents in Wrexham can look at their performance. I trust they have made an actual visit and are not relying on a consultants view point.
@Red 10871 wrote:
Agree with this – I have no issue with consultants, many of whom have good knowledge and skill in their particular field, but the problem is too many lack local knowledge which is an important consideration when making recommendations ( however I do appreciate often having a impartial view from a body with no emotional ties to an area is sometimes necessary to make tough decisions).
I am a ‘super school’ skeptic – super in name, however not in nature. I would like to see smaller class sizes and maximising teacher-pupil contact time per pupil. The idea of super school I am not against per se, but I feel the implementation needs some refining. Of course the LEA is under the direction of Assembly regulations, but perhaps some new thought regarding Wrexham education policy would be a welcome addition.
I know its rather exotic, but if the Welsh Assembly followed England’s policy and initiated the ability to create free schools what about a Wrexham Free School? Backing from local teachers, businesses, parents and other groups and the chance to actually stand out from the crowd with an educational institution that can offer something different. Just a thought.
Consultants often get paid good money for their opinions. The reality about consultants is often they have failed in their career so instead tell others how to do it.
I find it bizarre that the people of Wrexham tolerate this nonsense.
I came here to teach in the 1970’s and there were still 7 Secondary schools in the town as late as 1970 (3 Grammars, 2 Secondary Moderns, a Welsh School and a Catholic School), as well as a Technical College (which part catered for students nowadays in 11-16 schools).
How is it that we can’t suddenly make 2 viable schools to cover the 11-16 sector and we have to be looking at the options on view. As a comparison, Prestatyn High School in the metropolis of Prestatyn has numbers clocking over 1800 students and rising.
The problems that we have in our schools reflect the lack of confidence that parents feel in the obtaining of a decent Education for their children without bussing/ driving them out to the villages OR sending them to the quasi-Grammar schools (St Joseph’s and Morgan Llwyd).
Now it may be that people object to Grammar Schools and they may object to setting but surely both of these states of existence at least allow children who want to work and achieve to do so within an ability framework that suits their needs. That was also New Labour’s thinking with Academies (and aptitudes) and Gordon Brown’s famous attack on mixed ability classes
Comprehensive schools were imposed on the ideology of equal opportunities for all. Unfortunately everyone does not have equal ability and it has had the effect of reducing education to the level of the lowest. There was nothing wrong with Grammar and Secondary Modern Schools. There was always the facility of transferring from one to the other if teachers felt that a pupil was in the wrong stream. The system we have at present allows the disruptive element which has always been present to ruin the education of the more able pupil.
@Chris 10929 wrote:
Consultants often get paid good money for their opinions. The reality about consultants is often they have failed in their career so instead tell others how to do it.
Well it’s not always the case. Many consultants are highly experienced and skilled in their field, having led successful careers up to that point. Quite a lot tend to be in the twilight of their careers and wish to be involved in their sector on a more flexible basis. As with everything you got the good and the bad, anyone can style themselves as a consultant.
What would of been useful, albeit difficult to co-ordinate, is a consultancy panel formed of experienced people from the area that could work either independently or in conjunction with an external agency.
Consultants that I know of have retired from their regular job & gone into consultancy.
However, I would hate a consultant who has been at the top of their career in BT to advise me on how to run a telecom company or the CE’s who have taken retirement from the many banks that have made a mess of looking after other peoples money, to give me monetary advice. I might consider Richard Branson who has worked for his money or Mr Dyson.The Council are not going to merge the schools or create a ” Through School” another good decision by the Council this week !
@wrexview 12512 wrote:
The Council are not going to merge the schools or create a ” Through School” another good decision by the Council this week !
Thank goodness. Now perhaps they will actually look at problem rather than papering over the cracks with rice paper
Unless I am mistaken the Council have only decided against through schools ie one single management team, one Governing Body etc. What they have not decided is that there will be no creation of a Primary School on either or both of these sites or that an existing Primary School will not operate on split sites to use up the spare classroom capacity in both Secondary schools, as the projected overcrowding issue in Primary schools projected from current birth rates. This is factual data based on the existing population projections and new housing for the Wrexham area.
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