... of yet another Lincolnshire school. This time it's the Lafford High in Billinghay. It has been reported on the BBC Online News as well as the Lincolnshire Echo.
The Lafford
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Should the Lafford High School be closed in 2010?
Links
- School Organisation Plans 2003-2008
- Lincolnshire Echo article 6
- Lincolnshire Echo article 5
- Lincolnshire Echo article 4
- Lincolnshire Echo article 3
- Lincolnshire Echo article 2
- Lincolnshire Echo article 1
- Sleaford Target article
- Sleaford Standard article
- Billinghay 'most improved school' article
- 4children
- GovernorNet
- Lincolnshire Every Child Matters
- Every Child Matters
- Human Scale Education
- Contact elected representatives
- Billinghay Parish Council
- Lincolnshire County Council
- North Kesteven District Council
- Department for Children, Schools and Families
Save Lafford Website
Small Schools: Research and Articles
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2008
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5 comments:
I went to The Lafford, it is a great school, Ok it's not very big but this is a good thing, classes are not too big so each child can get more 1-1 attention if needed. I know moving from primary school to secondary is hard, but your made to feel welcome and settling in is so easy. The teachers were (and still are) friendly helpfull and treat every child with the upmost respect. I will be deeply saddened to see it close as it's been part of the community for years.
Tony Blair set out his priorities for office “ Education, education, education”.
Gordon Brown pledged to eradicate failure from England’s schools by saying those which let children down will be taken over or closed. He said local authorities would be encouraged to use new powers to intervene in failing schools. Minimum standards in England’s schools would be raised with all schools needing to have 30% of their pupils achieving five high grade GCSEs by 2012-13. Schools which failed to meet that target could face being taken over by interim management boards, or by other successful schools including independent schools, or being turned into academies. "No more toleration of second best in Britain - no more toleration of second best for Britain." , "No longer acceptable for any school to fail its pupils”.
Mr. Brookes, the general secretary of the NAHT said as quoted on the BBC news web site October 2007: "We call on parents, children and young people to unite in getting behind their school to maintain their right to a good education which is crucial to life chances. Children must insist on their right to a learning environment that promotes success, and have zero tolerance of peers who try to take away that right by constant disruption."
This week the Lafford High School Governors agreed to seek a phased closure.
The Lafford High School is NOT a failing school.
Our child joined this school and we have had no regrets. The teachers are exceptional; the standards of teaching are very high. The teachers and staff know each child individually giving a great advantage for excellent teaching and excellent child /parent/s relations.
In March 2007 The Lafford High School became the most improved school in the whole country.
The school has formed a partnership with St.Georges college.
Parents were told that the Lafford was entering into an academy status which would save the school and give greater opportunities for all children.
The last school meeting told parents the school was entering into exciting times with fantastic opportunities ahead.
The Lafford high school news letter of Dec 07 stated “last years year 11’s achieved the best GCSE results ever, in the history of the school 59% of students gained 5 or more GCSE A*-C grades”, and this “places us in the top 5% of schools nationally”
So it’s down to numbers!.
The letter to parents states 19 children have indicated that the Lafford is their school of first preference. The letter does not give statement or indications as to the amount of children that would have been attending the Lafford high school in September 2008.
The Lafford high school is a small school in pupil numbers it seems.
Was it not ofsted that argued the quality of teaching in small schools is generally better than in large schools giving an important place in the community, in short ticking all the ECM boxes. (Every Child Matters) .
The letter states numbers in the local primary schools are also declining, so there is little prospect of any significant upturn at the Lafford high school.
Does this mean that Billinghay primary school is next on the list of closures?, have parents there been informed?.
The letter states, to seek a phased closure of the Lafford High school by the local council as it could no longer offer a broad curriculum that meets the needs of all children and that this proposal was supported by a senior member of the local authority.
We understood that the broad curriculum was part of the increasing opportunities as being in partnership with St. Georges College or by entering into the governments school academies programme, are we no longer in partnership?.
As a senior member of the local authority supports a phased closure, we should at least know who he is and whether he is even part of the local education authority.
I would hope the Local Education Authority (LEA) is involved and will give comment in the very near future.
The letter states we now have to consider very carefully how the closure is managed in order to best safeguard the interest of the children.
As I understand this, the present year 9 will be able to finish their education at the Lafford providing of course that the teachers do not leave for secure employment elsewhere until the last moment.
However the present years 7 and 8 will be forced into completely changing schools in 2010. They will be divided into different schools with teachers that do not know them at their critical stages of entering KS4 options.
I can see nothing in this managed closure that would benefit or safeguard the interests of the children.
Caring Parents. Billinghay.
101020
NOT FALLING ROLLS BUT AN INCREASE
The Lafford High School has had a 43.5% increase in pupil numbers from 2002 to 2008.
The Lincolnshire School Organisation Plan downloads of years 2002-2007, 2003-2008, 2004-2009 supplement, 2005-2010 update, 2006-2011 update and 2007- 2012 update, state the numbers on roll at the Lafford High School.
The numbers on roll (NOR) for The Lafford High School were:
January 2002 187 pupils
January 2003 190 pupils
January 2004 247 pupils
January 2005 273 pupils
January 2006 288 pupils
September 2007 262 pupils
The letter from Children’s services then states:
January 2008 268 pupils
This is an increase of 81 pupils between 2002 and 2008
NOT A DECREASE.
It is stated the falling rolls are also affecting the neighbouring areas of Tattershall, Ruskington and Sleaford.
According to the School organisation plan the numbers on roll for Tattershall secondary school was 513 in January 2002 and was still 513 as of September 2007.
The numbers on roll for the Ruskington secondary school was 345 in January 2002 and has INCREASED by 20 to 365 as stated for roll numbers in September 2007.
The roll numbers for St. George’s College of Technology in Sleaford in January 2002 was 1350 and has INCREASED by 323 to 1673 pupils in September 2007, which incidentally is an excess of 94 over the capacity of the school.
It is stated that if The Lafford High School closes, parents will be offered the choice of a place, with transport provided where appropriate, at neighbouring schools to be named.
The school in Tattershall has 52 surplus spaces.
The school in Ruskington has 11 surplus spaces.
The school in Sleaford has 0 spaces due to an excess of 94.
These figures are recorded in the Lincolnshire School Organisation Plan update September 2007.
There are 268 pupils recorded at The Lafford High School and only 63 available spaces in neighbouring schools at present.
THE LAFFORD HIGH SCHOOL IS ESSENTIAL AND VITAL.
caring parents, Billinghay 101020
The Lafford High School Is small, but that certantly didnt give me any 1- 1 contact, as i was a hardworking pupil, none of the teachers could care less, to get noticed at this school, you have to be badly behaved. It has nothing to do with Tony Blair Or Gordon Brown, Lincolnshire is a conservative constituancy Douglas Hogg our Mp, makes the decisions wake up! Can tell you are part of the Lafford.Closure was inevitable!
Rose tinted glasses anyone? The Lafford was known by all others as a 'rough' school. I was one of MANY kids that should have gone there - but my parent coughed up the money to send me an hour by bus to go to St Georges in Sleaford instead. Thank god they did. Better education, caring staff, plus a joint sixth form with the girls and boys grammar schools.
The Lafford school had poor results year-in year-out. Grades got better near the end - but it's too little, too late.
At the end of the day it was a badly run school. THE SCHOOL and NOT the government has let down the pupils and families of the area. Let's not confuse ourselves here.
IF the education had been at a good standard at The Lafford then the numbers would have steadily increased over the years. Parents from all over the area would be trying to get their child into the school. But - it was badly run. Grades were historically poor so it was not the most desirable school in the area. Other schools, such as St Georges, became a better option to those that could send their child further a field. Pupil numbers may have increased - but you're talking about very small numbers here. That coupled with poor grades are the nails in the coffin.
In conclusion: if you are to blame anyone then blame the school and the people that have run it over the years. You may know these people personally... they might be very nice teachers and heads. But the school has not been performing for MANY years, and, although you may not want to hear this, it has been failing the children that attended it for quite some time. As mentioned - things may have picked up over the past couple of years... but it isn't enough. Why has the level of achievement been so bad for so long at Lafford?
The School failed the pupils and parents - nobody else.
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