need reassurance on Ivydale

[Queenie23]

well, it's good everybody is still positive about Ivydale. Maybe I'm just being nostalgic for the old days when it was really creative and chaotic.!

[nunheadmum]

Unfortunately while being creative and chaotic Ivydale was only rated 'Satisfactory' by Ofsted. Now the powers that be in schools, are saying that schools can't stay 'Satisfactory', they need to improve to 'Good' or risk special measures which would curtail a lot of the freedom to do things that make Ivydale the school it is. So if the school doesn't focus more on improvement in the things that Ofsted mark - which unfortunately means SATS results, attendance etc - it risks losing the freedom to do all the other bits that everyone thinks are brilliant.

I'm really hoping that Helen, the Headteacher, can get the balance right. The latest results seems to show that they're moving in the right direction while also maintaining and broadening out the range of 'other' activities on offer.

[oldnewromantic]

Hello toomuchchocolate and melrose

We still love Hollydale. It has such a lovely community feel to it. The head teacher is totally committed, very experienced and knows the names of EVERY child at the school. The after school club has recently been taken over by the school and I really can't fault it. They do lots of different activities with wonderful staff and also have a structured homework club.

The school has links to the Royal Ballet as part of the Chance to Dance programme, it has an Artsmark Gold award lots of fabulous teachers.

I particularly enjoy parents evenings. The teachers are always so excited about what the children have been doing and can't wait to show you.

More and more parents are getting involved and the school can only get better.

PM me if you want to know more

[dulwichgirl2]

Interesting posts.

[supergolden88]

I have to say that Ivydale is still very creative and thankfully slightly improved on the chaotic. My daughter seems to be doing really well in year one and she is very excited about learning and school (although less enthused about doing homework). Her reading is fantastic and even math which was not as strong has been massively improved lately. On the extra curricular front the amount of clubs and music/gymnastic/drama activities on offer is mind boggling.

I hope this is reflected in their results. Nunhead mum any idea when next inspection is due?

[DenmotherSmith]

My son was in year six last year at Ivydale and when I read the improved results and the clamour for them from prospective parents it reminds me that he was literally put through the ringer last year, with SATS, SATS SATS forced down his throat. He was exhausted, unwell during the SATAS week, and facing a barrage of come to school early, have some free breakfast, put on a treadmill that only benefitted the school and did him no favours. It certainly was not like that under the previous Headship. It really made his final year a less happy then it should have been.

I do have other children attending the school, it can be chaotic, communication is often poor, I find the office staff abrasive to say the least and senior management can be slow to listen to parents. BUT most of the class teachers are brilliant, music is excellent , the after school enrichment program is fantastic, all my kids have had many great experiences through the school. For me the jury is still out on the new head, but its still a good school.

[nunheadmum]

SG88 - not sure when the next OFSTED is due but I get the feeling that they think it may not be that far off, particularly as they only had 'satisfactory' last time and the new thinking on that category. I know they did do a 'mock' inspection last term.

I think unfortunately the new approach of OFSTED is going to mean that the schools need to jump through the hoops or they stand to loose all freedom. I think the good teaching lower down the school will, in time, pay rewards that the kids don't need to be so intensively coached to achieve the decent results required to pass SATS at the levels needed for a decent OFSTED. In the meantime, the teachers at the top end have to do all they can to try and ensure they get the results needed to keep all the special things about Ivydale that we love.

To me, it seems that running a successful school - and turning around a school that was all but failing not so long ago - is a complex business. Ray started that process really successfully turning it into a school people wanted to come to and now Helen needs support from everyone (teachers, parents, kids) to help maintain what's good that we all love while developing the weaker bits (hard academic results in standard tests) which seems to be what the Government want. (And lets face it, we all want kids who achieve their potential academically as well as in arts, sports etc). We don't want just a SATS machine but we can't ignore that side either, unfortunately!