Ecclesfield School Specialist in Visual & Performing Arts

Ecclesfield School, Specialist in Visual & Performing Arts. Still in special measures, with no plan to get itself out of special measures.

https://www.thestar.co.uk/news/inadequate-sheffield-secondary-school-does-not-have-improvement-plan-fit-for-purpose-according-to-ofsted-1-8881640

I can't help but imagine how different it might have been if the school had prided itself on its prowess in delivering maths and physics instead of Britain's Got Talent entrants and finger painting. Maybe the incoming head teacher will reflect on that.

Poor kids. All those futures wasted because of idiot kidults masquerading as grown up teachers.

And then again...

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2017/oct/03/school-results-music-bradford

I'd firstly like to know if the op has a child at Ecclesfield or any personal experience of the school? You refer to the school as delivering 'Britains got talent' entrants and finger painters? This is a very flippant and utterly stupid sweeping statement. Yes, there was a student who did very well in such a contest, however if you actually took time to gather facts, was taking private singing lessons in an acadamy, applied for the show independently and did extremely well. Yes, he had moral support from the school community and it was an exciting time for his friends and family.

The school does specialise in performing arts, but it also offers every other subject available within a secondary school, including maths, science, triple science, languages, humanities, English, English literature, technology, computer studies. Music and drama are taught in Y7,8 & 9 and also offered as an option from Y10 onwards, please note OPTION.

If the school wished to pride itself on teaching mathematics, I'm sure it could, every child has the option to learn.

Now, let me address your desire to strip the school of its arts. Children are gifted in all manner of ways, including the arts. You clearly do not have any understanding of the difficulty in learning an instrument, or the skill, dedication and work required. To use materials to create something beautiful is a skill that requires a solid understanding and hard work. For many children who struggle with academics such as maths & science it provides hope and self worth, as well as a glimmer of hope. Please do not refer to such children as 'finger painters', that is completely ignorant.

You also refer to the teachers as idiots? So, the maths teachers and physics teachers who have studied all those years at school, college and university, the ones you so outwardly encourage, are idiots now?

Yes, the school is facing a very challenging time and is working hard to right the wrongs, but I ask, have you actually read the Ofsted report and fully understand the areas which require improvement? If you haven't, please find and read a copy.

I hope the new head teacher embraces the arts as well as the maths & sciences. Allowing the future to be filled with young adults of all abilities and skills to offer.

I have a grandson who attended Ecclesfield school and a granddaughter who is currently a pupil there. My grandson had severe problems with his mental health but thanks to the excellent support given by the school was able to pass all his GCSE exams. This was only possible because of the excellent pastoral care Ecclesfield offers.

My granddaughter is doing very well and the standard both of academic and pastoral care is excellent. She is being encouraged to make the most of her academic ability and also to broaden her range of interests to become a rounded individual.

The staff work their absolute hardest and need and deserve the support of parents and the wider community.

Ecclesfield School, Specialist in Visual & Performing Arts. Still in special measures, with no plan to get itself out of special measures.

 

https://www.thestar.co.uk/news/inadequate-sheffield-secondary-school-does-not-have-improvement-plan-fit-for-purpose-according-to-ofsted-1-8881640

 

I can't help but imagine how different it might have been if the school had prided itself on its prowess in delivering maths and physics instead of Britain's Got Talent entrants and finger painting. Maybe the incoming head teacher will reflect on that.

 

Poor kids. All those futures wasted because of idiot kidults masquerading as grown up teachers.

The 'Specialisations' that most secondary schools say they have are usually not worth the paper they're written on. It's just a way to get extra funding for the schools so they have to do it. It's the system.

All secondary schools aim to offer a good all round education with good teaching and a broad and balanced curriculum.

I wasn't going to post on this thread, initially interpreting it as the op fishing for a bite...!

but I will

my oldest son, who is now in his early 20's, went to Ecclesfield & gained 12 or 13 GCSE's - I can't recall the exact number... but not all of them were in the arts

he was & is very intelligent, and following the excellent tuition & support given by the staff at the school, he now has a very promising career in the music industry...

he could just as easily gone into finance, psychology, medicine, you name it...

but we encouraged him to follow the career path he really wanted to do

my other two children are still students at Ecclesfield, and both of them are excelling in every way, they have very different skills and abilities, my daughter for example is a superb artist, but her true talent is in creative writing... and she is today starting as a volunteer at an organisation offering help to kids who want to develop their reading & writing skills... this is a prequel to work experience she will be starting there next summer

so, arts combined with English... working positively for the community

my youngest son is the most upbeat & confident person I have ever known in my entire life, nothing... and I truly mean nothing... ever gets him down, his outlook on life is a true delight to witness & will carry him a very long way in life.

academically he'd be the first to say he's not as advanced as his elder siblings were at the same age, but what he does have is the ability and willingness to try anything and to help anyone wherever he can

I'm exceptionally proud of all three of my kids, but I can't take all the praise for how they have developed into these super-human beings, Ecclesfield School has played an enormous part in their development, and I for one would genuinely like to thank them for their on-going support

I'd also like to add that I couldn't personally give a turd what Ofsted say or think, I don't value their opinion or comments in the slightest, and I wouldn't if they came back and said the school was exceptional - I don't need some government sponser dimwit to tell me that

I know what a good school Ecco is, and if they can't see it because they haven't got enough tickboxes on their form, then how can their opinion be taken seriously

I also couldn't care less about this not being such a sought after catchment area because of their Ofsted score, good I say, who wants all that type of people trying to muscle in and buy properties in the catchment just because the school rates highly on some daft government barometer...

there we are, I think I've covered all bases there!

And yet, despite all the protestations by proud parents and proud grandparents, the school has failed, has been put in special measures, is still failing, has sacked the headteacher, has teachers and leaders criticised by OFSTED, and STILL has no plan to get out of their mess.

Simon Cowell will have a bumper list of entrants. Oxford and Cambridge not so many.

But at least

I know very little about Ecclesfield school. I remember playing football for my school there in the 1960's and seeing for the first time grass tennis courts. I think Barry Hines was educated there. I wish all the pupils and their parents all the best with the difficulties the school is now facing.

An observation, did Abbeydale Grange School go down the route of becoming a Performing Arts Centre? Unfortunately that didn't work out well.

Hope everyone at Ecclesfield can prevent a similar result.

And yet, despite all the protestations by proud parents and proud grandparents, the school has failed, has been put in special measures, is still failing, has sacked the headteacher, has teachers and leaders criticised by OFSTED, and STILL has no plan to get out of their mess.

 

Simon Cowell will have a bumper list of entrants. Oxford and Cambridge not so many.

 

But at least

OFSTED is a very dubious method of evaluating schools.

2 OFSTED inspectors watching the same lesson can (and do) mark it at opposite ends of the scale. I've seen it happen. It's very subjective in spite of working to criteria. They don't know the pupils or the teacher, the background, the dynamics, or what is beneath the surface of what they see.

Because of this, sometimes an inspection will make its evaluation mainly on the paperwork which doesn't tell the whole story at all. Some of the (IMO) best schools have the worst paperwork, because they put all their time and energy into the kids.

Then there are the things that can't be measured that make or break a school; atmosphere, attitude, care, relationships etc.

Schools with serious problems are not turned round by 'Special measures.' In many cases Special measures just add to the problems, and are the last straw that breaks the camel's back. .

the head teacher, Mr Wirth, actually resigned out of frustration rather than being sacked

and parents received a very measured and thought provoking letter from him announcing his departure

that was only 3 or 4 weeks ago, so I think you're being a bit unfair on the remaining staff

the new headteacher, who is only a temporary placement, hasn't been given the time to make significant changes that these Ofsted berks will appreciate, but then again he might have... as far as I'm aware Ofsted haven't been back for another review since the last one that they clearly knocked together in the pub

fact is ENG601PM, no matter how many times you reiterate and how much sarcasm you use, I don't agree with you

---------- Post added 02-12-2017 at 15:13 ----------

just one thing to add

see below for a typical day at Ecclesfield Academy..

Do you even know the reasons for the Ofsted grading? I suspect not or you wouldn't be so sweepingly critical.

There have been a couple of issues, most of which HAVE been addressed (what can any school do when key staff are ill long term and cannit easily be replaced?) but other issues picked up by Ofsted were spurious and didnt even affect the vast majority of kids there.

The head had the full support of staff, parents and students and was very popular and I was so sad when he felt that he had to leave out of frustration.

My child is a pupil there, is doing very well, and I am amazed on a daily basis at the efforts of the staff to support the kids. The hundreds of clubs, the trips that take effort and dedication to make happen, the revision clubs in holiday time, and the general atmosphere in the school. None of which is valued by Ofsted apparently.

There's also the fact that the Chief Inspector who produced that report is the CEO of a rival academies trust. Conflict of interest, much?