Co-founder & CE @LinkMkr | Adoptive dad to 2 boys | Founder @lgbtadoptfoster & @hyphenID | Often tinkering with an electric barge 🏳️🌈 🏴☠️ 🔶
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Joined March 2009
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This began with my son. Six months on from the Mossbourne safeguarding review, I’m left asking: what does it take to create change?
open.substack.com/pub/andyle…
It is a disgrace. Ofsted appear to have ignored significant evidence of harm at MCA. The safeguarding review excluded the school despite the majority of accounts (186) concerning it. And still no meaningful response or transparency from the DfE.
educatinghackney.co.uk/mca-e…
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Andy Leary-May retweeted
I wonder what @tombennett71 makes of this: DfE intervening over, it seems, concerns that the Athena trust's exclusion and suspension numbers have been too high, asking it to share how it is working to reduce them, and warning about "weak" board oversight of these numbers.
New: Troubled Athena academy trust handed DfE Notice to Improve over its exclusion and suspension policies
educationuncovered.co.uk/new…
The DfE has issued a public Notice to Improve to Athena over exclusions, SEND & governance.
After the Mossbourne safeguarding review’s findings of emotional harm, what action has the DfE taken — and why isn’t it public?
@educationgovuk
gov.uk/government/publicatio…
Andy Leary-May retweeted
Democratise governance of multi-academy trusts, Labour MP to urge in House of Commons today.
A worthy issue for parlimentary consioderation - I wish it well educationuncovered.co.uk/new…
Andy Leary-May retweeted
Funny how transparency and accountability are essential when it comes to pupils, but apparently optional for the adults running schools. If improvements are genuinely being made, why shouldn’t parents, councillors and the public know what they are? 🤷♀️
Andy Leary-May retweeted
So the DfE drafted answers about safeguarding,SEND & discriminatory discipline at Mossbourne,then decided not to release them.Apparently transparency might have a “chilling effect” on the academy trust.
And the chilling effect on children? Welcome to academy accountability. 🙄
Andy Leary-May retweeted
Revealed: how DfE evaded answering questions on the impact of “no excuses” behaviour policies at East London academy
educationuncovered.co.uk/new…
Andy Leary-May retweeted
The significance of @warwickmansell post re clinical psychologists meeting with the DfE is receiving little media coverage when it is one of the most important statements in my professional lifetime. It can be summarise thus…/1
Andy Leary-May retweeted
There are some high profile educators on here who want us all to believe that schools must be like they're out of Orwell's 1984, otherwise they'll be like Grange Hill in 1984.
But there is, of course, middle ground. And thousands of brilliant schools exist there. Thank goodness.
The debate will go round in circles until we can agree on a simple principle: it’s possible to support strict schools while also accepting that disciplinary practices have boundaries, and that crossing them can cause harm.
Tom, in today’s Panorama you say it’s possible for schools to be too draconian. What, in your view, are the signs that practices have crossed the line from legitimate strictness into emotional harm?
@tombennett71
bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0…
Tom, genuine question. Do you think there could ever be a point at which disciplinary practices stop being just ‘strict’ and become emotionally harmful to some children? If so, where do you think that line is?
The super state school being torn apart by a cabal of activist parents who say it's 'too strict' to teach their children | Daily Mail Online dailymail.com/news/article-1…
Tom, this is squarely the area you research, write about and advocate on. I’m genuinely inviting you to engage with this question, respectfully and in good faith, because I think it’s central to moving the debate forward. Will you? @tombennett71
I agree. What she’s describing is exactly the sort of contract parents knowingly sign up to with a strict school - as I did with this one. The safeguarding review didn't examine this, it examined where practices cross the line into emotional harm. They’re different conversations.
What if they do want a strict school, but don’t want humiliation, intimidation or emotional harm? Is that really an unreasonable hope?
Wilshaw knew what was coming last year?
"As a former principal of one of the first academies, I want to see them continue to do well... If this is to happen, then we have to accept that greater oversight and scrutiny is necessary."
thetimes.com/uk/education/ar…
This is interesting - Michael Wilshaw on Mossbourne. He still seems to be talking as if he is a third-party - instagram.com/reel/DbEAKhYjP…
This is interesting - Michael Wilshaw on Mossbourne. He still seems to be talking as if he is a third-party - instagram.com/reel/DbEAKhYjP…
Andy Leary-May retweeted
An exceptional Times article that gets to the point.
“The thing is with neurodiversity, it’s not something that can get better through punishment,” she said. “What happens is the detentions pile up and pile up and pile up.”
One of my ND kids would thrive. The other would not.
The Times today gets closer to the actual issues at Mossbourne than the Sunday Times did.
“…the new debate is not whether schools should be strict, but to what extent that strictness can be proportionate and accommodating…”
thetimes.com/article/095cdb3…
A lesson in nuance by @HelenRumbelow
Writing that can help create understanding rather than division.
The Times today gets closer to the actual issues at Mossbourne than the Sunday Times did.
“…the new debate is not whether schools should be strict, but to what extent that strictness can be proportionate and accommodating…”
thetimes.com/article/095cdb3…
The Times today gets closer to the actual issues at Mossbourne than the Sunday Times did.
“…the new debate is not whether schools should be strict, but to what extent that strictness can be proportionate and accommodating…”
thetimes.com/article/095cdb3…