Children force closure of new Academy School in Carlisle

[TonyGosling]

....this fourteen year old Carlisle student started what was meant as a peaceful protest on Bebo. He felt the standard of education and the attitude of both teachers and students of the newly formed Carlisle Central Academy was not as it should be, so he raised his concerns on Bebo. As soon as teachers found out he was doing this they locked him up in a classroom and threatened to expel him. Things apparently got so out of hand that the local MP got involved and the next day the Schools Minister Jim Knight came for an emergency visit. Today the school was closed, after a march of students, which - unfortunately but not surprisingly - got slightly out of hand. A lot of parents have kept their (younger) children at home, because they fear for their safety. And also because they are shocked by what's come out about how this school deals with freedom of speech.".......
http://sometimesitspeaceful.blogspot.com/2009/01/when-schools-fail.htm l


Ofsted intervenes at new academy
By Alison Smith and Angela Harrison
BBC News
An academy which opened just five months ago has been put into "special measures" after parents complained to England's schools inspectors, Ofsted.
The head teacher and the chief executive of the Richard Rose Central Academy in Carlisle are to leave and new leaders are being brought in.
The academy was closed for a day on Friday as pupils staged a protest. Parents said children were not safe.
It is only the second time Ofsted has judged an academy to be failing.
Unity Academy in Middlesbrough was labelled as failing its pupils in 2005.
Academies are the flagships of the Westminster government's programme to improve England's schools.
They are semi-independent state schools set up with backing from private sponsors.
Ofsted inspectors paid an emergency visit to the Richard Rose Central Academy after complaints from parents, who said they feared for their children's safety because of staff shortages.
Now inspectors have given the academy the lowest rating possible - "inadequate" - and put it into what is known as special measures, meaning it gets intensive support to improve.
Head teacher Mark Yearsley and chief executive of the Richard Rose Federation, which runs the school, Peter Noble are leaving.................

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7856985.stm

[fish5133]