Fiona Phillips: Why I ranted at opening ceremony

10:41am Sunday 28th October 2012 in News

Fiona Phillips Fiona Phillips

THE TV star who launched into an angry rant over the education she received at her former school when she was the guest speaker at the opening ceremony of a £16m academy in Southampton has spoken out for the first time over the row.

Speaking in her column in a national newspaper, Fiona Phillips stood by her awkward tirade, which she delivered in front of a packed hall full of students and teachers, when she was the guest speaker at the Oasis Academy Lord's Hill school. The 51-year-old said her education in the 1970s at the then Millbrook School was bad and expressed no regrets. The presenter said she urged the students to "grasp every opportunity given to them by the talented, dedicated teachers they now have". And she even pledged to go back to the Southampton school. She said: "On Tuesday I went back to my old school in Southampton and, according to some newspapers, delivered a "rant" on how bad it had been. "Well it was. That's why, under Tony Blair's academy system, set up to take over failing schools and turn them around, it was finally closed down in 2008 after decades of failure." She added: "I wanted to be a doctor and was asked if I'd thought of hairdressing. "These students are being told they can achieve anything they want to. "I shall be visiting them to make sure they do!"

The Daily Echo first reported the shock speech at the ceremony when she slammed her school, which used to be on the same site, saying it had crushed her aspirations and left her with just one O-level. She said the school was “rampant with hormone and no discipline” and even described then headmaster Fred Lowry- now 85- as a man “who commanded no respect whatsoever.”

Comments(22)

skin2000 says...
11:18am Sun 28 Oct 12

I went to Merry Oak about the same time as Fiona went to Millbrook, it wouldn't have been top of the league with regards of results, but the teachers did the best that they could. I am sure the teachers at Millbrook did the same.
What I find more of interest,is the second hand account, from a previous poster, of Fiona's preformance in a Lordshill subway.....

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hyacinthbucket says...
11:49am Sun 28 Oct 12

Daily Echo, how could you possibly get simple facts wrong, time and time again. You of all news establishments should be well aware that Millbrook was a predecessor school to Oasis Academy Lordshill, as was Oaklands.
"The Daily Echo first reported the shock speech at the ceremony when she slammed her school, which used to be on the same site,"
Repeatedly you have stated that it is on the same site or is simply a revamped millbrook. This may seem petty, but how can we trust a single news item of yours if you can't get simple - in fact minor - details correct!

Yours faithfully,

A former Oasis Academy Lordshill student.

P.S Ian Golding explicitly informed you that it is a different school. You're responsible for giving a school, which should have had a new lease of life, very bad press. Well done.

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southy says...
11:53am Sun 28 Oct 12

Millbrook would of been one of those at the top skin as was Redbridge, Fiona jusy was not good enough to get more than 1 pass in exams.

The question that every one should ask is.
What happens when Oasis pulls out of education, or if they go bankrupt, what happens then to the kids.
What I would suggest is keep Oaklands and Millbrook open and out of Private hands, this would cover is some thing go's wrong with Oasis and it would give parents and kids a choice weather to go to private run school Oasis or a state run schools Millbrook or Oaklands

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arthur dalyrimple says...
12:16pm Sun 28 Oct 12

comprehensive education was rubbish ,not the teachers fault ,she seems as sour as her face looks ,deffo a photo to keep above the open fire to keep the kids safe.

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Linesman says...
12:35pm Sun 28 Oct 12

Fiona Phillips is reported as saying, "These students are being told they can achieve anything they want to. I SHALL BE VISITING THEM TO MAKE SURE THEY DO!"

Has she been given an official role as an Inspector of Schools?

Education has two component parts. Teachers and Pupils.

It would appear that many of her contemporaries have gone on to do well in their chosen careers, which tends to indicate that they took advantage of the education provided.

Could it possibly be that Fiona Phillips thought she knew better than her teachers and did not take full advantage of the education provided?

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LornaMay says...
12:50pm Sun 28 Oct 12

I went to Regents Park as did my daughter.. a good school latterly but in my day in the early 70's it was as bad as any other. If you were a child going through a crisis, like I did I lost my Father at 14 no emotional support.. My work suffered moved into the lower stream where the kids were just dumped! and not helped most of the time..a lot of Bullying.
I have never been supported in anything I have ever done in my Caeer as a Qualified Nurse.
I attained my Degree in BA Sc under my own steam, thanks to no one. Well done for speaking out Fiona.. Providing her success has been honest then good on her!
I believe any childs' learning and attainment is as good as the Teacher's who taught them. O'levels were harder in my day...No opportunity to go to University..LEA kept moving the Goal posts to make it easy on staistics for the Government and Politicians. Never to help the student whther academically or emotionally.

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southy says...
1:07pm Sun 28 Oct 12

LornaMay -- Fiona got where she did because who knew who. its just one of those things in life, there was 10 times better actors that never got any where because there parents did not know the right people in the right places, I got my break in rigging after coming ashore, because of the boss who was taking on knew my dad and even lo nothing was said between the 2, he gave me a try, and thats how things work some times

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LornaMay says...
1:13pm Sun 28 Oct 12

So its all about "who you know" and not "what you know" which is an unfair system..
Stinks of Corruption..Somethin
g's dont change.
I know on occasions people get lucky and get into a job that way..
Should not be like that though should it!
That why we have so many kids out of work. A lottery.
Democratic indeed Not!

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southy says...
2:54pm Sun 28 Oct 12

LornaMay wrote:
So its all about "who you know" and not "what you know" which is an unfair system..
Stinks of Corruption..Somethin

g's dont change.
I know on occasions people get lucky and get into a job that way..
Should not be like that though should it!
That why we have so many kids out of work. A lottery.
Democratic indeed Not!
I know but that is how things happen, but in my case dad was one of the best in the world in rigging and i had started on the same footsteps like going deep sea first earning and passing tests to get the right tickets, before coming ashore and start of the 4 years on shore to do the same. it was a hard 8 years for me did not come easy, but in Fiona it was her dad kwen some one that was in the right place, and nothing needs to be said, I knew some one who got into Southern Tv because his dad was the the guard at the gate, nothing was said but the works manager knew his dad was the guard on the gate.
It happens

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100%HANTSBOY says...
3:38pm Sun 28 Oct 12

southy wrote:
LornaMay wrote:
So its all about "who you know" and not "what you know" which is an unfair system..
Stinks of Corruption..Somethin


g's dont change.
I know on occasions people get lucky and get into a job that way..
Should not be like that though should it!
That why we have so many kids out of work. A lottery.
Democratic indeed Not!
I know but that is how things happen, but in my case dad was one of the best in the world in rigging and i had started on the same footsteps like going deep sea first earning and passing tests to get the right tickets, before coming ashore and start of the 4 years on shore to do the same. it was a hard 8 years for me did not come easy, but in Fiona it was her dad kwen some one that was in the right place, and nothing needs to be said, I knew some one who got into Southern Tv because his dad was the the guard at the gate, nothing was said but the works manager knew his dad was the guard on the gate.
It happens
wow,such conspiracy!

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mickey01 says...
5:11pm Sun 28 Oct 12

skin has got it right i was at millbrook at the same time as fiona and i can tell you it wasnt as bad as she makes it out and in fact it was miles better then the x factor type of pupils of today that seem to think that going on tv is the way to stardem, maybe thats what fiona thought was going to happen to her in the 70 s

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dango says...
5:49pm Sun 28 Oct 12

mickey01 wrote:
skin has got it right i was at millbrook at the same time as fiona and i can tell you it wasnt as bad as she makes it out and in fact it was miles better then the x factor type of pupils of today that seem to think that going on tv is the way to stardem, maybe thats what fiona thought was going to happen to her in the 70 s
Grammar wasn't one of the school's strong points, was it?

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pantsanon says...
8:18pm Sun 28 Oct 12

Oh my she didnt mention that she was a bit of a swot and it was her younger brother who was a bit naughty, she also didnt say she made my friends life hell. Maybe bullying would of been a better subject for her to talk about seeing as she was the expert then, you got where you are because daddy got you in southern tv go away and preach where people like you

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loosehead says...
9:58pm Sun 28 Oct 12

I see nothing wrong with swots?
She did wrong going to a new school only to rant on about her old school.
Bellemoor had a great Art Teacher in Holt & a great Art section.
We had pupils coming to English class with typed out homework & getting top marks?
Why did they write it in typewriter print?
but some could really do well whilst others didn't.
I also went to Foundry Lane & I think the teachers name was Daniels & he separated pupils from private houses & council houses & refused to teach those that weren't paying his wages ( council) so I left juniors not knowing how to divide or how to put out a sentence.
at my senior school we had I think 60 boys in a class I know it was far more than 45 so the teachers never had the time to teach one boy so I never learnt these skills but I never blamed the school as a whole & would not go to another school & rant like she did

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Linesman says...
10:36pm Sun 28 Oct 12

loosehead wrote:
I see nothing wrong with swots?
She did wrong going to a new school only to rant on about her old school.
Bellemoor had a great Art Teacher in Holt & a great Art section.
We had pupils coming to English class with typed out homework & getting top marks?
Why did they write it in typewriter print?
but some could really do well whilst others didn't.
I also went to Foundry Lane & I think the teachers name was Daniels & he separated pupils from private houses & council houses & refused to teach those that weren't paying his wages ( council) so I left juniors not knowing how to divide or how to put out a sentence.
at my senior school we had I think 60 boys in a class I know it was far more than 45 so the teachers never had the time to teach one boy so I never learnt these skills but I never blamed the school as a whole & would not go to another school & rant like she did
That explains a lot.

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lesliem says...
11:29pm Sun 28 Oct 12

I went to millbrook school along with a great bunch of guy's,we had no problem with the school,the teacher's alway's had time for you,teacher's like
mr newton and the best one of all was "pop" weston. The head master was Fred Dale, nothing went past him,if you did something wrong you expected to be punished,but he had that school running like clock-work.That school won a lot of recognition,so stop slaging the school off just because you did not get anywhere

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loosehead says...
8:16am Mon 29 Oct 12

Linesman wrote:
loosehead wrote:
I see nothing wrong with swots?
She did wrong going to a new school only to rant on about her old school.
Bellemoor had a great Art Teacher in Holt & a great Art section.
We had pupils coming to English class with typed out homework & getting top marks?
Why did they write it in typewriter print?
but some could really do well whilst others didn't.
I also went to Foundry Lane & I think the teachers name was Daniels & he separated pupils from private houses & council houses & refused to teach those that weren't paying his wages ( council) so I left juniors not knowing how to divide or how to put out a sentence.
at my senior school we had I think 60 boys in a class I know it was far more than 45 so the teachers never had the time to teach one boy so I never learnt these skills but I never blamed the school as a whole & would not go to another school & rant like she did
That explains a lot.
I also paid to go to night school to improve my written English but the teacher was teaching spelling.
I asked her when we would get to grammar she replied she was there to teach English to foreign students I was never told that so I quit the course.

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AndyAndrews says...
9:07am Mon 29 Oct 12

Since when is an ex breakfast TV presenter - who was pleasant but not too bright - an expert on education?

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kingnotail says...
10:15am Mon 29 Oct 12

I knew many people at school, who despite significant academic achievement, were told never to aim high simply due to their backgrounds. Instead of staying on for A-levels they were encouraged to follow pointless NVQs or similar which never got them anywhere. She has every right to rant like she has.

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shilo says...
12:36pm Mon 29 Oct 12

I went to Testwood School in the 70's which had very few good teachers and I had a rubbish education there, however I don't bang on about it like Ms. Phillips does time and time again.

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lowe esteem says...
1:53pm Mon 29 Oct 12

All credit to Millbrook School, you taught a latter day C-rated TV presenter to talk out of her ****.

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lowe esteem says...
1:53pm Mon 29 Oct 12

All credit to Millbrook School, you taught a latter day C-rated TV presenter to talk out of her ****.

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