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Closing three schools - the Observer view



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Published Date:
01 July 2008
GROUP EDITOR, OBSERVER
THE town was shocked on Monday when the county council announced it was closing three of our secondary schools and replacing them with academies.
The Grove, Hillcrest and Filsham Valley will all close in the next three years. In their place will be two brand new academies. And this is welcomed by the Observer.

The fact is that the children of this town deserve better than what is being provided at the moment.

Exam results have been poor at all the above three schools. And the time has come to say that isn't acceptable for Hastings.

East Sussex County Council has failed miserably in its efforts to raise educational standards in Hastings.

It admitted that when it said it could do no more and employed a private company to run the three schools.

That set-up, under Sir Dexter Hutt, has just started, and I am told behaviour has already improved.

Hastings MP Michael Foster assured me only today that Sir Dexter is already making an impact in all three schools.

Why has it taken so long for change, one must ask, if these schools have been failing for so long?

Still, that is where we are now, Sir Dexter will run these schools for the next three years.

Over that time I have no doubt exam results will improve.

So what happens after three years, parents and pupils will wonder? The risk was that Sir Dexter would disappear and the standards would slide again.

Now there is a clear plan - and one that we welcome. Academies, new buildings, and a continuation of the good work that Sir Dexter and his teams will have started.

Nothing is official, but my guess is that Hillcrest and the Grove will be demolished and land sold off.

I guess that Filsham Valley will remain - only the building - and there will be a brand new site in Ore.

This is real regeneration. It is also about giving pupils choice and a better quality of education.

Nobody should dispute that.

Staff are worried - and to a degree I can understand that. But only to a degree.

Good teachers will not only survive, they will flourish. Bad teachers - well they are probably in the wrong profession anyway.

At last we have a vision - a vision to improve education in Hastings.

Let's not moan. Let's welcome it. Put this together with a brand new college, and we have real hope for the future.

Peter Lindsey,
Group Editor

What do you think? Add your comment below.

The full article contains 424 words and appears in n/a newspaper.
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  • Last Updated: 02 July 2008 11:25 AM
  • Source: n/a
  • Location: Hastings
 
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Mugsborough Citizen,

02/07/2008 13:59:16
This proposal is a major disaster for Hastings area. The failure of the Education Authority is clear BUT Hastings College is also a low achiever.

New buildings will not be the answer to these failures but will only delay the recognition that underfunding has been the main cause.

Dexter Hutt took many years to re-launch Ninestiles school and it was extra money than made it happen NOT a new figurehead. If our schools were not starved of funds, a massive improvement could be seen in the next MONTHS (not years) and that would not write-off the current pupils (as the proposal does).

It is regrettable that the same fools who caused the failure are allowed to remain in post while they plan for the next failure. Obviously the kids who are involved are unrelated to the decision makers.
2

bart simpson,

02/07/2008 15:42:31
Polly Toynbee, one of my favourite writers and journalist did well by working in the field, under cover.... this not only earnt her masses of respect from the people, but consequently, she gained real insight into the true nature of life.... Peter Lindsey and co could do well to learn from this lady.

Perhaps Mr Lindsey, our illustrious M.P and the various clls, could, venture out from behind their desks and do some voluntary work placements in the schools...... This would not only give them more insight and understanding, but a sense of reality!!
3

Darryl,

Hastings 03/07/2008 05:42:11

I'm not sure I follow the logic here. Sir Dexter runs the schools for three years and presumably pulls them round. If he goes then they deteriorate unless Academies are formed ! Are we saying that East Sussex County Council are incapable of monitoring ? If so how will they monitor Academies any better ? Please enlighten me !
4

??????????,

west st leonards 03/07/2008 20:38:08
I cant beleive they can do this to our children! And we dont have any choice. My daughter is due to start Filsham in September, and has been looking forward to it. We were assured that things were on the up, with Sir dexter running the schools, what will happen now? As far as I can see, everyone will now give up, and just wait for the three years to pass. We will loose lots of worried teachers, and what about Mr Midwinter whom has already made such improvements.
So they think that if they just wait three years, and move everyone to different buildings, sponsored by someone, that things will improve (possibly only the Councils wallet!!) This is a total joke, and the present students are being let down.
5

Mugsborough Citizen,

03/07/2008 20:57:35
It might be worth noting that the editor has no children and lives in another town. His support for the "plan" not only lacks merit but also displays a lack of interest in the future ofour Town and our children.

The project is untried and there is no reason to believe that the £30 million will ever come forward.
6

bart simpson,

04/07/2008 08:08:07
Yes Mr Lindsey has no children, so doesn't not understand how the children and their parents feel about this plan/scam...

It is also worth noted that the majority of cll cronies in favour are also single men and continue to run the town like a 19th century private members club.... So are involved purely to make money and create a niche for themselves and their 'chums'

They have no interest in the future of our Town and the young people.....
7

Felix the cat,

11/07/2008 06:17:52
Oh, how many business lunches did it take ESCC to get Peter Lindsey to write this article?

It stinks of back handers. Let us have some real news reporting about how local people feel for a change. Not what the East Sussex puppet is made to say!
8

Unknown55,

Bexhill 12/07/2008 00:56:45
How Mr.Lindsey can possible think he is knowledgeable enough to comment on education is a mystery. Did he get a bonus for writing this rubbish. We are all aware that education in Hasings needs to be improved but money and academies are not the way forward. The academies will be run by business (BT) and therefore the care and support that we should be focussing on for all children will immediately be the last priority - no business will support a venture of this nature unless they are guaranteed a return. For BT to say that advertising is all they will require is utter nonsense and if they think that we believe them, then they are insulting our intellience. Already the young students are having their choices taken from them. Dexter Hutt (I cannot call him Sir)has implemented radical change for the current Year 10 students and has taken from them the subject choices they made in Year 9. How dare he do such a thing. They are no longer allowed to do PE Music History etc and MUST take an IT qualification crammed into one year instead of two JUST TO GET RESULTS. Is this really what we want for the young people, or do we want standards raised in all the areas of which they have, up to now, been able to opt into in Year 9. Is DH here to RIASE STANDARDS or, just to throw money at us, force the young people down a route which clearly will not be suitable for all, or should we insist that he does properly what he is being paid to do. My message to DH is - Stop bullying (bad example to young people) and start listening and working together with us all to achieve the very best for the young people of Hastings. Michael Foster should also be on our side, or is he going to be a lemming and be assured of a knighthood too!
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