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'Hero headmaster' shows how to save failing schools
Nicholas Cecil, Deputy Political Editor7 Oct 2009
A London head teacher was hailed a "hero" by the Conservatives today as they pledged to swiftly turn England's worst schools into academies if they win power.
Shadow children's secretary Michael Gove singled out Sir Michael Wilshaw for his success in running the Mossbourne Academy in Hackney.
Mr Gove aims to use Mossbourne as a prototype to drive up standards at schools which have been in special measures for at least a year as of next July. They would become academies under new leadership, with proven sponsors, by September 2011.
Currently there are about 100 schools judged to be failing so badly.
After delegates watched a short video about Mossbourne, Mr Gove said: "Sir Michael is a real hero. I can't tell you how much I admire this man.
"He inherited what was officially the worst school in England. Now it's one of the best. We will - in our first 100 days - identify the very worst schools, the sink schools which have desperately failed their children, and put them rapidly into the hands of heads with a proven track record. I will not allow another generation of our poorest children to have their future blighted by failing schools."
In his keynote speech to the party faithful, Mr Gove stressed that Mossbourne, which opened in 2004 on the site of the failed Hackney Downs school, was a key model for his party's strategy of "turbo-charging" the academy programme.
"If you want to know what Conservative education policy is in a nutshell it's taking what has made Sir Michael's school excellent and spreading it to every school," he said.
The shadow Cabinet minister put its success down to:
Uniform with blazer and tie.
Respect for authority.
Clear sanctions for troublemakers and no excuses for bad behaviour.
Setting classes by ability so the brightest can be stretched and the weakest given support.
Teaching traditional subjects in a rigorous way.
High standard of extra-curricular activity including competitive sport.
Excellent teachers who also work in the evenings and on Saturdays.
Mr Gove added: "In just a few short years Sir Michael has ensured that this school now has 85 per cent of students getting top marks at GCSE."
Reader views (4)
Haha. Not sure whether to laugh or cry. How frightening. I have visited Mossbourne Academy and heard the students chant their mantra every morning ( or is it lesson?). I am a teacher in an inner city school who also believes in philosophy of good discipline and behavior being vital to sound education and I am on the front line with none of the power and authority of Wilshaw. But I think the soul and personality are being ripped out of eduction in establishments like this just to get exam pass figures looking good. They are simply exam machines. To qualify this I feel the need to add I have been in a school in Tower Hamlets for 3 years and raised GCES 'C' grades from 19% to 72% in that time and hoping for further improvement this year. NO CHANTING NEEDED. NO SATURDAYS NEEDED. Just a culture of mutual respect, high expectations and most importantly engaging the students. It is no surprise the Tories want Wilshaw for their champion. They don't really care about the students. Its all just data and figures. I really don't think the general public have a clue of how little knowledge (even those students with good exam results) actually have on leaving school. What a shame. It just makes teachers like me (and there are a lot of us) want to leave the profession totally.
- Garry, London, 14/01/2010 18:13
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I have been a volunteer in Mossbourne and seen how this particular education policy works. The children are given every opportunity to meet their individual potential inspite of often coming from severely deprived and dysfunctional homes. If a child is unable to do homework at home, there is an active, supportive homework club for him/her to work in. If they fall behind in a subject they are encouraged to take extra catch-up sessions. All this is done within an atmosphere of "you can do it if you try" and every child is encouraged to take up the challenge to achieve. In addition to all this there is a very active personal development curriculum of sport, music, drama, art and public speaking.
There is absolutely no reason why every school should not follow this programme - it only requires the desire to accept only excellence in staff, educating and encourging the children to achieve thier own personal best, and basic school discipline (to which every parent has to agree and sign up to). I believe everyone needs boundaries, not only students but also staff. No wearing of jeans by staff, nor referring to staff by their first names at Mosbourne. Combine high standards with an attitude to accept nothing less that the best, and you have well rounded, educated children to build a healthy future for our society.
- Natalie, London, 08/10/2009 03:52
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Wonderful stuff..! Well done
- Paul Jardine, Bromley, 07/10/2009 19:01
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I remembered a conversation I had with a friend a year before I had to send my child to Secondary School. She was discussing train times & how her child had to be up at the crack of dawn to prepare for a journey to their new school out of the borough Hackney...and my thoughts was I will be doing that soon!
A year later I attended the Round Chapel School Fair and met Sir Clive Bourne (departed Sponsor), who called us over to see this model of a school – a new Academy in Hackney. He was so excited and we just look at each other and said yes so what? Another new failing idea once again lumbered on us in Hackney. He said pls attend our meeting & listen – we all did and now I’m one of those proud parents with child in Mossbourne’s 85% GCSE passes.
Thank you Sir Michael!
- Jackie, London, UK, 07/10/2009 13:11
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