Strood Academy: The Big Mistake
It seems like years ago when I took the above photograph, and indeed Chapter’s successor-in-title the Strood Academy is worlds away from its?predecessor, it would seem.
Chapter may as well have never existed – its former existence has been wiped off of the planet. Its replacement assumed control of everything – right down to the awards ceremony for Chapter’s last examination entrants.
From the outside it even looks as if they did not even afford the decency of inviting former Chapter headteacher Miss Dore to the awards ceremony – I don’t know for definite, but I certainly know she was not there. Either way, the Strood Academy stopped her from coming!
The former Chapter domain name (chapterschool.co.uk) now points to the website of a language school in London. Chapter Business & Enterprise College is dead.
So too should be Strood Academy – or at least I think. Despite continually supporting the principle (which, by the way, I still do!), the highly originally-named Strood Academy has – without a shadow of a doubt – got to be the single biggest mistake ever to be committed by Medway Council.
The benefit of hindsight is a wonderful thing, and so I acknowledge immediately those parents and teachers who wished to maintain the status quo – those parents and teachers who were right all along. Those parents and teachers who are now witnessing dissent on an unprecedented scale – from students and teachers alike.
For since it opened its doors in September – just three months ago – students have had almost daily fights and staged a protest – and even one student has decided that being stabbed on the way home from school was the last straw (well, can you blame her?).
A Facebook page setup for students to register their dissent and opposition to the controversial academy was forced to close by Principal Richard Hart and the student who created it was “severely” reprimanded. Well, no-one silences?AlanWCollins, and, as regular readers will be all too aware, I’m not afraid of speaking my mind.
Now, I don’t know much about Mr Hart, but it seems he gets plenty of column inches in the local media to defend the scores of recent bad press (which, thank you for your patience, I am coming to), yet when the Strood Academy spin machine wheeled out a PR masterpiece on a recent activity day for students, no mention was made of the Principal, with his junior taking the quote.
Once again, from the outside, it looks as though the Principal is losing his grip on control just months after he first took the reigns. If some of the teachers don’t want to teach there anymore, why should the pupils want to learn? That may not be his fault in the first instance, but, if my sources within the school are correct and there are still teachers who are not willing to be there, why has he not fixed the problem already? Is he not fit for the job?
First, 14 year-old Jade Sullivan was stabbed whilst walking home from Strood Academy (though not, it would seem, with a knife). Jade later told the Medway Messenger that after the attack, she could bear no more at the academy.
Then, the following day, a 20-strong group of year 10 and 11 girls staged a sit-in protest after an apparent rise in fights and racist attacks.
Student Amy-May Fowle told the Yourmedway newspaper that “The fights are just getting unbearable – there’s two or three a day on the field. The teachers don’t want to teach – it’s a complete nightmare. We never wanted to be here. We just want to go back to our old school. There’s no control here – the kids just do want they want.”
Her classmate, Sam Gardner, agreed, claiming that a year seven Polish boy had been hospitalised after suffering “a broken nose, jaw and ribs”.
Teachers agreed. One of them went on to tell BBC South East Today that “It is definitely fair to say Temple (the boys? school merged with Chapter girls? school to form the academy) had some behavioural issues, issues that happen every day in schools in Medway. The current issues are brand new territory. All of the present problems that are happening within Strood Academy are due to out-of-control year 11 girls and year seven boys.”
Mr Hart’s response was that “I want pupils and staff to feel safe and happy while at Strood Academy. Strood Academy is sensitive to bullying issues and we have a range of effective responses and proactive strategies in place to deal with any issues that may arise. Parents can talk to senior members of staff about the curriculum and any other concerns they have during fortnightly open surgery sessions. Nearly 70 per cent of parents attended our first year 10 open evening last week and the feedback was very positive. I have an open door policy and encourage staff, students and parents to let me know about any issues they have. I?ve not received any complaints or concerns about bullying and would ask anyone who has any concerns to contact me as soon as possible so any issues can be resolved.”
If it was one incident, it would not be that unusual. If it was two incidents, it could pass of as a coincidence. In reality, it is a constant flow of incidents stemming from the same source: the poorly-managed merger between Chapter and Temple to create the over-hyped, badly-managed Strood Academy.
As with all waters flowing from the same source it all leads to the same place. The one obvious conclusion.
Strood Academy is the biggest mistake Medway Council has made since its inception.
Something needs to be done now for the sake of the students.
Before it’s too late.
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12 Comments
STOP ATTACKING OTHER SCHOOLS JUST BECAUSE YOU WENT TO RMGS!
STOP SPINNING AROUND IN THE PLAYGROUND AND REPORT SOME PROPER FACTUAL NEWS!
THE GIRL WAS STABBED WITH A BANNANA NOT A BLADE!
An interesting piece Alan. It was clear from the consultation exercise being undertaken by the cabinet at the time, and the quite spartan attendance from the Tory cabinet members at numerous consultation events, that the forseable problems with the Academy, were not being given due consideration.
I remember it well as I was in the audience!
It is a real pity because all the problems today were forseable. The SOCK Group, MPs and even Lord Adonis put pressure on the Tory cabinet & leadership at the time to refine the timetable for the merger and listen to parental concerns.
All ignored.
The result is a rushed merger of two distinct school cultures, which are at least at present, not working together. Morale amongst students, staff and parents is sinking fast and from canvassing in the area over the weekend this issue will be immensely damaging to the sitting Tory Councillors, who ignored the advice of the oppposition at the time to attend these meetings and listen to parent concerns.
Parents are really angry – especially those parents who remember the SOCK campaign and the concerns raised.
I am supportive of the Academy programme and I do believe that the Strood Academy will go from strength to strength. The real blame lies not with the Academy per-se, but with the inability of the Medway Conservative leadership to listen to sage advice at the time.
If the cabinet had listened we would not be in this position today. I really do believe that.
Yes, and don’t forget folks – Medway Tories will eat your babies*
*(c) Tristan Osborne 2010
i’m in year 11 at strood academy so along with the others in my year have witnessed the changes and merge in the last 2 years. It has been hard and confusing during the change. Mr Hart personally i think is not doing the best he could, teachers seem to have just given up trying to teach us students and just lets us get on with it. There is no disapline and when it tries to be put in doesn’t work. Personally i think everyone who witnessed Miss Dore’s company would much rather have her back. Unfortunately like we have been told many times it’s never going to happen, nothings the same anymore looking forward to holiday assemblies isn’t the same Miss Dore always made it fun. Now theres nothing to look forward to anymore. All our hard work trying to co-opperate with the changes we get no gratatude. Too many changes have been made too fast. Alot of people think the old Chapter ways should come back atleast. Reading the comments above Jade Sullivan is in my year and yes she did get stabbed on the way home from school, also that day there was many fights outside of the school resulting in the Police and Ambulance being called. Jade was too scared to come back into school because of all the hasal she would have got from it, do you blame her? Strood Academy is a mistake.
We have A very bright grand daughter at this “academy” she is repeatedly truanting for no particular reason, other than to be with so called friends!
The school never seems to know which children should be in their class, or indeed where the said child is, she could be anywhere, surely it is the school responsibility to know where their students are, in school time?
She managed to sit in on a lesson with said friend for the duration although it was not her lesson!! what has happened to the register? so that the teachers know they have the correct students?
If everyone stopped fighting against the merger, which lets face it has already happened and something we need to work with now, and started to support the school then perhaps we can begin to see some positive improvements.
I’m with Nichola on this. I have no knowledge of specific incidents, but I certainly wouldn’t want the Strood Academy dragged down by those with their own agendas (and yes, I can guess what that probably is) and a negative outlook.
It’s time to face reality and live with what exists and will continue to exist, instead of using it as a kind of political football. I saw more than enough of that while I was still on the Council, and provided a voice of reason that only the most negative (and no doubt politically-motivated) people could have opposed. yet that happened and I was there to witness it.
So, let’s get on with making Strood Academy a place of which we can all be proud and that produces brilliant results for and by successful pupils.
I am currently in year 12 at Strood Academy and before that I was in Temple. I don’t see why you are dragging Temple’s name through the mud when during the last three years of the school there weren’t as many fights. You have put the blame on the whole of the Strood Academy staff and students when many of them were still at the site on Cliffe Road. It was the girls who made the protest not the boys and it was also the girls who were having the fights. So I believe what you are saying is wrong because the boys were willing to get along with Mr Hart and Chapter but because of Temple’s previous reputation they thought that we would just be a liability and stop them from working. That is wrong because Temple’s Grades were raising and the reputation was slowly deminishing but because most people weren’t there to see it they didn’t believe it had changed. so I believe your wrong and need to get all of the details before you try to destroy something that doesn’t concern you because you do not go to school there.
I worked for many years at a school which Mr Hart took over. He was a good boss and was clear in the direction he wanted to take the school and was successful in leading it there. I get the impression the author of the piece has not worked in the classroom and it should be understood that problems in a school do not magically disappear when a new Head takes their post. It is sad that some staff and pupils are unhappy and I genuinely feel for them. A school (academy) needs EVERYONE to pull together to effectively deal with the inherited problems, identify the causes and those responsible and work together to eliminate them.
Strood academy is a joke and i go there
My son started last september after attending the open day. To be quite honest I really Believed everything Mr. Hart and the over head teachers said, boy what a mistake that was. They are worse than politicians, they have not delivered on one of there pledges. I am looking at changing schools for my son before it’s to late.
My daughters both attended Chapter School, one has moved and had to drop a year in order to catch up with her studies she was so far behind, the other is in year 11 and has been subject to years of both mental and physical abuse (the last attack she was left semi-conscious after being strangled). The school I feel has sweep the issues under the carpet and certainly has not dealt with the issues properly, to the extent my daughter now suffers severe depression and only attends school when she has to. The police will not get involved due to the new ‘bullying’ policy in Kent. Since she is in year 11 no other school will take her, no doubt she will have to drop a year in order to get a decent education in a safe and secure environment in September as I will be moving her if she does not get into College. If your child is not super confident or is a bully themselves, do not send them to Strood Academy.