The Charter School

[beth]

Well, I guess they don't have the money that the private school kids do to buy the hard drugs! Seriously though, I've seen a mix of behaviour from the kids from various schools in East Dulwich - was on a bus listening to the most boorish, obnoxious little private school kids the other day talking about coke, getting pissed and being really nasty about some other kids that weren't in their little, exclusive clique. Again, teenagers the world over are a mixed bunch. Don't think you can judge how they are outside school on the school itself. I blame the parents myself!

[clare]

Beth- I always seem to agree with you. Wise words indeed.

[Debi]

My advice to the person canvassing opinion about secondary schools is - listen to no one! Every child is different and so is every school. What suits one will not suit all. Personally, we didn't feel Charter was right for our son and neither did he. But that certainly doesn't make it a bad school.

My son is now - shock horror - at Kingsdale. Yes, you can Roll on the Floor Laughing Out Loud - but I wonder what evidence you are using to justify that reaction.

From our direct experience it is a truly wonderful school! It has fabulous resources (the equal of any of the private schools) and a totally dedicated and committed staff team. The education my son has received since September has surpasased our expectations. He is on the gifted and talented programme, receives additonal support for his dyslexia and is a proud, loyal and enthusiastic ambassador for his school.

Unfortunately, the biggest problem Kingsdale faces is the continued negative perceptions based on the past that many people still have.

This is grossly unfair - on both the staff who have worked tirelessly to turn the school round (with spectacular success) and - even more importantly - on the children who go there and hear their school (and by association themselves) dismissed in this negative and patronising manner.

So please - don't listen to anyone else. Visit all the local schools. Go and see for yourself. Keep an open mind. And check Kingsdale's recent Ofsted report - it would be difficult to find a school praised higher by the inspectors than Kingsdale.

Oh and by the way ... there have been recent reports of children behaving appallingly in the streets, spitting and cursing. On further investigation, these turned out to be pupils at Dulwich College. And speak to the manager of the local Tesco. He will tell you that the problems he has with shoplifting have also been down to Dulwich College students. Unfortunately, their uniform is very similar to Kingsdale's. How very sad that most people will automatically assume that if they see bad behaviour on the streets, the culprits will be from Kingsdale.

[clare]

Hear hear Debi !!!

[dulwichmum]

Dear Debi,

We all defend vigorously the choices that we make with regard to the schools we choose to send our children to. I would love to agree with you with regard to Kingsdale, as it is on my doorstep. I know very well that it is easy to brand a school and the children who attend it. Within the last twelve months however, I have had glass bottles galore thrown into my garden where my small children are playing, rocks thrown at my living room window on various occasions, and numerous conversations with the staff of Kingsdale and their beat officer about the childrens behaviour. These are certainly Kingsdale pupils. I have also been made aware of Dulwich College boys buying drugs from pushers (and I don't mean cannibis)on my doorstep, and I am aware of the trouble they cause at local shops. None of these kids are saints.

I don't want a perfect saint for a son/daughter (how boring), but I really would be happy if they grew up with respect for eachother along with a decent level of self respect. I want my children to do no harm to others and steer well clear of drugs/alcohol. I think any school is only ever as good as the parents who support it. It is not the quiet well behaved children who attract attention to any school.

[Michael Palaeologus]

Blimey D-M. I look forward to your next dispatch from the front line. Be careful out there.

[dulwichmum]

Dear Mr Mikewbate,

I will be brave sweetie, thanks. The new Majestic Wines is opening up within 2 minutes of my home, so West Dulwich has its compensations. I will fight my way through the drug pushers and drugies to get my tipple (when Lent is over)!

[Michael Palaeologus]

God bless you and all your works in the western outback.

[Townleygreen]

Debi

I definitely agree with you! Your child's experience of a school is the vital thing.

Also, it sounds as if Kingsdale has improved massively, which is marvellous. Maybe it needs to rebrand itself somehow so that people who don't know it can approach it with a more open mind. Trouble is, its name has become synonymous with its rather poor past. It needs to cut that link for future possible pupils and their parents. We shouldn't judge a book by its cover, of course but stupidly we do.

And dulwichmum I always feel the people who live close to any school will be the ones who have the least illusions about the quality of its pupils. The vast majority are fine, but the ones you notice are the awful ones.

Best wishes, we all want the best for our kids

[dulwichmum]

Dear Townley Green,

Here, here!

[Debi]

This is brilliant that some balance is being injected into the debate. I thank you both for your open minded attitude.

As for Kingsdale 'rebranding', it has just become a foundation school. This means that its intake will be halved and will be under the control of the school itself as opposed to the local authority. I confidently predict that it will become highly over-subscribed as a result. The hope is that all the children going there in the future will have put Kingsdale as their first choice. I'm sure this will make a big difference and that the school will continue to go from strength to strength under the inspirational leadership of Stephen Morrison and his staff.

[Townleygreen]

Debi,

Let's hope you are right. Who is this miracle-worker who is now the Head? Tell us more about him please.

[Debi]

Stephen Morrison had been the head for a number of years. All the advances made over the past few years have been under his leadership - it's just taken a long time for the news to filter through that Kingsdale is no longer a sink school. In fact it has been on the 'most improved' list for several years running - an amazing achievement as it has meant the improvements are exponential. Their GCSE results are far higher than any of the academies and are on a par with Charter.

And as I said before, they recently received a wonderful Ofsted that included the following:

'Impressed by the enthusiasm, politenemss and commitment' of the pupils

'Oustanding curriculum'

'Wonderful facilities'

'Very good teachers firmly committed to success'

'School buildings are wonderful'

'A good and rapidly improving school with a number of outstanding features'

'Outstanding quality of leadership and management'

'An oasis of calm and hard work in a vibrant and exciting urban setting'

'Pupils feel safe and are keen to engage in learning'

'The school is welcoming and the buildings are inspiring ... smart and clean ... virtually no graffiti or litter'

I could go on and on. The report is available online, so no one needs to take my word for it. It's a great school!

[Ko]

I've just read the full Ofsted report for Kingsdale and I was very impressed!

A few months ago, a friend of mine who teaches at one of the private prep schools in Dulwich told me how good Kingsdale had become. I queried whether she had got the right school('Do you mean the one in West Dulwich in Alleyn Park?' Friend: 'Yes that's the one'. Me: 'Are you sure - I heard it was not a very good school and to be avoided'). After this chat, I muttered to my other half about how teachers in the private school sector were obviously out of touch with the state schools. I've had to eat my words now! Very good news for the area.

I would definitely give the school a chance and its good to hear that talented children are also catered for and challenged.

[dulwichmum]

It is all good news! Dulwich - don't you just love it?

[Debi]

Yes - it's excellent news. Thanks to all those people who have refused to simply accept the negative attitudes without question. As I said at the beginning of this discussion - an open mind is all that's really required.

Hopefully attitudes are beginning to change. Last year, my son had to continually contend (and unfortunately still does) with people looking shocked when they hear which school he chose. And I lost count of the number of people who acted like I was sending my child to Death Row when I said we had put Kingsdale top of our list! I even had one woman ask me if I had been there! As if we'd make such a crucial decision without carefully checking both Kingsdale and the alternatives! (She herself had NEVER been there of course but still felt justified in believing she knew better ...)

As I've said, now that he's been there since September, we now feel totally vindicated.

[Townleygreen]

Thanks Debi for that info. It is great to have that extra detail and its all good news about Kingsdale. Let's hope lots of other good kids go there and get the obvious benefits. I wonder if one day they will develop a Sixth Form. What choices do the kids have for that stage, when they have to leave the school?

[Debi]

And thanks to you too, Townleygreen, for your open mind and continuing interest.

Kingsdale decided against having a 6th form at this time as they are extrememly self-critical and felt they could not provide a 6th form at this time that would live up to their own exacting high standards.

They are, however, totally open to change, so nothing is set in stone and this situation may well change in the future.

The key is for the children who go there to be engaged and enthusiastic - which certainly won't happen unless their parents are equally committed.