Tidemill update: Superhead resigns

Earlier today, children attending the brand new Tidemill School brought home a letter addressed to their parents and carers from Head Teacher Mark Elms – announcing his intention to retire at the end of the academic year in August 2012!

So only a few months after Mr Elms – against the preferences of both Lewisham Council and Tidemill parents – has taken the school out of local authority jurisdiction to become an Academy, and only two months after he moved the school into the new £24m building paid for by the local authority (us), he's leaving the sinking flagship!

The shock announcement comes hot on the heels of a Daily Mirror story last Saturday, reporting the GMB union's outrage that the 58 year old 'super-head' had been awarded £20k in bonuses "while his staff are being offered another pay freeze for a third year".

We wonder what Chair of Governors Keith Geary will do without his chum. When Elms worked elsewhere on a City Challenge project in Croydon, the school was awarded £120k to ensure pupils did not lose out, but Geary saw fit to award Elms 85% of the funding to his hero. Elms had previously reassured both parents and governors that he would be leading then into the future.

Picture credit: Jeff Moore for Mirror.co.uk

Meanwhile, what is happening to the old school?

Lewisham Council have called in New Bould Guardians to look after it, that's what. Who are they? According to their website, they are a cheap option to paid security guards, an organisation that takes on empty buldings for a minimum of two months, placing "guardians" on the site – "real" people who have been conscientiously vetted. Examples of such folk include freelance photographer Emily, London firefighter Peter, and actor and opera singer Juan. Presumably, they get to live in the premises rent free.

Nothing wrong with that, but how much is Lewisham council paying for this service? There are already at least two artist-led organisations with established reputations for running highly successful spaces in Deptford who are facing uncertain futures with the tenures on the buildings they presently occupy about to run out in the coming months. Another successful studio group recently fell foul of Workspace's contractual shenanigans and found themselves homeless. Were these groups given any consideration, we ponder...

Radio London talks to Crossfields resident

Crossfields resident, artist and art lecturer, Tidemill parent and anti-Academies campaigner (among other things), Leila Galloway, along with fellow parent Esther, were caught on the hop on Wednesday when BBC Radio London picked up on an Evening Standard story that Crosswhatfields (among others) had covered.

They contacted us to speak to them. Not always fast to react, we fielded the message to Leila, and the mothers were later that afternoon recorded live talking to reporter Jonathan Savage, who had picked up on the story that Tidemill Academy will be charging parents £20 a day for a play scheme when the school shuts early before Christmas so that it can make the move into the new Deptford Lounge accommodation.

Listen again here. This blogger gets a headache listening to the Radio London evening news show, so advises you fast forward 6 minutes in for the 4 minute slot recorded in Deptford with Leila and Esther.... and to a quite good intro and pretty accurate synopsis from Jonathan Savage  – go Jon!...

See previous story...

Delays in Lounge and Tidemill School openings

The Deptford Dame reports delays in the opening of the library in the new Deptford Lounge building. Originally it was due to re-open tomorrow. Staff at Wavelengths told us this is due to a problem with the under-floor heating, which had to be re-dug up...You can still use Lewisham Library or renew online at www.lewisham.gov.uk/libraries, or phone 0208 314 6399.

In a great example of Localism – getting information from the horse's mouth, in the total absence of any news from the council itself – staff also say there is a delay in the refurbishment of the old library which is to become a massive gym, and confirm that there will be no cafe facilities (so no Starbucks). The good news is that for those who don't qualify for a Lewisham Plus Card, membership will now be more flexible (not tied to a 12-month contract), and will give access to other facilities in the borough.

The Dame also reports the delay in the opening of Tidemill School as an Academy, resulting in a scandalous alternative for parents, who will be asked to pay £100 a week to place their kids on a playscheme whilst the school closes early for Christmas to facilitate the move to the new building. The story was reported in the Evening Standard, the South London Press and by local campaign academies.sayingno.org. Parents believe that if the school were still under local authority control, free child-care would have been provided. A bullish chairman of governors, Keith Geary, said "there's no obligation for us to provide this service."

This is typical of the attitude of the Tidemill Academy governors, some of whom have no links with education at all. Crosswhatfields recently caught a glimpse of the new facilities at the new site, which look fantastic. Geary and his like would have us think these facilities are part of their Academy vision, but in fact they are intrinsic to Lewisham's vision for the area that involve the old school site being redeveloped, with the building of 400 flats due to start in 2012 (bringing the total number of new homes planned for Deptford to around 6,500).

Tidemill governors decide

Tonight, the governors of Tidemill School met to decide the future of the school. A small number of campaigners braved the icy conditions outside the school this evening in a candlelit vigil, whilst the governors met inside the school.

At around 7.30pm the governors emerged from their meeting, but refused to comment on the decision made. It will be posted on the website tomorrow, the campaigners were told. "We want to let everyone know at the same time, so we can't tell you now" said another. "What if I'm not online?" asked one of the campaigning parents. "The parents will get a letter" was the reply...


Meanwhile, most topically and almost simultaneously, the BBC was broadcasting at 8pm on Radio 4 a documentary report called Who Owns England's Schools - an investigation into the government's drive for academies, as part of The Report series. Three schools are featured, one of which is Tidemill Primary, including an interview with Frankham House resident Leila Galloway who has two children at the school, but alas, whilst the programme was still being edited this afternoon, neither the head teacher Mark Elms (nor the Chair of Governors) was available for comment. Michael Gove can be heard, stroking his white cat.

One of the schools featured who converted at astonishing speed to academy status over the summer period, reported a total lack of interest from parents in their conversion. The BBC reporter, James Silver, tells Leila that it appears from Tidemill's website that the school has done a considerable amount of consultation. Leila has to remind him that there would have been none at all if she hadn't campaigned.

Much of the publicity around government changes in education have concentrated on university fees and the abolishment of the Education Maintenance Award, but bigger changes are going on right on our doorstep. See the synopsis of the Radio 4 report here. If this programme is available to listen again we'll post the link.  UPDATE: the programme is available here on BBC's iPlayer

More news tomorrow regarding the governors' decision...

academies.sayingno.org

Tidemill Superhead loses plot

A letter from Tidemill School Leadership Team went out yesterday to parents, announcing an Academy Consultation Meeting on Thursday 21st October (7pm). Parents are invited to request a ticket to attend the meeting, where key arguments will be presented by Tidemill staff, an unnamed 'ex-director of education', Martin Powell Davies from the National Union of Teachers, and chaired by Joan Ruddock MP.

Apart from the short notice, it might also be noted that no childcare arrangements are offered. The meeting would also not be taking place at all if not for the campaigning efforts of a small number of parents who felt there had been no consultation. Their campaign is referred to in the letter as criminal activity that threatens the safety of pupils.

After the announcement of the date and time, the letter continues in an alarmist and inaccurate manner, decrying the opposition to the school's plans...

"Despite what was reported in the South London Press this is not a public meeting, it is only for Tidemill parents, staff and Governors and we are keen to ensure that this is a calm and productive meeting which will allow everyone to hear the key arguments for and against the proposal.

"The senior leadership team met last week to discuss our concerns over the overtly political lobbying that we are experiencing from the Anti-Academies Alliance. Many parents have complained that they have to begin and end their school day walking through a barage of shouting and leafleting. In particular several of our parents with English as an additional language have expressed how they are finding this lobbying confusing and how it is causing them considerable anxiety. Parents have found these tactics aggressive and intimidating and are worried about the effect this is having on their children; it certainly doesn't provide an ideal start to the day. In light of parents concerns and complaints, we have reported this matter to the police.

"More importantly, we are very concerned about the safety of our pupils as children are being enticed with balloons across the road with no regard to road safety. This is extremely dangerous and makes it very difficult for our staff to know if children have been collected by an appropriate adult. Furthermore Tidemill children have been photographed and videoed leaving school without consent from their parents; this is a dangerous breach of our e-safety policy. Two parents leading the AAA campaign have been written to requesting that they consider alternative ways to conduct their campaign so it does not impact on the safety of our pupils before and after school."

The letter goes on to attempt to persuade parents to support the school in its aims to become an Academy. "As the leading professionals of this school we strongly believe that converting Tidemill to Academy status will secure the best future for our pupils. We hope all our parents and staff will support us in our vision after they have had the opportunity to hear all sides of the issue."

This would appear rather a biased statement to make in the middle of a consultation.

The letter goes on to refer to the recently held public meeting at the Albany as "led by the AAA (Anti Academy Alliance) resulting in shouting, aggression and verbal abuse: allowing very little opportunity to discuss the real issue of what is best for our pupils at Tidemill. Many people who attended this meeting had no connection to the school whatsoever. To ensure this meeting is not hijacked by people with their own political agenda, we are asking all parents to request a ticket to attend the meeting..."

And ends, rather childishly...

"At the meeting on Thursday evening we will not be providing balloons, we will not be shouting or chasing you down the street but will offer you a fair and balanced view of the issues surrounding becoming an academy."

It appears the school's 'leading professionals' object to the expression of free speech. The children videoed outside the school were actively voicing their opposition accompanied by their parents whose permission had been given. The meeting at the Albany was attended by parents and members of the community. It seems the school's 'leading professionals' object to the community (people with no connection to the school whatsoever) being consulted, despite the fact that the new school will be positioned slap bang in the middle of a community facility. Most of those attending do not recall any aggression and abuse, although one of the governors left in exasperation when one misinformed parent angrily suggested her own child might be excluded from the new Academy.

To see a video of the Albany meeting on 6th September, and the arguments voiced, go to
http://sayingno.org/cms/public-meetings/public-meeting/

Meanwhile, the 'leading professionals' told parents that the forthcoming meeting was in danger of being hijacked by a political agenda, as though to imply to parents that politics is a dirty word, when in fact the very idea of Academies is a political idea, representing a fundamental shift in education policy (whether you agree with it or not).

It also appears the meeting will only have one speaker representing the opposition to the school's plans (Martin Powell-Davies) whilst arguments for will come from members of the leadership team and an unnamed ex-director of education — hardly a fair and balanced discussion, one might conclude.

BTW, this important letter was conveyed to parents via their children, rather than posted, so could easily go astray. See the letter here.

Deptford says no to Tidemill Academy

Deptford Says No to Tidemill Academy from leila on Vimeo.

The Future of Tidemill update...

This meeting to discuss the implications of Tidemill Primary becoming an Academy School is now to be chaired by Joan Ruddock MP. 
Postscript: Joan Ruddock MP has withdrawn from chairing this meeting but has promised to chair a future meeting. The event will still go ahead and you are welcome to come along to listen to speakers and give your views. Watch this space for more information or go to academies.sayingno.org 

Meanwhile, in response to a Comment to Crosswhatfields on the reporting of NUT exec Martin Powell-Davies' letter (see here), Mr Powell-Davies has responded as follows on his own blog where the same comment was posted:

How much was Mark Elms paid?

I am grateful for a comment posted from a local resident who has signed the parent petition but is concerned that the facts about Mark Elms' pay need to be correct.

At the time his pay hit the headlines in July, I didn't make many public comments about the issue - precisely because the facts were unclear. However, now that the school is the one school in Lewisham to have rushed ahead with plans to become an Academy, it is inevitable that people are linking the two issues - and my comment has clearly been picked up this time!

The issues over the Head's pay are separate to those over the Academy - but these questions will be raised by parents and teachers. After all, in the conversations that I have had with governors in other London schools considering becoming an Academy, the only real argument that has been raised is that they might get more funding (at the expense of other schools and the Local Authority budget of course). So my original question remains, "does the school really need to grab even more money if it can afford to pay a primary head that much?"

Have I erred in quoting a figure of £1/4 million? I took the figure from the only definitive source that I have had access to - Lewisham Council's printed accounts - which state that Mark Elms' pay for 2009/10 was:

Total excluding Pension Contributions 231,400
Employer's Pension Contributions 45,123
Total including Pension Contributions 276,523

I know that other figures quoted in the press have give different details, such as:
• Basic pay - £82,714.37
• City Challenge - £102,955.00 over two years, £50,957 of which was back-dated pay for 2008/09
• Out-of-hours work - £10,000
• Arrears - £9,317

The quoted "out-of-hours" payment has angered local teachers who do lots of unpaid overtime every year too. The decision to pay the City Challenge money also needs explanation as, in my understanding, when a head is "providing services to another school", the money should go from one school bank account to the other school's bank account as a payment to the school for those services. If the figures are correct, I am unclear why the governing body decided to then make those payments to Mark Elms rather than use the funds to, for example, employ other staff and resources to cover for his absence.

I am happy to update the information to be as accurate as possible - if anyone can provide definitive answers!

Postscript: Martin Powell-Davies (Secretary, Lewisham NUT) has since written more on his blog about this subject. See his letter to the Tidemill governors here.

NUT backs Tidemill protesters

Crosswhatfields is in receipt of a letter penned by the NUT executive in support of parents who oppose plans to make Tidemill Primary an Academy school....as follows:

The Government’s plans to encourage ‘outstanding’ schools to take a fast-track to ‘Academy’ status are a threat to the future of comprehensive Local Authority schooling. They could introduce a fragmented two-tier education system where ‘successful’ schools opt-out of the Local Authority, taking money with them as they go, leaving cash-starved Councils with the schools - and pupils - that need most help.

Fortunately, may schools have held back from rushing into becoming Academies in September – but not all.  In Lewisham, it is TIDEMILL SCHOOL IN DEPTFORD that is rushing onwards – yes, that’s the same school that hit the headlines when it was revealed that its Headteacher, Mark Elms, was paid over £ ¼ million in 2009/10 (does the school really need to grab even more money if it can afford to pay a primary head that much?).

Under pressure, the Government has conceded that parents should be consulted over plans to become an Academy – but Tidemill’s timetable shows how limited that ‘consultation’ can be. As last term drew to a close, Tidemill children were handed a letter for parents on July 19th saying that the governors were consulting for two months (i.e. over the summer holidays) before governors make a decision early in September!

BUT SOME PARENTS HAVE NOT BEEN PREPARED TO ACCEPT THIS SHAM CONSULTATION – NOW THEIR CAMPAIGN URGENTLY NEEDS YOUR HELP!

Tidemill parents made sure leaflets opposing the plan were given out at the school gates before the end of term.  An inaugural meeting of “Tidemill Parents Against Academies” was held over the summer and, with the support of the NUT and Anti-Academies Alliance, leafleting has already taken place in Deptford with a lot of support from local residents and parents. Local councillors are now beginning to ask questions – but time is tight to put enough pressure on the governors to hold back.

PLEASE SUPPORT THESE EVENTS:

1.     A PUBLIC MEETING HAS BEEN ORGANISED FOR MONDAY 6TH SEPTEMBER AT 7PM AT THE ALBANY, DOUGLAS WAY, SE8 4AG (see leaflet).

2.     LEAFLETTING FOR THE MEETING will be taking place on WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 1st and SATURDAY 4th SEPTEMBER from MIDDAY in DEPTFORD MARKET.

3.     A PETITION demanding full consultation before any decision has also been produced and can be signed at sayingno.org/cms/ or www.gopetition.com/petition/38021.html

Contact the campaign for further info on: admin@sayingno.org or 020 8692 8939

Please pass on this email to others who may be interested.

Martin Powell-Davies

Many apologies for calling the NUT the TUC (corrected as of 4pm, 31st August).