Monday, April 11, 2011

City of Ely Community College

Catherine Jenkinson-Dix, Head of Ely Community College decided to introduce a zero tolerance policy on behaviour. Nothing unusual about that, my own school had one. (For almost an hour and a half)

What is incredible is that she actually went through with it, sending naughty kids to work in the school hall and generally inconveniencing them. It's an effective idea which won't take long to work. She might make the headlines, having to send hundreds out for minor misdemeanours, but kids aren't daft- once they realise you are serious they will start to behave. The scuzzy parents will moan a bit and make up daft stories, but if she persists then in just a couple of weeks she will have a school to be proud of.

So why don't more heads do this?

Because it takes courage.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Clearly Ms Jenkinson-Dix has more balls than many of her male counterparts - well done!!

Lawy said...

Frank - your book is spot on mate! Describes my experience EXACTLY!!!

Lawy said...

This headteacher obviously has a great deal of common sense; an item missing in most SMT brains!

Lilyofthefield said...

We tried it 14 years ago. The behaviour policy and sanctions ladder were applied. So many kids racked up a fixed-term exclusion so quickly that the local shopkeepers and residents begged us to take them back. Eventually the LA said it was "unsustainable" and said we had to find "alternative methods" of managing behaviour. I remember there was lots of INSET and behaviour went straight back to being rubbish.

Pete said...

You lot are a bunch of Pansies.

Go work in a nice public school somewhere

(No? is that because public schools they require quality teachers who know their respective subjects?)

.... or p*ss off and work somewhere else.

Of course, you have all tried that before and failed and have naturally gravitated to your present positions because teaching in the state sector is the only place with standards low enough to accept you.

jerym said...

Oh dear! Feeling better now Pete?

RuthnJasper said...

Blimey. I wonder if Pete was a good boy at school? I used to work at a leading public school, and I can assure you that their SMT was just as inept, weak, and a source of despair to decent, hard-working teachers, as those in most state schools.

Ms. Jenkinson-Dix sounds brilliant; just what is needed - it would be interesting to look at her school's results as compared to other schools' in a year or two. Mr. and Mrs. Slagg might squeal - but they may not be complaining quite so loudly when their little Colleen is able to get and keep a job later in life, because someone at her school had the courage to teach her the meaning of "boundaries".

Miss Teacher said...

I am new to all this blog thing and this is the first post I have read. Now I can't stop reading!

I wish more Head Teachers had the guts to do this!