Our school's response to their MySchool scores

As most know that my DS goes to the worst school ever. I've had so many troubles with it so far.
So, here is the next problem and need your help girls. The school needs a good kick up the behind and help me deliver it.

The school's MySchool rating was very poor. The school scores for grades 3 and 5 were all well below the average and got red ratings. So, in response to this (i think) DS was given a letter to bring home for me to sign etc.. It was for... an extra half hour class to be run after school 2 days per week (total 1 hour per week after school) for the fee of $15 per week for the remainder of the year (close to $500-$600 per year). He goes to an independent school so, we have to pay higher school fees than those going to a govt school (our choice, i know). The kids will be given extra tutoring on numeracy and literacy (what they scored poorly on).

I wrote an email yesterday to them as below :

:

---

Dear Receptionist - I am not expecting you to answer this, but I would appreciate a call back/meeting with the Principle based on the letter which was sent home earlier this week about each grade 4 student staying back for 30 mins twice a week at a fee of $15 per week for the remainder of the year.

1. Has this come about due to the poor results the school has received from the Myschool website?
2. Why the fee? This equals to $60 per month and over $600 per year. We pay enough school fees as it is. What extra resources will be provided at these classes for it to cost $15 per week?
3. I guess teachers weren’t pushed as hard as they should have been until the Myschool website was launched and now are being pressured by the Principle/School Board to “perfom” to standard, so the Myschool results are better. This should have been done years ago. So is this extra class really for the benefit of the students or the schools reputation??

I am really appalled at the Myschool scores which the school has received and xxxx College is always making out that it’s students has such high scores, which I have found hard to believe and the Myschool results just proved it.

My son will not be attending these extra classes as he does not require them.

I think the parents who don’t speak English and aren’t as tech savvy as some parents are, don’t know how poorly our students are doing. May be it should be a feature article in the weekly newsletter to better educate the parents about the school??

I would appreciate a response.

Thanks

---

I know teachers jobs are really hard, i couldn't do it. So, i am not having a go at the teachers at all, it is the SCHOOL which i am having a go at. P

What else could i tell them?? I am fuming!

I agree that you needed to send a letter to the school. Obviously, if they feel the need to run this extra class then they feel/know that those teachers aren't doing thier jobs properly.

I hope that you get a response and I'd love to hear how you go. :hug:

the kids are at school from 9-3.20, they are given a poop load of homework to do and i mean a poop load and now expect them to stay back too :rolleyes:

I think the idea of keeping the kids in class longer really sucks and making you pay extra for it is also a ridiculous idea.

However, I think that running these extra classes would be pretty typical for schools that perform better on these tests. This is the problem with the tests and publishing the results online as the kids' whole education becomes about performing well on the tests and everything else falls by the wayside. Many schools run extra classes to prepare for the testing including test preparation and practice. TBH though, I have mainly seen it in high schools, but I do know of a couple of primary schools that run extra classes for students to prepare them for testing.

I think it is important for you to talk to the principal and share your concerns. I think the testing puts lots of unnecessary pressure on little kids. Just because the test scores are low does not mean most of the kids in your school are having difficulty, it could just be a few who really don't get it - which would be explained if there were a lot of students with ESL.

I hope the principal takes the time to have a meeting with you.

They had gone through a rigorous testing period last year when he was in grade 3 during class time. I spoke to the teacher back then and said that she was preparing them for the Naplan tests and going over some of the bits the kids didn't understand.

I still think that it is for the benefit of the school otherwise they would have done these "extra" classes back then too.

When it comes to the fee, the only resource that i could think of that would cost us $15 each would be if they got in a casual teacher just for those classes, otherwise what would it be? It sounds like a money making scheme to me.

Unless they pay extra tutors to come in and work with the students or pay teacher aide's extra hours, or they are increasing teachers' wages to cover the extra half an hour.

Don't know - certainly worth finding out especially if you don't believe that it is beneficial to your child.

In all honesty it smells of dodgy. those are already long enough hours for kids and expecting them to do extra on top of an already hefty homework load is, to me, not beneficial academically...which i can only suppose is the whole point?

I know that it sounds obvious, but are you able to weigh your options up and see if there is a school that is performing better and has slightly better ethos that your kids could go to? it's never too late to change! my mum had to do this with me when it became obvious that we split paths regarding the philosophy of educational styles...

and i think nothing less than a meeting with the principal is in order regardless.

there is a new school which is opening up in our estate in 2011, so he is definitely going there. It is a public school as the two schools which he has already been at were both islamic colleges and very far from where we live. Enough is enough.

I'm glad to see that i'm not the only one that can smell a rat in amongst this!

ah phew! well at least you guys can just hold your heads low for this year biding time for next year when he can go to the new public school. is he on the list?

TD, I think if the teachers are asked to stay back they have to be paid overtime, which is reasonable I guess, so that would be the reason for the cost. But I would still be upset at that approach and wanting to know why other schools can teach the curriculm in school hours and they can't.

All the best with it.

I hope you get a response from the principal & some answers.

I like your letter, I hope you get a response soon. You deserve a speedy response, if you are already paying top dollar in school fees you would expect a much higher score than what the school has got.

:o Ok maybe it would be worth asking

What exactly are they going to learn in "30 minutes, twice a week" that they couldn't learn in normal school hours- that would achieve better NAPLAN results?

This sounds like the school has been reprimanded for it's scores in the past and now they've got to implement an improvement plan and this is one of the strategies...which IMO is craptastic by the way...

I have to say that as a teacher I find that really strange.

I teach in a private school, and the hours we are required to be at the school are longer than the hours that the children are expected to be there.

We also offer, free of charge, a couple of extra help sessions each week so that kids have access to teachers to get help outside of their normal class time. I find it strange that a school would ask parents to pay for extra help, but perhaps it's just me that doesn't see helping students outside of class time as a hindrance and an imposition. Then again, it does seem to be only our faculty that does it at the school, so who knows?

BW

As a teacher in a school that didn't come up with great results on the MySchool website I have a question for you to consider (although they may not be relevant to your school).

What is the size of your school? - I ask this as I teach at a very small school with only about 15ish kids taking the test at each year level. Therefore, only one or two kids doing not so great puts a great dip in our results. Added to that we have a couple of special classes at our school (with some parents wanting them to take the test - thus making our results look even lower).

That being said, the school offering to do after school classes AND suggesting you pay for them isn't right in my opinion, especially if it is a direct response the the MySchool website (i.e. to try to improve their results to make them look better). If they are offering it like a tutoring service and would have done it without the results then maybe......but the timing of it looks really suspicious!!

They have so many in Grade 3 last year that they had a straight Grade 3 year as well as a composite grade 2/3. I would say all up 35 kids. The school isn't very big at all. It is a P-12 school, but they have SO many teachers there it is unbelievable. They always strut around giving other schools "they are the best" factor, when they are clearly not. Just had a look at the website and there are 407 students in total.

I have had meetings with the school teachers and principal on numerous ocassions about their flaws and they have done nothing about it, when they promise to do so.

Yes, the timing is what got me thinking.

I still have not heard from them, suprisingly enough!

I just wanted to add to this, a little of track i know.
My children go to a private school R to 6 , in total i think we have 500 students.

Our school scored well in the My school particully the 5 yr levels the 3 yr level where a bit below.
The school as a whole this year is working on literacy, this seems to be the main downfall.
They are really concentrating and putting extra resources into literacy this year as a result.

I am not sure i would agree to extra classes, especially having to pay for them on top of already high fees.

''I guess teachers weren’t pushed as hard as they should have been''

I am sorry but this is saying that it is the teachers fault!!!! How do you know if they were or weren't ''pushed hard''? Do you have ANY idea what our worlkload is like??? Teaching is not a 9-5 job, it's a 24/7 job!!!!

You are right, as teachers we are under immense pressure and it is a diffucult job, but blaming teachers? That is just not right. More goes into teaching than just doing your job as a teacher, think about resources, the amount of ESL students in a school, everything.

Please don't just think the responsiblity of education lies with teachers, it lies with school management AND parents!!!!

geez. what a post. Must have hit a nerve with you :o

Totally agree with that the school management is reponsible as are parents. I am a parent who cares about my child education and am very proactive about it, hence my letter to them. Do you know how many times i have met with the Principal and primary school coordinator?

Teachers are the ones that can see which child is slow or which child is exceling and needs to meet the requirements of such kids. If a child is slow, give them more reinforcement or sheets or call the parent.

My DD's previous private school and her current boarding school both offer free extra classes for students who need a bit of extra time to catch up. I don't believe they should be charging you extra.

Totally agree baths. I know the classes are running, but DS isn't attending.

I haven't even met with the school as DS won't be attending that school next year, so it will really be a waste of my time and breath as i know they won't do anything about it.

TD have you heard that schools are wanting to ban the testing due to the results being posted on the myschools sight?
Not sure its relevant really, but thought I'd point it out. Not many schools, even ones that rate well, are very happy with the way it all works.
I hope it all works out for you guys. I don't think what they are asking is fair at all & I wouldn't be agreeing with it as an answer to the problems.

Yeah i heard that Cloves. I guess it puts stress on all schools whether they are high or low achievers, knowing that they have standards to meet. I don't think it should be banned.

I had heard that they were considering putting parents to supervise the tests at schools which are going to protest them. I'd offer to supervise if it were our school.

Yeah I heard that too. Our school hasn't said anything about it, so I don't think they mind. For a school of 50 they do rate very well as far as I can tell though.
I hope things go better at the next school :)

I started a thread about the MySchool site and initially i thought it was a good idea too. But I'm fast changing my ideas. Having looked at the site there is no mention of the many other aspects of learning that a school contributes to: pastoral, physical, emotional intelligence etc. Only 1 facet, the academic. Now my children have attended schools where the Naplan scores have been high but i'm not necessarily happy with these schools. As somebody who has worked in an educational setting I know that there is so much more to learning. ATM I am fence sitting about the whole thing but i would have thought the general public would have been more intelligent in their use of the site. It is an interesting source of information but really should only be a part of the bigger picture of selecting a good school. A case in point was my old primary school: it is covered in red BUT I know that it is in the centre of a very underpriviledged area where mainly indigenous students now attend. If you read the school blurb before you look at the results you will read evidence that this school has won many state, national and even Commonwealth awards for excellence in teaching indigenous students. Would that be a good school? Hell yes!!!

Yes i will be reading the Myschool site for info on the schools i am hoping to send my boys to when we move... but I already know the schools will be good ;) So don't really care what it says.

I don't know if i would offer to supervise naplan testing :think: I tend to have faith in most educators. if the staff at my DD's private school boycotted the test then i would trust their judgement and back them up... same at with her first school where i worked... if they boycotted i would support them... because as teachers they were the best and really knew what they were talking about... it was an Independant school though... they were used to bucking the trend when it came to Government policy which was often based on false ideologies and teaching in a way that was convenient and cheap... not aspiring to actually providing what each child needed... just providing one-size-fits-all services :( Off my soapbox now.

:

---

I don't know if i would offer to supervise naplan testing :think: I tend to have faith in most educators. if the staff at my DD's private school boycotted the test then i would trust their judgement and back them up...

---

I would be really, really happy if i could find a school where i could trust the teachers and at this current school, i don't trust them one bit. I wouldn't believe them for a second as i have lost all hope and faith in them.

The mid semester reports came out at the end of last term. DS's report had "interview required - contact the school to organise a time". I call the school first week back and tell me that the interviews are in the second week and a note will be sent home on Friday to organise a time. Okay. No note on Friday. Decide to call on Monday and they tell me that the interviews were tomorrow :o (i'm glad i rang). If i hadn't called, i wouldn't have known. The are soooo slack.

Yeah, I see what you mean there Bath. I looked at DD's school, but I also never considered that because they scored well that they are the best school iykwim. I am very happy with them, but its so much more than that.
I am looking at maybe moving & changing the girls schools if we move out to mum & dad's, but while now that I think of it, I will look at the school on there, nothing will convince me what the school is like til I've actually been there myself. To see the school & meet the principle & teachers, see what the kids are like is what will convince me. The whole school environment is what I like to look at & how I will make my decision to send the kids to small public school out there, or the bigger private school in town. Sport & other parts of their education are just as important to me.

I believe any organisations culture starts at the top and filters down. Your intuitive response to principals, the registrar and year co-ordinators should serve you well too ;) And yes, picking up on the "vibe" in the classrooms and playground is good too. Simply listening to how teachers speak to kids is a great indicator.

I so agree Baths - its always that first impression of the principal, the teachers, the class rooms, play areas etc.. and your gut instinct are always a good sign.

I told the teacher yesterday that i suspect DS may have Aspergers and she looked at me and i knew that she didn't even know what it was.