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Parents voice concerns over academy to MP

11:53am Saturday 22nd November 2008 in Oasis Academy Mayfield Photograph of the Author By Corey Stephenson, Senior News and Video Reporter

Oasis Academy: Mayfield Oasis Academy: Mayfield

SCORES of parents joined forces last night to air their concerns over one of Southampton’s newest schools to city MP John Denham.

Parents of pupils at Oasis Academy Mayfield attended a private meeting at St Mark’s Institute in Woolston to speak directly to the Southampton Itchen MP about the standard of education at the school, which has had pupil riots and faced claims of poor teaching since it opened in September.

“More than 100 people were inside with only one thing on their minds – the education of their children,” said Scout leader Marie Slade, who withdrew two sons from the school.

“There are parents who have children previously expected to get grades A and B and are now getting grades C.”

Mrs Slade, 40, said parents at the meeting were not concerned with issues regarding the merger of Woolston and Grove Park schools, which formed Oasis Academy Mayfield, and it was the lack of education that everyone agreed was the problem at the school.

The Daily Echo was asked not to attend the private meeting, and parents who did go to meet the Labour MP in the hall in Victoria Road were asked not to speak to the press about what had been discussed.

After the meeting, another parent said: “It has nothing to do with the merger. We only care about the standard of teaching and what is best for our children. That is something we are all agreed on and why we are all here.

“It was a good meeting and hopefully something will be done soon,” she added.

Mr Denham, who previously described Oasis as a “very inexperienced organisation”, is expected to meet the head teacher Ruth Johnson in the next few days.

Speaking after meeting with parents, he said: “It was a private meeting for me to speak to parents and hear their concerns. I now have more meetings to come.”

The school is one of two new Oasis academies in Southampton as part of a major shake-up of secondary education.

A spokesman for Oasis said there were now “no timetabling issues” and that discipline at the academies is governed by a behaviour policy “based upon the mutual respect of the whole academy community.”

Comments(19)

Condor Man says...
1:15pm Sat 22 Nov 08

sour grapes from Denham as he wanted his lefty cronies from the University to run the schools.

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fedupmum says...
1:26pm Sat 22 Nov 08

my children both go to oasis lordshill, they may not have the same problesms as the mayfield site, but they have got some serious problems there. there is no disappline at this school other than to send the child home, or send to upper/lower school site(inclusion), lots of kids are on part-time schooling, or just one lesson a day or exclusion anything from 3 to 5 days at a time.what good is sending kids home for days at a time,that is no punishment,they then just loose out on education, both parents and teacher are both supposed to teach kids in what is acceptable behaviour.if your child needs that extra help academecally then i believe the oasis academy is not the school for them,i am removing my children from this school and putting them in a school which can and will help with any problems that may acure during these final years before they lose out on too much education.

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goard says...
1:36pm Sat 22 Nov 08

In the 'olden days' if it worked - having in mind the best floated to the top - why change it - it is just another way for 'management' to make a bit of money - we never learn, do we? what a disaster we English are - sold to the highest bidder!

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goard says...
1:37pm Sat 22 Nov 08

In the 'olden days' if it worked - having in mind the best floated to the top - why change it - it is just another way for 'management' to make a bit of money - we never learn, do we? what a disaster we English are - sold to the highest bidder!

goard

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thesaint says...
1:47pm Sat 22 Nov 08

if the teachers check their underwear and hair colour and then we will all get amazing education from the pupils by doing that.
the worlds gone mad.

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Boris Remmington says...
2:00pm Sat 22 Nov 08

Calling a school an academy does not change it from being a comprehensive with the same old problems. Teachers with any ambition or drive do not want to waste their time with kids who do not want to learn.

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fedupmum says...
2:15pm Sat 22 Nov 08

Boris Remmington wrote:
Calling a school an academy does not change it from being a comprehensive with the same old problems. Teachers with any ambition or drive do not want to waste their time with kids who do not want to learn.
oasis academy do not want kids there that need time spent with them, that's why they send them home

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obelisker says...
3:14pm Sat 22 Nov 08

Children are treated as commodities in schools these days, and it's a disgrace. If they shine and behave like 'model pupils' they are welcomed as they make the school look good and the Heads gets their bonus, but oh dear! when they don't conform like Stepford Children or they need a lot of help, they are booted out at the first opportunity, shunted into some 'sink school' destined for the dole queue. A Labour government...what a joke and a disgrace to their founding socialist principles.

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D.a.v.e says...
4:17pm Sat 22 Nov 08

I find it appalling that John Denham did not invite the Daily Echo in to this meeting and to ask people who attended not to speak out is equally bad.
These schools and their problems are a concern for the local community -especially on the east side of southampton.Judging by the hundreds of comments left on this forum in the last few reports (some from teachers) only goes to prove that this massive and ongoing issue needs to be reported openly and factually.

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Condor Man says...
5:23pm Sat 22 Nov 08

obelisker wrote:
Children are treated as commodities in schools these days, and it's a disgrace. If they shine and behave like 'model pupils' they are welcomed as they make the school look good and the Heads gets their bonus, but oh dear! when they don't conform like Stepford Children or they need a lot of help, they are booted out at the first opportunity, shunted into some 'sink school' destined for the dole queue. A Labour government...what a joke and a disgrace to their founding socialist principles.
for once I agree with you. There seems to be an agenda by the ruling classes to keep kids in the state sector down. The Tories did this by employing substandard teachers (as I had) and setting such low expectations. Labour have done this by allowing behaviour to melt down schools and creating a curriculum which is totally irrelevant to most inner-city kids- including the bright ones.

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goard says...
5:48pm Sat 22 Nov 08

Where do we start with our kids? Of course it starts in their homes. One child only has to see another languishing back on their chair and the rest feel incredibly bored and do the same. I would like to make a point because I think it is relevant - everything a child does nowadays is just look at a television screen. No imagination is encouraged, they just sit back and literally go into a trance - even interacting with games on DVD has a hypnotic effect - a case of winning. When it comes to concentrating on what the teacher is saying they get bored. Modern technology has its drawbacks on young children's thought processes. Just an idea but it might be considered one of the problems.

goard

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Mr E says...
6:21pm Sat 22 Nov 08

just what are they trying to hide by excluding the press?

i smell fish here

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thesaint says...
12:23am Sun 23 Nov 08

Boris Remmington wrote:
Calling a school an academy does not change it from being a comprehensive with the same old problems. Teachers with any ambition or drive do not want to waste their time with kids who do not want to learn.
i think if the teachers were any good at all they would have the drive to teach .if you could sack the poor teachers and pay the good ones more you will get better results all round.

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Condor Man says...
12:36am Sun 23 Nov 08

the sad thing is that all the good teachers have realised that teaching in crap schools may be good to build up your career but once you are on the management level it's time to look for somewhere nice to teach. Ask any local teacher if they'd prefer to teach at Mayfield or Thornden they'd pick the latter every time.

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goard says...
1:37pm Sun 23 Nov 08

It goes both ways' do you have the kids mentally stimulated or do you have the teachers who cannot cope with kids who are entreanched with television games. I do not appreciate how one can can cope with the modern technique and the so called games that youngsters play - how can academia play a game in this era of 'down grade 'enjoyment'. Get real' how can teachers cope with this degeneration?
goard

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baz1 says...
2:12pm Sun 23 Nov 08

Teachers these days are well paid and great pensions-especially at "management"level i.e.those who have escaped the classroom and now count chairs.Heads earn £100k+do the job for a couple of years,get early retirement and a fat index linked pension.Who cares about the actual kids-especially the "difficult" ones......NO-ONE.Tea
chers these days look after No.1.-themselves-hel
ped by a desperate govt who throw money at problems without solving ANY!

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Condor Man says...
10:48pm Sun 23 Nov 08

To be honest far too much money is being spent on the difficult kids. I believe most of the money should be channelled into educating the brightest pupils and those capable of improving over time. Those who can't be arsed should sod off and let the rest learn.

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mumsie says...
10:52am Mon 24 Nov 08

i would just like to say where has the structure gone in our school not to memtion the disopline the teachers hands are tied so tight they have to revert to phoneing parents on a day to day basis for us to do the disoplining the whole thing is a joke

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kfan says...
11:28am Mon 24 Nov 08

Mr E, Eastleigh says...
6:21pm Sat 22 Nov 08
just what are they trying to hide by excluding the press?

i smell fish here

The press never report the true facts - that is why they were not invited! We parents brought up some valid points and were there to support each other and try and get some help for our kids. Following the news today of Mrs Johnsons departure maybe our unity has played some part in showing that the lack of education going on in the school is absolutely unnacceptable. Time will tell if our kids wil now benefit from this school under a new principle. Fingers crossed.

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