I have just got home from four amazing, emotional, uplifting, seriously bootie shaking hours of this.
I couldn’t have wished for a better way to celebrate my 30th birthday (and Mr Mandela’s 90th) than to be shaking my thang to some top notch musical acts in my most favourite park in the whole wide world Continue reading “The Best 30th Birthday in the Whole Wide World”
I’ve just come back from the really, really nice hen weekend of Melanie, one of my best friends from University.
I met Mel in September 1997, when we signed up to do the same European Studies and Modern Languages degree at Manchester (see dodgy 1997 pic above of us in our full nineteen year old glory 🙂 )
In the first year, we also lived in the same halls, on the 17th floor of an absolute monstrosity called the ‘OP Tower’. I will never forget the almost NIGHTLY fire alarms that required me descending seventeen flights of stairs in my nightie – almost always because some bloke (and it usually was a bloke) had burnt his toast in his less than hygenic kitchen!!!! Continue reading “Thanks Mel”
Following a blog post I wrote on this very website less than a week ago about the brilliant success of George Mitchell school in its “surprise” Ofsted inspection last week, the Government yesterday decided to include George Mitchell school, based in the Leyton ward, on its national list of “failing” schools.
I am at a complete and utter loss to work out what the hell is going on.
Last week, on the first day at school back after summer half term, the school received a phone call informing them that they were to be inspected only two days later.
But, following that inspection, the Head Teacher Helen Jeffery and her superb Senior Management Team, were told by the inspectors that in every area it is educating its pupils George Mitchell should consider itself rated “good” or “outstanding” –
– an absolutely fantastic assessment seeing as George Mitchell’s pupils are 67% special education needs, educate more kids from the Beaumont Estate (the 5th most deprived estate in Britain) than any other school in the borough, and because the school’s premises are situated in a ward where two-thirds of residents come from Black and Minority communities where a disapproportionate number of those BME families live in the most appalling of overcrowded conditions.
I could go on.
I believe the Government’s decision to label George Mitchell a “failing” school is a travesty. No school is a “failing” school and it is a real insult to pupils, parents and teachers in areas like mine to have out of touch bureacrats who don’t use any service in the state system label our area a “failure” just because they can.
George Mitchell school is NOT a failing school and the whole of the Leyton community now needs to rise up and speak out against this decision.
The debate has already started HERE over at the Waltham Forest Guardian.
Please add your voice to the growing chorus of people from Leyton who want a school at the heart of our community to succeed, not be closed down by the whim of a contrived and dishonest Ofsted “decision”.
THURSDAY 12TH JUNE AM UPDATE: The Waltham Forest Guardian (June 12th – June 18th 2008) has published an absolutely brilliant front page and inside spread on the growing anger our community feels about the closure threat to George Mitchell school. You can buy the paper in the shops now until next Thursday June 19th 2008.
Ofsted, the Government’s schools’ inspectorate, visited George Mitchell school in Leyton ward this week to conduct a surprise inspection.
Well, to the very pleasant surprise and delight of Head Teacher Helen Jeffery and her fabulous Senior Management Team, the inspectors rated the school ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ in absolutely every area inspected.
This is excellent news for the pupils, teachers, parents, and those of us in the Leyton community who care deeply about George Mitchell and the children who go there.
Helen Jeffery is a top-rate Head teacher who has driven George Mitchell school from strength to strength.
We are lucky to have her and I am proud to support her and her staff.
Well done again!
xxx