Parents vent fury by protesting outside St Mary Magdalen’s Catholic School where SATs in maths were voided
BY JAMES TWOMEY
james@slpmedia.co.uk
Parents are protesting against how a primary school is run after a SATs exam was voided. St Mary Magdalen’s Catholic Primary school in Howson Road, Brockley has come under fire for a range of problems which including allegations of a lack of activities.
The school’s problems began last year when a Year 6 SATs maths exam was voided. But according to the protesters an undercurrent of other problems has made it increasingly uncomfortable for the students, causing parents to protest outside the school last week.
Pedro Charles, whose daughter attends the school, said: “The kids are so upset and just want to leave. “There’s nothing there for them. The activities always get cancelled there’s nothing fun for them to do.
“We’ve been told by teachers that the SATs appeals process cost the school £30,000. “They won’t let PTA meetings run. Why? If parents want to run it I don’t understand what the problem is?
He added: “The school needs an overhaul of senior management, governors and PTA. Most parents are willing to help but no one wants to work with them. They haven’t got our kids best interests at heart or we wouldn’t be in this position.
“There are so many parents here willing to help make a difference. “It’s just so saddening, emotionally draining and is having a mental impact on me and my son.
The whole atmosphere is just depressing. There is no togetherness at all.” Another parent said her son hates the school and has said he wants to kill himself because of it.
The school had promised to meet parents last Friday in “crisis talks” but the parents say they will protest again if their demands are not met.
A Department for Education spokeswoman said: “Teachers and parents must have confidence in the integrity of the assessment system. Any instances of maladministration of the national curriculum assessments are completely unacceptable.
“Following an investigation by the Standards and Testing Agency, the 2018 key stage 2 (KS2) test results for mathematics: Paper 3, were annulled for all pupils within the cohort at St Mary Magdalen’s Catholic Primary School.
“This will not, however, adversely affect any of the pupils personally as the school can provide statutory assessment data to show pupils’ progress and attainment in mathematics.”
A Lewisham council spokeswoman said: “We are supporting the school as they work to resolve issues that have been raised.
With regard to safeguarding concerns, we will investigate should any be formally brought to our attention in line with our standard process.”
A group of parents met with senior staff at the school on May 10, including the assistant headteacher, for “crisis talks” but the parents feel that not enough was been resolved and the talks will continue.
Everyone at the South London Press thanks you for your continued support.
Former Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick has encouraged everyone in the country who can afford to do so to buy a newspaper, and told the Downing Street press briefing:
“A FREE COUNTRY NEEDS A FREE PRESS, AND THE NEWSPAPERS OF OUR COUNTRY ARE UNDER SIGNIFICANT FINANCIAL PRESSURE”
If you can afford to do so, we would be so grateful if you can make a donation which will allow us to continue to bring stories to you, both in print and online. Or please make cheques payable to “MSI Media Limited” and send by post to South London Press, Unit 112, 160 Bromley Road, Catford, London SE6 2NZ
As an actual employee of the school I am very disappointed that you would choose to publish such irrational & unfounded rubbish.
There are a wide range of extra-curricula clubs available, with every teacher running one at least once a week, some doing two.
I have personally been to empty PTA meetings and watched as colleagues struggle to get parents to come.
The same parents who fight outside the school gates are worried about the atmosphere at the school??!!
These parents need to protest at them selves for failing their children.
As a teacher of the school I’m surprised you have not commented of the children’s results. Not surprised at all as all staff in the school were corrupt. So pleased with the change and the children finally get what they deserve professional and capable teachers.
Out with the old and in with the NEW!!
The school is an absolute shambles since the change of teachers there is no structure, no togetherness, no nothing the school is depressing it’s not fun for the kids at all the teachers are psssh let’s just say on paper they may fit the role but when it comes to actually teaching as a whole sorry but a joke. The kids go on no trips, no outings, they do no plays or shows in school I honestly wish I never choose to bring my daughter to this school in year 4 because now she’s in year 5 and the school is just horrific
Since the new management, I feel the school is at it’s worse and it’s a shame. Many of the parents haven’t moved their children due to the fact uprooting them during their final few years of Primary school. The management don’t listen, fob you off and spent very little time getting to know our children. The amount of children that have left the school since the new management change must be a record high!!! Lewisham Council Education Dept should be able to confirm this, however I imagine they’re choosing to ignore…….. There is no sense of community in school any longer, there was a very small handful of parents who had an issue with the previous management/staff which didn’t warrant the changes.
For more than 90% of the teaching staff to all hand in their notices on the same day, speaks volumes…………
Lewisham Education are the ones failing our children as they need to be asking the parents questions especially since the new management started.
The school is now a boot camp, not primary school!!!
Well done to all those parents standing outside who moaned and moaned and never actually did anything positive towards the school AT ALL. Well done because you have now down the line, ruined a perfectly good school. The school is now going to close – pleased with yourselves? Well done because most of you after your moan fest pulled your kids out of the school anyway, under the new regime, after you totally trashed and ruined a school. You were a minority and the silent majority have all suffered with your totally endless amount of toxic poison. The school never ever recovered, in fact, it got worse and worse in the most awful and unbearable way. You lost really good teachers who had been there for years and years and all you had was your selfish disgusting negativity. Well, I can only suspect that you have taken your ongoing poisonous negativity somewhere else – because that is who YOU are. So, well done for ruining my child’s school, well done for closing their school, well done for making your problem THE problem. MAY GOD FORGIVE YOU for what you have done in destroying and closing a school that was once perfectly fine. MAY GOD FORGIVE YOU for destroying one of His Catholic schools. I hope you remember what you have done and I hope when you pray, you remember how you all once destroyed and played your part in wiping out God’s school.