martonschool.myfreeforum.org

Lisa · Reaching Full Speed Joined: 06 Oct 2005 Posts: 69

I have just been heard a rumour that a teacher still working at Marton has been viewing dodgy websites in school. I believe there are some parents out there who know more about this. Can someone update me please. Seeing as though this has now happened twice in a year this seems to be totally unacceptable.
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Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth.

Albert Einstein

chris · Mildly Opinionated Joined: 04 Nov 2005 Posts: 20

Not again???
I thought the internet had been sorted out so that schools couldn't get to see these sort of things?
Whats going on?
Anybody know any more?

chris · Mildly Opinionated Joined: 04 Nov 2005 Posts: 20

What sort of dodgy websites? Do you mean what I think you mean?

Lisa · Reaching Full Speed Joined: 06 Oct 2005 Posts: 69

Websites with links to pornography I'm afraid same as last time. As i said its only what Ive been told. But im told that more than one person had got some evidence about this. Please note this is only an allegation but believe me I'm trying to find out. It's only a matter of time before it comes out though if its true. One person is threatening to go to the tabloid newspapers. The teacher will have to be sacked if its true thats what they did last time. But why is it so easy to access this sort of material at Marton. Are all schools the same?
_________________
Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth.

Albert Einstein

billandben · Mildly Opinionated Joined: 06 Oct 2005 Posts: 29

I believe there is even more to it than viewing websites!!
Lisa is right that there is a parent who is thinking of taking this to the national papers. He says that he knows the matter has been reported to the school but they have done nothing about it. The member of staff is still working with the children.
Has anybody out there written to the school about this?

friend of marton · Fledgling Poster Joined: 25 Nov 2005 Posts: 1

If someone in authority is reading this posting please will you take action. I have resisted posting on this website until today but enough is enough. It is not right that this is happening to Marton school. Please help.

Alan Veale · Master of Posters Joined: 07 Oct 2005 Posts: 118

I think this needs some clarification: Nathan Hill is alleged to have been accessing a number of web-sites from school. These are not necessarily pornographic in content, but that does not exclude the possibility that the links on the pages accessed could not lead to “adult” material. It is also confirmed that he had set up his own web page on an “adult” site, advertising himself socially. This included the use of photographs, all of which had been taken in school, and one of which featured a female pupil who has now moved to high school. The parents of the girl had not given their permission for this photograph to be used, which is a very serious issue indeed, and one would have thought worthy of suspension at the very least. However, Mr Hill continues to work at the school.

Marton School Action Group became aware of the existence of this site some two weeks ago, and lodged a complaint with the Chairman of Governors on 14 November, asking for the matter to be investigated. We did not know at that time whether Mr Hill had permission to use the photographs. However, it was only on Tuesday 22nd November, when the girl’s mother lodged her own complaint that action was taken to close the web-site. The Action Group have had no response to their letter, but we understand that further action is now being considered by the girl’s parents.

The school’s policy on the use of the Internet does indeed seem in need of review.

Alan Veale.

Lisa · Reaching Full Speed Joined: 06 Oct 2005 Posts: 69

Alan

It seems it is mmuch more serious than that. Some of the websites are of an adult content and with a couple of clicks of the mouse lead to porn sites. Looks like a lot of people are aware of this. Can someone pass the evidence to the Action Group.
_________________
Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth.

Albert Einstein

HM · Something to Say Joined: 16 Oct 2005 Posts: 48

Things are getting worse and worse. What the school and LES are doing now is beyond belief. What staff do in their own time is their own business but to use their position, the school - even featuring a pupil surely cannot be right. Make your own mind up - visit www.kissnath.741.com for a sample page.

chris · Mildly Opinionated Joined: 04 Nov 2005 Posts: 20

I'm shocked and disgusted!
Who has made the decision to let this technician stay in school istead of being suspended??
I have just had a long conversation with someone high up in education (outside this area), who knows nothing about what has gone on at Marton. When I told him about the latest development he was outraged and said that he should have been IMMEDIATELY suspended.
I am SO angry that the technician is still in school, and Mrs Alderson (who I believe has STILL not been charged with anything) was marched out of school like a criminal!
I shall be writing to my local MP this afternoon. I advise other concerned parents to do the same.

M. Ambrose · Mildly Opinionated Joined: 13 Oct 2005 Posts: 17

Of all people, I would have thought Mr Hill would have wanted people to take an open minded view to himself and his website, bearing in mind the content.
It is strange therefore that he allowed himself to be the instrument of the head teacher and governors in trying to illegally close the Forum.

school1728 · Fledgling Poster Joined: 27 Nov 2005 Posts: 2

I would like to ask that people viewing this thread take the following thoughts into consideration as it would seem that over the last couple of weeks, opinions shown on this forum have wavered somewhat from the original aims of the action group.

The website that links from this page is quite frankly no different from the many others that can easily be accessed through the ‘Faceparty’ website. It is also worth noting that Mr Hill’s profile no longer to be of use ([url]http//www.faceparty.com/kissnath[/url]). I suspect that this may be due to the use of a picture as shown on the copycat site that depicted a pupil of the school. If that is the case, and should it have been nothing more than an honest mistake, I can see no further grounds for Mr Hill’s suspension.

I really do hope that the reasons for this are simply of concern – but as no solid evidence of anything suspicious has been shown I do feel that this is turning into unfair harassment of a member of the school community that has himself (and I quote R. Thornton, October 20th) “…thank you for being brave enough to speak out at this evening’s meeting”. If Mr Hill has so much to hide, would he have taken the supposed risks of standing up publicly like this?

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With regards to the accessing of ‘unacceptable websites’ from within school, it has been discussed at great length on this forum as to the responsibility for Internet access lying with the council IT services. If, as you are alleging, such websites have been accessed from school, I am sure that this issue would of surfaced to the attention of council IT services and in turn would have been dealt with by now. As a home user, I am able to view all the previous websites that I have visited and I would expect that the council would be able to do the same.

I agree that these allegations are of a very serious matter, but also feel that on the whole are unfounded. Please don’t allow heightened emotions to mask the truth.

mary · Reaching Full Speed Joined: 05 Oct 2005 Posts: 81

The opinions of the action group have not wavered at all. They want the school to be run properly – as it was under Mrs Lancaster. Anything hindering that is being brought to light. Internet security is one such issue, which I know has been brought up at regular intervals this year. There has never been a satisfactory answer from Mrs Coupe or from the LEA.

**** Edited by Forum Admin ****

It might well have been an honest mistake on Mr Hill’s part, although personally I would describe it as a gross error of judgement, and a very foolhardy action. Anybody who works with children should be aware of the dangers of using photographs of them in any public arena. I would also take issue with the fact Mr Hill was described as being “brave” for speaking up at the Action Group Meeting. I think you will find, if you read the rest of the post, and in particular the remainder of that particular sentence, that there was a more than a hint of irony in there. The writer was pointing out that it was brave of Mr Hill to speak up publicly when it was known that he had already tried to have both websites closed down. Mr Hill is foolish, not brave.

I’m also becoming heartily sick of everything being blamed on the Action Group and this website. This is a typical reaction of somebody who knows he is in the wrong – immediately turn it around onto whoever is making things uncomfortable for him. He conveniently forgets that he is the one who caused the trouble in the first place. Strangely, he becomes the victim in all this, managing to convince others that it is all so unfair…….

The Action Group was only set up when many parents felt there were genuine problems in school and nobody was answering their individual questions. They decided to work as a group. This has been said many times before, but I will repeat it here - the group is not the CAUSE of the problems, but a RESULT of them!

Finally, as to whether anybody thought about the effects on Mr Hill’s family and friends, before publicising this website, perhaps I could once again turn that around – did Mr Hill think about the effects on the child’s parents and family when he posted the picture on an adult website? Did the school think about those effects when it allowed that picture to remain three weeks after the complaint was received? I would say to those people who are at this moment feeling sorry for Mr Hill, how would YOU feel if it was YOUR child’s picture on that website?

Please stop laying the blame at the feet of those who are trying to deal with the problems, and start asking yourself a few more searching questions.

Mr Hill is the only person who can tell you whether he has anything else to hide.

M. Ambrose · Mildly Opinionated Joined: 13 Oct 2005 Posts: 17

I think the response by School1728 to HM's post highlights the problems of open forums such as this. Throughout the running of the forums people (yes I admit - on both sides sometimes) have picked up on bits of posts, sentences or words out of context then used them for their own purpose.

If you read HM's post above it does not criticise Mr Hill - it criticised the authority and school for not removing the site earlier.

As admin pointed out Mr Hill's site was a public website, I myself found it by chance when I was researching his qualifications when he was attempting to close the first forum. I entered 'Nathan Hill Computer Technician Blackpool' into the search engine - Kissnath was top of the results. I ignored it at first as having no relevance to my search enquiry it was only later as I read the search engine's 'blurb' that I realised the significance. Anyone at all could have found that site - and the parents group obviously found it even before I did.

Yes the site does no longer feature Mr Hill - the point we are all trying to make is that for a long time it did ! And contained photos of school. Whether or not it was a mistake does not make it right. I think, and I cannot believe that this is only my view, that it should have been removed as soon as the authorities were informed.

I am not sure how you draw the conclusion that this is now becoming harrassment - as you can see from the dates of the postings it was only brought to the attention of the Forum on Friday November 28th. In two days there have been only 7 postings including your own. How can this be harrassment when the parents group and authorities have known about Mr Hill's site for over a month ?

Also, school 1728, can you reassure us all that a thorough investigation has taken place, that no other sites exist featuring Mr Hill and Marton School. It seems very strange to me that you can see no reason for Mr Hill's suspension, without any investigation or inquiry. Does that mean you DO see a reason for Mrs Alderson's suspension, after 4 months, presumably of investigations. Because the rest of us can see no reason for this suspension. Would you like to comment on this.

Finally I quote from your post:-

"With regards to the accessing of ‘unacceptable websites’ from within school, it has been discussed at great length on this forum as to the responsibility for Internet access lying with the council IT services. If, as you are alleging, such websites have been accessed from school, I am sure that this issue would of surfaced to the attention of council IT services and in turn would have been dealt with by now. As a home user, I am able to view all the previous websites that I have visited and I would expect that the council would be able to do the same. "

So do I, so do I, School1728. Why hasn't the council published what it found ?

Parents need to make their own minds up about this issue, unless the knowledge of this site is made public how can they - it will be another example of school and LEA sweeping something else under the carpet.

school1728 · Fledgling Poster Joined: 27 Nov 2005 Posts: 2

With regards any investigation, I am unable to offer any answers as I have no direct connection to either the school, or the local authority.

The concerns I have risen are formed merely on the content of this forum, recent press regarding the action group and school, and the content of the link above.

I do understand the concerns of the parents of the child depicted on the site - and would hope that they now have comfort in the fact that the site no longer exists.

I think that a very fine line can be drawn between the understanding of criticism towards a particular member of staff, and the authorities as a whole. It isn't overly clear reading these posts that it is in fact the authorities to whom your concerns are directed.

As things stand, the site has been removed from ‘Faceparty’, and as such, shows that to whatever level it may be, the situation has or is being dealt with.

I like you agree that mistakes are not 'right' but never the less, they do happen. The very fact that the site has been removed is a clear indication that this mistake will hopefully be a lesson well learnt by both Mr Hill, and anyone else aware of the circumstances.

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