So called left wingers who pay school fees

That's my point, the huge majority are 'happy, productive places'. Reasonably we can't expect 100% ..can we? Let me give you an example. I drew down lottery funding which meant that every primary and every special school in the authority could have either an adventure playground or a play zone to the value of £12,000. I wrote to all the Headteachers in the weekly bulletin.

90% returned a 'YES' within a week.

I wrote individually to the other 10% and most of those replied by return.

Over the next few weeks, I wrote, faxed, emailed the remaining few. One eventually responded. The reminding few never did respond, even after a phone call.

When the play areas were installed guess who were the first to complain they had never been included? Luckily I keep detailed paper trails ain't it?

My grandchidren's schools were immeasurably better than mine, but apart from DotheBoys Hall it would be hard to find a worse school than my catholic junior school. We learnt a lot of catholicism and not much else.
I used to visit every primary and middle school in the Wirral as part of my job and I am happy to report that even then, in the late 1970's, the huge majority of schools were happy, productive places. The very worst school in the area had an alcoholic head who was far more interested in running his own music business from school than supervising the teaching. I was able to take all his staff onto the Teaching Reading course which my service ran, and they began to get enthusiastic in spite of him. The local authority education department knew about him, and did nothing.

I saw an interview with somebody who had been at Design College with Stella McCartney - he said she was not considered to be very talented and they were surprised at how well she had done. Hmm.......nothing to do with having a multi-millionaire father and endless contacts, then.

I don't think either my junior school or my convent grammar school contributed much to my development - I was encouraged to read widely at home and found my own route to higher education as a mature student.

It is very hard and I can understand why your family acted as they did Nanadogsbody. You are absolutely right about the lack of resources and personnel in Local Authorities now; of course in Academies the LA has no official role to play at all.
If the school has been in special measures for a long time, then I would have expected the head to have been replaced, because, as others have said, good leadership and management is at the heart of school improvement. Sadly I think many teachers feel very demoralised at the moment and recruitment and retention of school leaders gets harder and harder.

Agree, nanban and dog. What depresses me is that we hear so many sad stories of state education and not enough happy ones. I'm willing to bet that the sad, unsuccessful schools are a small percentage of the whole. I also wonder if that won't always be the case because the goalposts keep changing. What was regarded as adequate two generations ago no longer is. From personal experience I'd say my own kids went to better schools than I did and yet the schools I went to were regarded as good (though nothing exceptional) in their time, but if they were examined by today's standards, I think they might be found wanting in several respects.

From what my parents told me of their schools (also good by the standards of the time), my schools were better than theirs too.

If only we were all the same, it would make life so much easier - boring, of course.

Bags - quite right but our characters are hugely affected by our early years, and the directions we might go in. Life is a never-ending, unavoidable, steep learning curve but that's a whole other topic!

Don't get me wrong there are some excellent state primary, secondary and special schools out there. I was more than happy to send my DD and DS to these. It's just a shame that in the 21st century, with all the resources that have been pumped into them, some are not up to standard. Equally true there are schools who try their damnedest but their pupils just don't want to be taught and the parents aren't supportive.

nanban, we only get one chance at life. Education continues throughout life unless one chooses not to carry on learning.

Stella doesn't seem to have suffered as a consequence of her parents' choice of school, or maybe her schooling had nothing to do with her success now.

I think Paul McCartney sent his children to the local comprehensive school - Stella used to be quite bitter about it, she said it was just because he was mean! I could understand if he and Linda had decided that there was too great a risk of kidnap.

Children aren't an experiment for us to play with, they only get one chance at education and if it's not good enough and we can do better for them, with or without sacrifices, then it's our job to do it. And, then of course, for people in the public eye, there is the security issue for their children let alone the possibilities of bullying because of who their parents are.

I agree completely Great, especially that the school reflects the standard of leadership. Sadly LEAs are losing their teeth, and personnel, as cuts and government policies bite. It is up to articulate parents, or the governors if they have the necessary skills to do something. But, who really has the energy or time to take on such a task? My DD did try in her own way, she was persistent, she didn't give up easily, but after a full day teaching herself, and a toddler as well, she honestly had very little left to give.

That is true, gn, and I've seen it happen. When the Ht of my elder children retired she was replaced by someone who was a good class teacher but who I did not think would make a good HT. I was on the interviewing and appointment panel for the new HT and spelled out my reservations about this man. Unfortunately, the (ahem) consensus of the majority disagreed and he was appointed. The school went down hill. (My kids had left by then, thankfully). Eventually, after pressure from parents and other interested parties (not including me; I was busy elsewhere by then), this man was moved to a much smaller school a long way away and a new HT was appointed who did indeed "turn the school around". Can't say I liked his technique, to be honest, but he knew how to get the right boxes ticked.

I think the first thing to do is to rally other parents, perhaps even call a meeting, but many people lack the confidence to take on what they see as authority figures. That is why it is so important for more confident and articulate parents to be involved. If a child is being bullied at school, there should be a school policy in place to deal with it. Parents may need to be very persistent to get the school to act. The big problem is the downward spiral, where even good teachers become demoralised and move on, leaving only the mediocre and uncommitted. I think most research has shown that the quality of the Head teacher is the most important factor in the success of a school. I have seen schools turned round by having a new and enthusiastic head. If enough parents complain to the education authority a poor head teacher could be replaced.

That does sound bad, dog. I certainly would not criticise anyone for choosing, if they can, to move their child to a better school where they will be well taught. The never-ending question is what to do about such a school as the child was moved from.

No bags that was just one example of how even something so basic wasn't even being done. I taught at primary level for many years and then became an education advisor. I have contributed chapters to course books on teaching and learning, so believe me I understand what makes a good primary school and this one was far from that. Both his parents are teachers too. The reason we decided to move was precisely because we were having to do all the teaching ourselves out of school hours.

So we have a young child, tired after a day at school, who ought to be relaxing at home, playing, and we were having to teach him basic maths and teach him his sounds and sound blends, show him how letters and words are formed and written, etc. all work which ought to have been done at school. His school report was so badly written, full of grammatical errors and spelling mistakes that it was returned to be re-written. My DD complained to the headteacher on numerous occasions as did other parents, but things did not improve. Needless to say their OFSTED report reflected the poverty of provision at this school.

So after two wasted years of trying we have thrown in the towel.

You have only said that his class teacher couldn't guarantee to hear him read once a week. I've no idea how often my kids were listened to reading because I never asked. I didn't need to ask because I both saw and heard them reading at home every day and I also saw that their reading was improving all the time – this without them ever having to open a school 'reading book' too. I don't know the details of your case, nanadog, but there's often a lot parents and other family members can do to help a child who is deemed to be "struggling" at school. And, what is more, this has been shown many times to be what makes more difference to a child's education than almost anything else.

So ...l should we have left my grandson to struggle on in receiving an inferior education??????

My DC went to private schools and it was the best thing I ever did.

Quite! Private education!

Yes!

That's him!
See my point

Sir Chris Woodhead.

Does his name start C

My ex worked in Adult Ed in Leicestershire, so we heard a good deal about the Director. jeni, do you mean the former head of OFSTED whom the BBC trot out on every possible occasion to comment on educational issues?

That chap who had an affair with one of his pupils and then became something to do with education was at this comp!