STATEMENT OF FACT ON BOWER PARK SCHOOL
Last week, a leaflet distributed by the Conservative Party in Collier Row suggested that Bower Park School was to close and it urged you to sign a petition. However there is no truth in any of this, Bower Park school is not going to close.
Yes, Bower Park School was named last week on a list of 600 or so schools across the Country, the reason it was on the list is simple, it needs to achieve 30% of pupils gaining 5 A-C grades including English and Maths, currently we are a few points behind on this, everyone in the School and the Local Education Authority knows this.
Cllr Mann Said, As a Governor I feel very passionate about Bower Park, I have been here six years and since the arrival of Mary Morrison just under four years ago, the school has gone from strength to strength, to such a level that this year we now have a full intake of 180 pupils wishing to join us"
We have posted the letter from Mrs Mary Morrison, sent to all Governors, pupils, parents and feeder primary Schools, earlier this week. Below that is a copy of a letter sent by Cllr Mann to the Chief Executive of Havering Council and to those Conservative Members named on the leaflet objecting to the contents and informing them of the damage they have done to the school.
COPY OF LETTER FROM HEAD TEACHER
Dear Parent/Guardian
Re: Recent Conservative Leaflet concerning Bower Park School
As you will be aware last week the Government launched an education initiative to raise standards nationally. The benchmark stated that there is the expectation that all schools will achieve 30% 5A*-C including English and Maths.
Our predicted target grade for this year is 43% 5A*-C and 32% including English and Maths. This is in line with the sustainable improvement that we have achieved over the last 3 years. This means that as a school we will not be labelled or categorised as a school needing extra public funding.
As the Head teacher I feel very privileged to be working with such a dedicated body of staff and focused group of Year 11 students who are going beyond the call of duty (sometimes completing a 7 day week) working together to achieve students’ potential.
Unfortunately many of you will have received a Collier Row Political Party newsletter (Sunday 15th June 2008) urging you to sign a petition to keep our school open, there is no need to sign this petition. I am telling you as the Head teacher of Bower Park School that this storyline is factually untrue Bower Park does not need saving.
The Leader of the Council, Cllr Michael White and the Lead Member, Cllr Geoffrey Starns visited the school on Monday to assure me that we have the full support of the Council. Our Action Plan is robust and the Council is convinced we have an assured future.
The School has the full support of the Local Authority. We continue to be a moving, improving school and look forward to our examination results in August.
Yours faithfully
Mary Morrison
Mary Morrison
Head teacher
C.C.
Bower Park Staff
Bower Park Governors
Head teacher Clockhouse Primary School
Head teacher Pinewood Primary School
Head teacher Dame Tipping CE Primary School
COPY OF CLLR ANDREW MANN'S LETTER
To:
Cllr Michael White
Cllr Geoff Starns
Cllr Sandra Binion
Andrew Rosindell M.P.
Mr Billy Taylor
Dear All
Re: Recent Conservative Leaflet concerning Bower Park School
I have seen the newsletter that you have distributed over the weekend suggesting that Bower Park school is going to close and that you have launched a petition to save it, apparently you quote Gordon Brown as saying Bower Park is a “Failing School”, this is, as you all know, completely untrue and I would go as far as saying an out an out lie.
I phoned Cllr Starns at home last night and asked him to stop anymore leaflets being delivered to the Ward and informed him of the unhappiness of the Chairman of Governors, I am informed that you did indeed do this Geoff, however the damage was probably already done. I am also somewhat surprised that during this conversation Cllr Starns told me he had not seen the finished leaflet that was now being delivered across Collier Row, I am amazed at a statement such as this, who else had not seen it and who produces your leaflets ?
Geoff more than anyone as a Governor at the school and Cabinet Member for Children’s Services knows what is going on. Your newsletter suggests that an action plan is being launched by Cllr Starns and White to save the school, what action plan is this ?
Is it the one put in place by the school and the LEA that Geoff was given a copy of, on Tuesday night ? As it is certainly not being written by either of you two, or is there another action plan that nobody in the school knows about.?
You also suggest that all of you are working with the Head Teacher, staff, parents and Governors to ensure the school survives, if this was the case, why does non of the above know about it ?
I also feel that as both Cllr Starns and Binion are Governors of Marshalls Park, a more common sense approach may have been taken, Geoff as you know amongst some Governors, there is a little bit of unhappiness that you are the Chair of the neighbouring senior school, this will do nothing to help that situation.
You say the Government want to close Gobions Post Office, well this may be true, but when have they said they wish to close Bower Park School.
The only statement made, was from OFSTED last week, it was reported in the Evening Standard and the School and Council moved quick to make sure a positive story came out of it; both I and Mark Leech from Communications contacted the Time FM radio station to correct their story that suggested the school could close. The Recorder ran a very positive story on the school and all of its good work. The Yellow Advertiser is also coming in this week to meet pupils and staff to do the same.
The statement which OFSTED made, said that of the 800 or so schools on the list had three years to improve their exam results to above 30% for A-C grade including Maths and English, which with the dedicated help of staff working weekends and holiday with pupils, we will be well on track for this August, therefore we will be removed from the list and any possibility of closure. As it is, Bower Park is in the top quarter of Schools on the list anyway and it would be very unlikely they where even on the list this August, let alone in three years time.
I do not think I can find a single statement in your newsletter that is true, the whole thing is completely made up and extremely damaging to the school. I have already received phone calls and e-mails from parents and Governors demanding to know what is going on, your actions have diverted the teaching staff from doing the one thing that will improve the school and that is helping the year 11 pupils to pass their exams.
I will leave the school to make any formal complaint and raise any issues with you; I am writing to you as a Ward Councillor who also happens to be a Governor at Bower Park, not on the Schools behalf. At the very least you owe the school and the whole community a public apology and retraction to the words you have used.
To watch kids come into the school crying because they think their school is closing and to set staff panicking about the future in the middle of our exam session is just terrible, what you have done is utterly shameful and beyond contempt and I feel that you have brought your offices into disrepute by putting your name to the leaflet.
To that end, whilst the school is still to consider their own response, I will be forwarding this e-mail to the Chief Executive, Andrew Ireland and Christine Dooley to lodge a formal complaint and to ask the Monitoring Officer if she feels that you have breached the member’s code of conduct in any way.
Yours sincerely,
Andrew Mann
COUNCILLOR ANDREW MANN
Shadow Cabinet Member for StreetCare & the Environment
& Havering Park Residents Association Ward Councillor
As a school governor of Pinewood, Cllr Mann is linked to the year six pupils, which involves meeting with the children in their last year of primary school before they move onto senior school, many of the Pinewood pupils will attend Bower Park school, where Cllr Mann is also a Governor.
Mark spent time signing photos for members of the public and time with pupils from his previous schools, Bower Park and Parklands Primary school. Cllr Mann said "The pupils from both Parklands and Bower Park were excellent, very well behaved and a credit to their schools".
Hundreds of Havering residents turned out to see Mark on his big day, including his whole family, the whole event then marched off through Romford towards the Town Hall behind a marching band.
