We are seriously considering moving our kids to a new school, for a variety of reasons.
In September they will be P6, p4 and P3.
We can see that they are not getting the education they need and the school isn't adhering to the ethos to which it is supposed to be subscribed.
You might wonder how I know this...well Mrs. tbrick18 teaches in the school. So we can see it from a Parent's perspective and the perspective of a teacher (biased as that may be).
Its a difficult decision both practically and with regards to the effects it will have on the kids, but unfortunately we feel it would be the best thing for their education.
Has anyone any experience of moving kids to a new school who might be able to highlight some of the problems/advantages of moving them that we might not have thought about? The kids are blissfully happy in the school I might add, with the exception of one class which they will all have to go through.
We're moving kids as well at the minute, same age as yours, P4 and P6. We've moved kids before from north to south and back again so have a wee bit of experience!!! Kids are very adaptable and will generally fit in well if they are anyway adjusted. The one thing I would be wary of is thinking that the grass is greener on the other side. So long as they are able to get involved in the class and able to make friends they will be fine.
Quote from: tbrick18 on August 03, 2015, 12:15:22 PM
We are seriously considering moving our kids to a new school......
...Mrs. tbrick18 teaches in the school.
The kids' education of course comes first, but it must really be bad given the above!
That is one hell of a statement being made!! :o
was thinking the same tbh. definitely a big balls move, so fair play to you, you must feel strongly about it.
wifey will be popular in the staff room!
Big statement alright and would this possibly not lead to tension between your wife and current staff & management (albeit your kids education is priority) Weigh up the pros and cons but I would have thought the kids having their mother working at the school as a big pro to keeping them there.
Yeah its a difficult one with Mrs Tbrick18 in there alright. The only saving grace is that she is the only member of staff in the school who has her kids there.
It is already well known within the school where problem lie, but there seems to be a lack of resolve when it comes to sorting it out. Mainly because it would mean teachers being scrutinized.
It's tough to explain without going into specific details about the school which wouldn't be fair I think, but part of our reasoning is that as a teacher she can see what the shortcomings are and despite attempts to help rectify the problems by her, the school is content to drift despite standardized test scores getting worse each year.
Also as parents, we have had the misfortune to be on the receiving end of lapses of child protection within the school which have put my children's safety at risk.
Really there is no one single reason, but rather lots of small things. Generally speaking anyone who wants their kids to go to a grammar school have to send them to tutors in the evenings, whereas the school we are considering moving them to has a much higher percentage of kids getting into grammar schools. We believe this is down to better prepared kids.
We dont necessarily want to push our kids to grammar, but neither do we want them to be denied the opportunity should they want to.
We are not the first family to move the kids either.
Our main worry is what it might do to the confidence of the kids and will the move adversely affect how they do academically more than it would if we left them where they are.
This is quite intriguing. Possible reasons for a school underperformance are what? How can this happen with all the checks and balances and departmental reviews?
Are the board of governors aware that there is a problem?
Or maybe they ignore the problem?
Or a poor incompetent principal?
Or a scheming mad principal?
Or is family tbrick the issue (you don't like the school cause they focus on soccer or hurling or rugby etc
Too many questions, and none of my business, but we're a curious breed.
Quote from: Orior on August 03, 2015, 03:41:38 PM
This is quite intriguing. Possible reasons for a school underperformance are what? How can this happen with all the checks and balances and departmental reviews?
Are the board of governors aware that there is a problem?
Or maybe they ignore the problem?
Or a poor incompetent principal?
Or a scheming mad principal?
Or is family tbrick the issue (you don't like the school cause they focus on soccer or hurling or rugby etc
Too many questions, and none of my business, but we're a curious breed.
Curious....another word for nosey! ;)
I'm not going to comment on principal/bog etc as my wife works there and god forbid I was to say something in the public domain which may get out somehow and cause her problems at work.
Family tbrick issue....quite possible and I often wonder that myself. However, other families have similar issues and dont have a family member working in the school so I think its more than that.
One of my main issues alongside the education part is that the school is an integrated school.....which is becoming less and less integrated both from religious and social points of view. My opinion, the opinion of other families, and the opinion of at least one other teacher in the school from a different background than Mrs. Tbrick18 supports this.
Is it not supposed to be the case that no primary schools are supposed to be preparing children for transfer tests, which I presume you are alluding to when talking about going to a grammar school?
Quote from: Tony Baloney on August 03, 2015, 04:47:23 PM
Is it not supposed to be the case that no primary schools are supposed to be preparing children for transfer tests, which I presume you are alluding to when talking about going to a grammar school?
As far as I know, no schools to prepare kids for transfer. However, most provide a level of education that enable them to go that way should they want to.
It's not the driving factor I'm getting at.....school kids do these standardised tests from P3 on, year on year over the past few years the average scores have been dropping and kids are generally getting worse scores year after year. IMO, they should be improving, but thats not the case.
Anyway, we're going off topic a bit....my query to the GAABOARD is more around the effect moving schools can have on children.
Would anyone completely discourage it?
Quote from: tbrick18 on August 03, 2015, 04:57:43 PM
Anyway, we're going off topic a bit....my query to the GAABOARD is more around the effect moving schools can have on children.
Would anyone completely discourage it?
Move them surely. Kids can roll with the punches. I know families who have moved towns and countries multiple times and the kids are all grand. In fact I'd say they are better for it. If you're worried about disrupting their lives or negatively impacting them - I wouldn't worry at all.
Thousands have done it. I would say the earlier the better. My eldest is the only fella from his p7 class going to the main local grammar school. He yapped about it a bit at the start but he has mates from the rugby club and is happy enough to go now. The fact that all the others are going to the school my missus teaches at is another story. It has got back to her that a mother of another child in p7 was saying "who does she think she is" etc. etc. ;D
school is an integrated school.....which is becoming less and less integrated both from religious and social points of view.
In terms of intake or actively promoting one set of beliefs above another?
Youngsters are unbelievably robust and settle extremely quickly. By the end of the first week they'll feel like they were always there. It'll take far more out of you two!
Quote from: Tony Baloney on August 03, 2015, 04:47:23 PM
Is it not supposed to be the case that no primary schools are supposed to be preparing children for transfer tests, which I presume you are alluding to when talking about going to a grammar school?
Yes, but that is a bit of a joke. A lot depends on the area of the school and the schools it feeds into. Lurgan schools for example don't prepare the children for the transfer at all really, most of the children just go to the local schools. If you are closer to Belfast then most of the primary schools will teach to the transfer. In a lot of cases teaching the P6 and P7 curriculum in their P6 year as the transfer is right at the start of P7!
Quote from: ONeill on August 03, 2015, 07:35:55 PM
school is an integrated school.....which is becoming less and less integrated both from religious and social points of view.
In terms of intake or actively promoting one set of beliefs above another?
A little bit of both, but mostly one set of beliefs/sports being promoted more than another.
Integrated schooling implies an acceptance of the principles of integrated schooling, i.e. those who attend an integrated primary school will also attend an integrated post-primary. These, in the main, are non-selective (don't need transfer test) and priority is given to those who have attended integrated primaries. Hence, no need to prepare for transfer.
I would be very reluctant to move my children at that age.
Quote from: Champion The Wonder Horse on August 04, 2015, 11:21:13 AM
Integrated schooling implies an acceptance of the principles of integrated schooling, i.e. those who attend an integrated primary school will also attend an integrated post-primary. These, in the main, are non-selective (don't need transfer test) and priority is given to those who have attended integrated primaries. Hence, no need to prepare for transfer.
I would be very reluctant to move my children at that age.
Again I dont want to go too deep into the reasons behind considering moving them, but I will say it's not something we've taken lightly.
I'm fully aware of what the Integrated schooling is
meant to be in the ideal situation, but the implementation and delivery of that ethos within each school is key.
I know for a fact that in this particular school, the vast majority of members of the Board of Governors have sent their children to grammar schools and not an integrated post-primary.
I'm all for integration in theory (I've got 3 kids in an integrated school), but integration by its definition is meant to be accepting of all traditions/backgrounds/religions/social standings....when that principle is not being adhered to and your children are missing out on what defines them and are not learning about their own background whilst at the same time having plenty of exposure to "the other" background it leaves you disillusioned with the system.
Our reasons are based around this and what we see as a declining level of education within the school.
Like I said its not a decision we are taking lightly, and the motivation is what's best for our kids education and nothing else. At the moment we feel their educational requirements are not being met, first and foremost. The lack of fully adhering to the integrated ethos is another factor, but only a contributing factor.
I taught in an IPS that sold poppies at the reception and also had children going around the classes selling them to the pupils! Really pissed me off at the time. I didn't let the children wear the poppies in the class and was waiting to be pull on it but nothing ever happened. I can just imagine the uproar if I started selling Easter lilies. That wouldn't have been the answer though as I don't think there should be any badges or emblems, that can be seen as political, being displayed in school. The principal was a Free P or something like that, bitter aul bastard! Not the most neutral IPS in the world I have to say.
no transfer tests done in schools in the south, so generally there is no 'coaching' of kids for those tests.
however, having dealt with schools in NI a few times through various north/south projects I was always amazed that schools and teachers had to spend time on these tests, in order to keep up the scores of the school vs neighbouring schools - in the eyes of parents and the wider community.
the thinking being - higher scores equals better pupils, ergo better teaching standards.
It is a very silly way to measure pupil and by extension school performance.
Quote from: manfromdelmonte on August 04, 2015, 05:32:19 PM
no transfer tests done in schools in the south, so generally there is no 'coaching' of kids for those tests.
however, having dealt with schools in NI a few times through various north/south projects I was always amazed that schools and teachers had to spend time on these tests, in order to keep up the scores of the school vs neighbouring schools - in the eyes of parents and the wider community.
the thinking being - higher scores equals better pupils, ergo better teaching standards.
It is a very silly way to measure pupil and by extension school performance.
Why so?
If the performance of pupils is getting worse year on year is that not an indication the standards are slipping? Leaving transfer out of it, you want your child to have the best chance possible and to do that they need a good education. If the child is learning less and less each year thats not good enough in my opinion.
i think the main issue would be test scores dropping consistently. and if that's the case surely there's people in the educational dept that would A, be monitoring this, and B, going to do something about it?? can you approach local councilors or TD's?
kids adapt well alright but have you, or are you going to speak to them about the possibility of changing schools? none of my business i guess, but i wouldn't just assume they will be grand.
and as someone said, the grass might not be greener on the other side for various reasons. you are getting inside info from the MRS but you wont get that where ever you go next.
Quote from: finbar o tool on August 04, 2015, 06:56:53 PM
i think the main issue would be test scores dropping consistently. and if that's the case surely there's people in the educational dept that would A, be monitoring this, and B, going to do something about it?? can you approach local councilors or TD's?
kids adapt well alright but have you, or are you going to speak to them about the possibility of changing schools? none of my business i guess, but i wouldn't just assume they will be grand.
and as someone said, the grass might not be greener on the other side for various reasons. you are getting inside info from the MRS but you wont get that where ever you go next.
We have mentioned it to the kids and they seem kind of excited by the prospect to be honest. Not really what I expected, but we had a look around the possible new school with the kids and they liked it. Mrs. tbrick18 knows one of the teachers in there and generally she said it was good. Also, the mother of the director of the company i work in is a retired teacher from the school and she said she would recommend it. We also asked a couple of parents who we know send their kids to the other school and the reports are all good.
Of course, it could be a case of the grass being greener...unfortunately we feel we have to take the risk.
The only thing holding us back now is trying to find out what the entrance criteria is for P1s. We have twins who will be going to P1 in another couple of years and we need to know if they get a place if there are siblings in the school...this isnt always the case and would put an end to any possible move.
http://email.cipdmail.com/q/1433uOj02tIHkXN730oKm/wv
Interesting report on the millennial generation and the old 'what's the point in a degree?' debate again.