martonschool.myfreeforum.org

Tracey · Reaching Full Speed Joined: 16 Oct 2005 Posts: 69

Before the summer holidays commenced, there was much said about leaflets being handed to parents as they collected children from school. Some were appalled, some felt so threatened that they were told to contact the police. As i stated i was handed a leaflet, nothing was said, no debate was instigated, he just smiled and handed it over. One lady infront of me didn't want one, he did not chase her and tackle her to the ground to force one upon her. Those in power(who fully support the current head) stated it was intimidating.
Funny that i should receive a letter from David Lund, briefly commenting on recent events. Does this mean i can contact the police? No, because that would be ridiculous. What annoys me is that as it has been since this sorry situation began, it is one rule for one and one for another.
In this letter it also states about the mis-information put about by a 'small number who are seeking to disrupt and undermine the school and therefore the ongoing education of pupils.'
I know there are not a small number who raise questions and concerns. I also find it offensive that i am accused of undermining the school and the pupils education.
I have entered into debate, etc on this site because of my love for the school as it was prior to the current head, my pride at the family atmosphere that was evident between the majority of staff and pupils, the welcome that greeted you on a daily basis and my conviction that my child was in the best environment both emotionally and educationally.
The lack of continous teaching staff shown to some classes due to substitutes being replaced by substitutes was and is of great concern.
Whilst there were some postive points in the ofsted report, many problems at Marton are not quantifiable on this report.
The problems still exist Mr Lund and making a brief statement does not erase these problems. We have wanted to work with yourselves to change the situation, but it is difficult when so many continually bury their heads in the sand, or worse.

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

Tracey, I think there is every possibility of a misprint in the letter you refer to. That quote about a “small number who are seeking to disrupt and undermine the school and therefore the ongoing education of pupils” Must surely be referring to Mrs Coupe, Mr Turner and Mr Lund himself. I’m sure it reads better that way!

Also – when it comes to “misinformation”, I have to say that this certainly applies to Lund himself. Every dealing I have had with this particular individual has positively oozed with the stuff. Ask Jon Bamborough what kind of response he got (as a Councillor) when he asked David Lund for figures of the number of children removed from Marton Primary School by their parents. I should add that Lund was also asked to supply figures on the costs incurred by his department over the disciplinary proceedings that resulted in the leaked file. Those figures were never produced.

How about reproducing that letter in a posting on this site? I am sure there must be plenty of us who would like to see exactly what Mr Lund DID say, and who have not had the benefit of comparing the leaflet to his letter.

Alan Veale

Tracey · Reaching Full Speed Joined: 16 Oct 2005 Posts: 69

I APOLOGISE FOR THE LENGTH OF THIS POST, THIS IS A DUPLICATE OF THE LETTER I RECEIVED:

-As the Chief Officer of Blackpool Council who has the responsibilty for overseeing the education of children in the town and the performance of schools, I am taking the unusual step to write to the individual families of Marton Primary School pupils. The reason I am doing this is in response to mis-information which continues to be put in the public domain by a small number of individuals who seek to disrupt and undermine the school and therefore the ongoing education of pupils.

The responsibility for managing a school is that of the headteacher and governing body. I have been provided with ample evidence from both parties that Marton School is moving from strength to strenght.

In particular, I am able to report that:

"The Ofsted inspection of March 2007 was very complimentary. It described the school Nursery as "particularly good with many outstanding features" and also picked out French, music and the school's concern for its pupils for especial praise. Over half of the teaching was described as good or outstanding, and the school was seen an being entirely satisfactory with a "good capacity to improve".

The team of inspectors found that pupils enjoyed school, were considerate of others and felt safe and well looked after. Personal development and well-being were judged as good with robust systems in place to protect pupils and encourage healthy lifestyles. The large number of parents who responded to the inspection questionnaire were "overwhelmingly supportive of the school". Inspectors recognised the improvements that the school had made and that there was a good capacity to improve further.

This very thorough report from Ofsted was borne out by the school's results in the 2007 tests. In English, maths and science, the school gained the best results it had ever achieved. At level 4 results improved by over 10% in every subject with a high proportion of these at level 5, the highest level achievable. Marton children excelled as a result of the commitment and hard work of themselves and their teachers.

The Ofsted inspection and the 2007 exam results support the experience and views of the local authority and the vast majority of parents, that Marton is a good school which cares for its pupils and continues to improve".

I hope that the above situation described to you concurs with your view and the experience you have of Marton Primary School. I would also ask for your ongoing support in helping to isolate the negative influences referred to.

Finally, I do hope that you and your family are enjoying the summer holiday, despite the appalling weather we have been having.

I did warn you it was long, i apologise for any spelling errors i may have done, my hands are numb......
much can be said about this letter, more can be said about what hasn't been metnioned i think.

R. Thornton · Reaching Full Speed Joined: 13 Oct 2005 Posts: 99

I too apologise for the length of my post BUT there are many issues raised by Mr Lund’s letter which need addressing. I hope that at least some of you out there will take to time to read it.

Let us examine the points he makes but answer with relevant FACTS. The following quotes are simply cut and pasted from the latest Ofsted report on the school. I have not altered them in any way.

· The overall effectiveness of the school is satisfactory.
· Pupils make satisfactory progress, although they make better progress in some classes than in others.
· The quality of work in the Foundation Stage is satisfactory,
· Standards reached at the end of Key Stages 1 and 2 are average overall, although progress in Key Stage 2 is uneven and in some year groups is below national expectations.
· Teaching is satisfactory, with many lessons being good and a few outstanding
· However, opportunities for pupils to develop their own ideas are limited and there is inconsistent use of targets to raise standards.
· The curriculum is satisfactory overall,
· Arrangements for safeguarding pupils are satisfactory, although some polices need updating.
· Leadership and management are satisfactory
· Achievement is satisfactory, and standards reached by pupils are broadly average. Most learners make satisfactory progress,

Now what would you or I, or any member of the public make of this report. Yes the school is overall satisfactory. Now while I am pleased that Mr Lund sought to highlight the positives in the report he is not providing balanced information. This is where the outlook of people posting on this site and that of Mr Lund begins to seriously differ. You see I do not accept, and neither do others, that ‘satisfactory’ is good enough. Our efforts at bringing attention to issues which need sorting out are classed by him as ‘negative’ but I would say that his attitude of aiming to reach the level of ‘satisfactory’ and being proud of that is a damning criticism of Blackpool Education’s aspirations and of Mr Lund himself. Why has he never accepted that there were issues in Marton to face and faced them openly and honestly. He has on many occasions refused to meet with Mr Veale yet has willingly approached Ofsted advisers in an unorthodox manner.

Do not simply take my word for it. Here are some facts published by Ofsted concerning the inspections carried out during the term (Spring 2007) in which Marton was inspected. This information is freely available to download from Ofsted’s site – apparently ignored by Mr Lund.

Schools classed as outstanding :- 15%
Schools classed as Good :- 47%
Schools classed as satisfactory 33%

So Mr Lund is accusing a number of people for being concerned that Marton has been assessed as being in the bottom third of the country’s schools – and that after improvement since the previous report. It is also FACT that both of the two previous Ofsted Directors of Inspection have stated on record that a ‘satisfactory’ report is not good enough. Are those two nationally respected figures to be included in Mr Lund’s negative minority ?

With this sort of philosophy surely the new council should be asking him serious questions.

He goes on to praise the school’s sats results. I have posted already on this site that we were all pleased with the improvement BUT for goodness sake Mr Lund put them in context.

Here was the national press release last week concerning the recent results quoted by Mr Lund

RECORD ACHIEVEMENTS IN ENGLISH, MATHS AND SCIENCE FOR PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN AND GENDER GAP NARROWING IN ENGLISH
07 August 2007
Primary school children have produced the best set of Key Stage 2 results ever with record numbers of 11 year olds reaching the expected level for their age in English, Maths and Science. Boys have continued to catch up girls with record results in English, reading and writing.
Publishing the 2007 Key Stage 2 results, Schools Minister Andrew Adonis said:
“Today’s primary school children have achieved the best set of Key Stage 2 results we have ever seen, and I congratulate all pupils and teachers for their hard work and achievements.

So, while we are pleased with any improvement – a far more realistic picture will be gained when we can compare all schools in September or October. It seems all schools have had their ‘best ever results’ as Mr Lund put it.
(I noticed he also failed to point out in his letter the amount of work carried out in the school by his own advisers to raise standards. I would have felt much more confident about the progress had I known it was the teacher’s own efforts alone)

I fully agree with the writer in the Daily Telegraph who presented a more sobering view:-

Last week ministers reported that the primary school results were the "best ever" - yet only three in five children passed the benchmark in reading, writing and arithmetic. The next fortnight is likely to see the "best ever" GCSE and A-level results. Yet only about three in 10 16-year-olds will get reasonable grades in English, mathematics, a science and a foreign language. A more honest summary is that the English school system is failing too many of our children - despite "record results", record spending and record numbers of staff. We need truly radical reform.

And it is quite clear that Blackpool’s education needs radical reform.

Statements made by Mr Lund simply cannot explain away Blackpool’s serious underachievement – his statements show that it is no longer an issue for Marton school but for the future of all our children in Blackpool.

The BBC education section printed last year a list of all 209 schools that had the maximum possible score of 300 in the 2006 national curriculum tests in England. Not a single Blackpool school featured in this list.

Here is some other relevant data based on the most recent results available :-

Blackpool’s position in national tests :-

% of pupils gaining more than 5 A* - C GCSEs
17th in North West regions out of 21 authorities
347th out of 387 local authorities nationally

% of pupil gaining level 5 english 14 yr olds
42nd out of 46 authorities in the NW
359th out of 387 authorities nationally

% of pupil gaining level 5 maths 14 yr olds
41st out of 46 authorities in the NW
354th out of 386 Nationally

% of pupil gaining level 5 science 14 yr olds
40th out of 46 authorities in the NW
358th nationally

Is it being negative for anyone to draw attention to these figures and ask for honest and open dialogue with the Director of Education? Are these figures truly acceptable to Mr Lund ? What does he write in his letters to parents at other schools to explain them ? He has never been available to members of this forum – Mr Lund has too often delivered platitudes to parents and probably councillors, been more satisfied to cover up issues rather than face them honestly, criticised, attacked or disparaged his own critics as being a negative minority. Surely if even a single parent wants to raise questions about the quality of education for his child’s future that should be enough.

So, I ask the new council members, after the failures of the last Labour council please ask yourselves if Mr Lund’s vision of the quality of education for Blackpool’s children, based on this letter sent to Marton parents, is acceptable to you.

WAYNE HEYS · Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2007 9:33 pm Post subject:

After reading Mr Lunds letter, it re-enforces just exactly why I and a large group of staff and parents past and present are actually still continuing to highlight the disgraceful way in which a council official (paid by you and I) is prepared to try and hood wink current parents in an attempt to retain any credibility he may think he has.
Like R.Thornton states Mr Lund has NEVER made any active attempt to meet the action group and answer some of the allegations which have been put to him .Why, well we all have to pay our mortgage dont,we !!!!

His lack of competence to carry out his role is surely born our by the figures, so simplistically explained in the post above.
Looking at this web site, only one complaint is available to comment on regarding the leaflet distribution , I wonder just which one of the Marton Heirachy chose to use a pseudonym to try and hoodwink parents yet again, you can see by the response that it was lies lies and more lies.

This is something we have had to put up with every time the school,lea or Mr Lund go on the defensive, if there are in fact so few members of the action group Mr Lund, why then have you not invited to meet with you in your office,that way we could also discuss some of the appalling actions by councillors past and present and you can also explain the mis information you have supplied to many people, your letter included !!!
Mr Lund, I have lived in this town for many more years than yourself and can only ask you to please stop wasting the taxpayers money , if you would like to discuss Marton with me, you have my address this is an open invitation,please feel free.

Finally, strange how his letter failed to mention how the school governors in some capacity tried to discredit one of Martons best teachers,with a police investigation a possibility I would have thought this would have been more use to the parents than the shambolic rallying call he decided to send out

AR · Something to Say Joined: 12 Feb 2006 Posts: 31

SO

Mr Lund publicly wrote
"The Ofsted inspection and the 2007 exam results support the experience and views of the local authority and the vast majority of parents, that Marton is a good school"

Ofsted publicly stated
" The overall effectiveness of the school is satisfactory.
· Pupils make satisfactory progress
· The quality of work in the Foundation Stage is satisfactory,
· Standards reached at the end of Key Stages 1 and 2 are average overall, although progress in Key Stage 2 is uneven and in some year groups is below national expectations.
· Teaching is satisfactory, with many lessons being good and a few outstanding
· The curriculum is satisfactory overall,
· Leadership and management are satisfactory
· Achievement is satisfactory, and standards reached by pupils are broadly average. Most learners make satisfactory progress"

Figures on Ofsted's site show 'satisfactory' schools to be the bottom third of all schools

The two most recent Oftsed leaders have stated that 'satisfactory' is not good enough

Would Mr Lund like to give us his definition of 'mis-information' ?

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

I wonder what it is that is worrying Mr Lund?

The Director of Children’s Services for Blackpool took another unusual step last week when he attended a governors meeting at Marton Primary School. No doubt the general public would be told there was nothing unusual in this, and that he had a perfect right to be there. But it IS unusual. Such an event never took place during my term as a governor at the school, and I have yet to find anyone else who can recall anything similar. So why was he there?

Perhaps it was to congratulate Mike Turner on being re-elected as Chair of Governors for a further period. Yes – parents of children at the school can look forward to more “spin” in their newsletters as Mr Turner adopts his familiar style of presentation.

Or perhaps it was to ensure that the governors of Marton Primary School were all going to sing from the same hymn-sheet… Maybe those individuals who hold the honour of being a governor have become a little “twitchy” of late, and threatened to break the code of silence imposed on them by Mr Turner and Mrs Coupe. At one time (pre-2004), a governor could speak freely about most events affecting the school, but since the suspension of Mrs Alderson and the resignation of the previous Chair, there has been a noticeable “loss of identity”.

It may be that Mr Lund wanted to remind the governors of their collective “corporate” status, and that they ALL hold responsibilities over the management of the school. Not that that would be anything to worry about of course – unless they were being sued.

Oh dear – I wonder if the words “legal action” have come back to haunt David Lund?

Alan Veale

http://martonprimaryschool.blogspot.com/

E. Maltby · Mildly Opinionated Joined: 25 Oct 2005 Posts: 17

Now that is interesting. Mr Lund organised the 'independent' investigation into the release of the disciplinary document didn't he? Only governors and Mrs Alderson should have had copies of that document and I don't think anyone would believe that a teacher would send a copy to people like the GTC and press to ask for an investigation into herself. Is this yet another case of Mr Lund knowing much more than he will publicly admit ? Judging by his past dealings with Marton's issues this wouldn't surprise me at all.

I have been reading your blog Mr Veale. Like many others, I suppose, who didn't know the details of what went on I am truly shocked at what you have written - and I didn't think I could be any more. I wonder if any one of any note is still reading this forum. If they are then surely your blog must make them wonder all the more about the way the authority, governors and Mrs Marsh behaved.