In his letter to some parents, Tony Howell claims that the appointment of the Interim Executive Board (IEB) at Moseley School is essential to lead the major changes required to improve standards significantly at the school.
This is quite a bold claim. Why?
One of the proposed IEB member is Miss Thelma Probert.
She used to be the Head Teacher for Golden Hillock School for over a decade. Under her watch, the highest she ever achieved for Golden Hillock School was 24% for five GCSEs A*-C including English and Maths in 2004. Meanwhile the National Average in 2004 was 43%.
In 2002, Miss Probert received an OBE (Order of the British Empire). Not bad for her academic record and for being in breach of the most basic statutory requirement in education. The fact that Miss Probert - with her record - has been appointed on the Interim Executive Board shows total and utter contempt by the Local Authority for the pupils and parents of Moseley School. They and Moseley School - with its prestigious history of academic achievement from years gone by - deserve better than this.
Miss Probert has also served as a School Improvement Partner (SIP) for six Birmingham Schools. The SIP Programme was the substance behind Tony Blair's laudable but failed attempt to improve state education, education, education (no pun intended).
How an earth can a retired Head Teacher with such a record help improve standards at Moseley School or any other school for that matter? It beggars belief.
If Local Authorities appoint retired Head Teachers – with a questionable record in academic attainment and statutory breaches – as School Improvement Partners then it highly unlikely schools are going to improve significantly. No wonder, when the Government announced the National Challenge Programme in 2007, Birmingham found itself with 40% of its 75 secondary schools in the National Challenge category. This is one of the worst records for the size of Local Authority. This is underachievement on an industrial scale.
The Interim Executive Board and changing Moseley School into a Trust is not really about raising standards but something else. Moseley School's former School Improvement Partner - also a retired Head Teacher - had a far better academic record than Thelma Probert. Moreover, standards have been improving at Moseley School without a hard federation with Queensbridge, without a Trust and without a permanent Head Teacher.
