Was it all worth it?
What is proposed for the Northern area of
the City:
February 2008
Dear Parent(s)/Carer(s)
You may already have heard the news that Haywood Engineering College has won the battle to remain open on this site with refurbishments.
This is a result of a tremendous campaign by staff, students, parents, carers and the wider community and we hope that you will join us in celebrating the news.
Final proposals are due on February 26th, when we will contact you all again.
Best wishes,
A great deal of time and effort has gone into the campaign to keep Haywood open - was it all worth it?
Answer: Not until they have shown that they are completely trustworthy. They are still below par on this criterion.
Nothing has been written on paper, nothing has been signed off by the Council Manager. We believe that paper copies are to be made available on the 19th February. But we do have the Elected Mayor speaking publicly, on the record.
The Council has come up with the idea of two Academies in the North. Since these flagship schools are meant to be given pots of money to operate, is it merely a ploy to be able to say that Haywood is not performing up to expectations, and that it is not drawing the right numbers of pupils? We shall see. It is up to the teachers and staff to make sure that Haywood out-performs two Academies. With the help of the community, they will succeed.
It is probable that Haywood will be the last school in the north to be refurbished/rebuilt. The programme runs until 2014, so don't expect immediate action. The staff of Haywood will, of course, continue their good work in the current school.
Yes, we are happy that the Council has listened. But we must not be triumphalist. There is still plenty to do. We will, of course, continue to monitor, in one guise or another, the Council's performance throughout the refurbishment period. In the words of one current Year 11 Haywood pupil written to the Elected Mayor "I would just like to warn you that we have not yet given up and we will keep on fighting".
One of the biggest bonuses of this campaign has been the coming together of various communities from across the City. We hope this will continue into the future. In this vein, please support Trentham High in their continuing fight for survival.
- Haywood to remain open, on its current site, with its current staff, and will be refurbished.
- James Brindley to be rebuilt as an Academy.
- Brownhills to become an Academy
- St Margaret Ward to be rebuilt on the same or another site.
February 2008
Dear Parent(s)/Carer(s)
You may already have heard the news that Haywood Engineering College has won the battle to remain open on this site with refurbishments.
This is a result of a tremendous campaign by staff, students, parents, carers and the wider community and we hope that you will join us in celebrating the news.
Final proposals are due on February 26th, when we will contact you all again.
Best wishes,
| David
Dickinson Headteacher |
Dawn
Clewes Chair of PTFA |
A great deal of time and effort has gone into the campaign to keep Haywood open - was it all worth it?
Yes, it
bloody well was!!!
- Haywood is remaining on its current site, with its current staff, and will be refurbished. This is what the campaign was all about.
- The community has come together to oppose a Council that has, for too long, run roughshod over the wishes of the electorate.
- The electorate has become more actively aware of the many failings of the Council - not least the system of unaccountable decision making by unelected officers.
- Council representatives, both elected and unelected, have, at last, come face-to-face with the people.
- The community, local and
city-wide, has probably become more politically active.
- Has the Council only acceded to the wishes of our local community because we were the first and one of the most vociferous campaigns?
- Has the Council truly turned over a new leaf, and begun to really listen to the people? Probably not - Trentham High's campaign will continue until the Council becomes properly accountable.
- We have been shown first-hand the workings of the Council's head of communications - how dissent and/or criticism will not be tolerated.
Answer: Not until they have shown that they are completely trustworthy. They are still below par on this criterion.
Nothing has been written on paper, nothing has been signed off by the Council Manager. We believe that paper copies are to be made available on the 19th February. But we do have the Elected Mayor speaking publicly, on the record.
The Council has come up with the idea of two Academies in the North. Since these flagship schools are meant to be given pots of money to operate, is it merely a ploy to be able to say that Haywood is not performing up to expectations, and that it is not drawing the right numbers of pupils? We shall see. It is up to the teachers and staff to make sure that Haywood out-performs two Academies. With the help of the community, they will succeed.
| Vision
without action is merely a dream, |
| Action
without vision just passes time, |
| Vision
with action can change the world. |
It is probable that Haywood will be the last school in the north to be refurbished/rebuilt. The programme runs until 2014, so don't expect immediate action. The staff of Haywood will, of course, continue their good work in the current school.
Yes, we are happy that the Council has listened. But we must not be triumphalist. There is still plenty to do. We will, of course, continue to monitor, in one guise or another, the Council's performance throughout the refurbishment period. In the words of one current Year 11 Haywood pupil written to the Elected Mayor "I would just like to warn you that we have not yet given up and we will keep on fighting".
One of the biggest bonuses of this campaign has been the coming together of various communities from across the City. We hope this will continue into the future. In this vein, please support Trentham High in their continuing fight for survival.