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Clapham, Stockwell and Kennington news, rumour and general chat

Cold Harbour said:
Do any Stockwell locals know anything more about this?

David Bowie’s primary school investigated for teacher cheating and bullying culture

Ignore the spurious Bowie mention!
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The school has quite an interesting recent history:
- approx 2010 the headteacher was Janet Mullholland and the school had had 3 outstanding Ofsted reports. She was an inspiring head.
The media ranted about how much Mulholland was earning as a so called superhead!!
- mulholland leaves and SATs go downhill
- school fights to improve and the resultant corruption occurs
The most interesting ex pupil after Bowie was Violet Szabo
 
I think the Evening Standard article was a parent-driven piece to draw attention to the situation, as official channels proved ineffective. Parents are concerned and feel they are being let down by the SLT, some of the governing board, and Lambeth Council. Council is currently running an audit into the various allegations listed. The report is due end of October.
 
Cold Harbour said:
Do any Stockwell locals know anything more about this?

David Bowie’s primary school investigated for teacher cheating and bullying culture

Ignore the spurious Bowie mention!
Click to expand...

So - I'm a dad of two, both at Stockwell Primary. After the Standard story was published (copies of which were handed out by parents at the school gates the following Monday morning after publication), the chair of governors wrote a note to all parents. This confirmed that the Sats in 2017 had indeed been annulled, and that Lambeth Council are carrying out an audit of the school on the allegations in the Standard (there are actually a few audits of the school taking place - the Sats annulment, which is said to have involved teacher cheating; financial irregularities, including why the executive head's son had a business registered to the school property; and bullying allegations by the executive head). The lead auditor is the same person who audited Gipsy Hill Federation, leading to Craig Tunstall's suspension. But the audit only came about after parents spent the summer gathering evidence and presenting it to Lambeth Council - a job that should have been done by the board of governors.

Many parents have subsequently said it shouldn't have taken a newspaper article to confirm to all parents that the Sats were annulled. There was a very fiery parent forum meeting in the summer where the exec head resorted to shouting at parents who wanted answers, after several good teachers quit in disgust. A second meeting a few weeks ago between teachers and parents had only one governor present (the parent governor) and the executive head failed to show, with no explanation. The exec head is actively refusing to speak to parents anymore and has barely been seen in the mornings. One parent reported when asking her about the PTA suspension, suggesting suspending it during the audit made as much sense as "suspending you during the audit", she supposedly said "that's just what 'you people' want". She also used the first day of term in September to tell all staff in a meeting that if anyone speaks to parents about what's happening, Lambeth Council will sack them (Lambeth Council subsequently denied this).

The executive head (who has been meeting with her own union reps) appears to have many supporters at Lambeth Council, among some of the teaching staff (where loyalty is said to be put ahead of competency) and some of the Governors, who appear completely out of their depth. The school is also due an Ofsted inspection soon.

As a parent, it is gutting that it has had to be the parents, rather than the governors, who have been forced to hold the school to account. The parents I've spoken to want the exec head sacked, the board of governors disbanded and the PTA reinstated. Here's to hoping...
 
Hacked off dad said:
So - I'm a dad of two, both at Stockwell Primary. After the Standard story was published (copies of which were handed out by parents at the school gates the following Monday morning after publication), the chair of governors wrote a note to all parents. This confirmed that the Sats in 2017 had indeed been annulled, and that Lambeth Council are carrying out an audit of the school on the allegations in the Standard (there are actually a few audits of the school taking place - the Sats annulment, which is said to have involved teacher cheating; financial irregularities, including why the executive head's son had a business registered to the school property; and bullying allegations by the executive head). The lead auditor is the same person who audited Gipsy Hill Federation, leading to Craig Tunstall's suspension. But the audit only came about after parents spent the summer gathering evidence and presenting it to Lambeth Council - a job that should have been done by the board of governors.

Many parents have subsequently said it shouldn't have taken a newspaper article to confirm to all parents that the Sats were annulled. There was a very fiery parent forum meeting in the summer where the exec head resorted to shouting at parents who wanted answers, after several good teachers quit in disgust. A second meeting a few weeks ago between teachers and parents had only one governor present (the parent governor) and the executive head failed to show, with no explanation. The exec head is actively refusing to speak to parents anymore and has barely been seen in the mornings. One parent reported when asking her about the PTA suspension, suggesting suspending it during the audit made as much sense as "suspending you during the audit", she supposedly said "that's just what 'you people' want". She also used the first day of term in September to tell all staff in a meeting that if anyone speaks to parents about what's happening, Lambeth Council will sack them (Lambeth Council subsequently denied this).

The executive head (who has been meeting with her own union reps) appears to have many supporters at Lambeth Council, among some of the teaching staff (where loyalty is said to be put ahead of competency) and some of the Governors, who appear completely out of their depth. The school is also due an Ofsted inspection soon.

As a parent, it is gutting that it has had to be the parents, rather than the governors, who have been forced to hold the school to account. The parents I've spoken to want the exec head sacked, the board of governors disbanded and the PTA reinstated. Here's to hoping...
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welcome aboard :cool:
 
Hacked off dad said:
There was a very fiery parent forum meeting in the summer where the exec head resorted to shouting at parents who wanted answers, after several good teachers quit in disgust. A second meeting a few weeks ago between teachers and parents had only one governor present (the parent governor) and the executive head failed to show, with no explanation. The exec head is actively refusing to speak to parents anymore and has barely been seen in the mornings. One parent reported when asking her about the PTA suspension, suggesting suspending it during the audit made as much sense as "suspending you during the audit", she supposedly said "that's just what 'you people' want". She also used the first day of term in September to tell all staff in a meeting that if anyone speaks to parents about what's happening, Lambeth Council will sack them (Lambeth Council subsequently denied this).

The executive head (who has been meeting with her own union reps) appears to have many supporters at Lambeth Council, among some of the teaching staff (where loyalty is said to be put ahead of competency) and some of the Governors, who appear completely out of their depth. The school is also due an Ofsted inspection soon.

As a parent, it is gutting that it has had to be the parents, rather than the governors, who have been forced to hold the school to account. The parents I've spoken to want the exec head sacked, the board of governors disbanded and the PTA reinstated. Here's to hoping...
Click to expand...

That's awful - really unprofessional of the school to have treated parents that way.

I have plenty of friends with kids at Jessop and the Exec Head isn't popular there either, it was also struggling then got an OFSTED Outstanding after some pretty radical pruning of staff etc. Some newer parents have joined the Governors to try and get some answers recently apparently. I get the impression that Lambeth would rather the whole thing went away quietly.
 
The exec head as far as I can see treats parents with total contempt. It's just so disappointing. Regarding the inflated SATS scores, as a parent I feel like the school was sold to me on a falsehood. It's the educational equivalent of being told the £350m NHS Brexit lie, although for the record I didn't fall for that one! Cheating helps no one but the people at the top. Least of all it helps the kids. Stockwell Primary has so much potential. There are some great aspects to it and some fabulous, dedicated teachers who really care. The extra curricular activities are excellent and my child is progressing well - so far they have been shielded from the shit that's happening at the top. Let's hope the current situation gets resolved with some decisive action from Lambeth. The parents and kids really do deserve much better.
 
editor said:
Everything that's wrong with academies in the opening para:
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This is asset stripping on a commercial scale - and the assets in question were publicly owned.

I appreciate Sir Greg Martin is not a Russian oligarch, but his means of accumulating wealth is essentially the same.
 
MissL said:
The exec head as far as I can see treats parents with total contempt. It's just so disappointing. Regarding the inflated SATS scores, as a parent I feel like the school was sold to me on a falsehood. It's the educational equivalent of being told the £350m NHS Brexit lie, although for the record I didn't fall for that one! Cheating helps no one but the people at the top. Least of all it helps the kids. Stockwell Primary has so much potential. There are some great aspects to it and some fabulous, dedicated teachers who really care. The extra curricular activities are excellent and my child is progressing well - so far they have been shielded from the shit that's happening at the top. Let's hope the current situation gets resolved with some decisive action from Lambeth. The parents and kids really do deserve much better.
Click to expand...
The Exec Head is off for 'personal reasons' apparently, let's hope it doesn't drag on for months more.
 
Over the years I have spent time here and met many diverse peeps who have lived and worked in the Pullens building and Yards and so I am posting this for others who have had connections and anyone else who might find it interesting..

"The Pullenites is Clapham Film Unit's current project, collecting the stories of the people who saved the Pullens Estate from demolition, making a documentary and set of oral history recordings. Working with the Pullens TRA, Friends of Pullens Gardens, artists and musicians and Southwark Archives.Music played live by SpannerTate, Foggy Cry, Damidge, Natty Bo, Dream Machine and John Eacott "

 
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cuppa tee said:
Over the years I have spent time and met many diverse peeps who have lived and worked in the Pullens building and Yards and so I am posting this for others who have had connections and anyone else who might find it interesting..

"The Pullenites is Clapham Film Unit's current project, collecting the stories of the people who saved the Pullens Estate from demolition, making a documentary and set of oral history recordings. Working with the Pullens TRA, Friends of Pullens Gardens, artists and musicians and Southwark Archives.Music played live by SpannerTate, Foggy Cry, Damidge, Natty Bo, Dream Machine and John Eacott "
Click to expand...

My friend runs the cafe there. It's a brilliant community.
 
JuanTwoThree said:
I gather Rebato's is gone. The restaurant was a bit up its own arse but the bar was ok. They treated me to a wide range of Spanish brandies once, on the house because I was 'simpatico'.
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Couldn't read the article cos my device is f@cked....
Was Rebatos the gaff on S Lambeth Rd ?
I lived just round the corner when I first moved here and thought it was mental cos the poshest restaurant I'd been to up north was a berni inn and that was only for really special occasions.
 
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It sounds like both groups of girls were pretty aggy towards each other, even from only hearing one side of the story. Certainly doesnt excuse the guy from beating one of them up though :eek:

That whole high street is a war zone on the weekends, from what i have seen when walking down it. Awful vibe.
 
Those of us who are aware of St Agnes Place might have been thinking the street is headed for quieter times following the completion of a new housing development on the site of the former squats. But the sight of scaffolding going up around the £1.5 million new build "Georgian townhouses" so soon after the new residents moved in was the first sign that all was not well and it now transpires that the whole development is compromised to some large degree necessitating an extensive and expensive rebuild, and that those same new residents are being decanted from the manor as and when alternative temporary accommodation becomes available.
Word on the street is that certain building tests were not properly carried out and the properties were signed off when they should not have been. I am guessing this is probably a case of corporate incompetence or cost saving but I can't help thinking that former denizens, Bob Marley and Austin Osman Spare amongst others, might be looking down and high fiving at the success of some ghostly sabotage......
 
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cuppa tee said:
Those of us who are aware of St Agnes Place might have been thinking the street is headed for quieter times following the completion of a new housing development on the site of the former squats. But the sight of scaffolding going up around the £1.5 million new build "Georgian townhouses" so soon after the new residents moved in was the first sign that all was not well and it now transpires that the whole development is compromised to some large degree necessitating an extensive and expensive rebuild, and that those same new residents are being decanted from the manor as and when alternative temporary accommodation becomes available.
Word on the street is that certain building tests were not properly carried out and the properties were signed off when they should not have been. I am guessing this is probably a case of corporate incompetence or cost saving but I can't help thinking that former denizens, Bob Marley and Austin Osman Spare amongst others, might be looking down and high fiving at the success of some ghostly sabotage......
Click to expand...
Still dislike cycling along there, it used to be so different. Those townhouses are vile too, mock Notting Hill with their balconies.
 
On trend vegan restaurant offers "boisterous dishes for committed vegans". :facepalm:

Following a hugely successful 3-month residency, founders Ashley Letchford and Chef Dominic Taylor will continue to bring their unique take on plant-based comfort food and playful vegan cocktails to this buzzing south London neighbourhood.

The Meet offers indulgent plant-based comfort food combined with playful vegan cocktails, all in the urban, industrial backdrop of railway arches in Clapham North. Designed for a spectrum of tastes, the menu includes a selection of boisterous dishes for committed vegans, experimental foodies as well as those who are just simply health-conscious. Now open daily, The Meet serves a selection of small sharing plates, burgers, late night bites as well offering bottomless vegan brunch and Sunday roasts on the weekend.
Click to expand...

THE MEET
15-16 Lendal Terrace,
London
SW4 7UX
 
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