Eastwood School

What are posters views on Eastwood School? My son has just started there and I have my views but I wondered what others experiences are?

davewebbsbrain said:

What are posters views on Eastwood School? My son has just started there and I have my views but I wondered what others experiences are?

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My view is that it had its good points and bad ones too, if that's any help.
Mind you, I did leave there in 1979:smile:

After looking at all the schools in the area last year Eastwood came across as one of the best in the area, particularly if you are sporting.

Sadly we were out of catchment so pointless even looking.

Jam_Man said:

After looking at all the schools in the area last year Eastwood came across as one of the best in the area, particularly if you are sporting.

Sadly we were out of catchment so pointless even looking.

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Would it surprise you if I said that when doing PE, and cross country in particular, the children aren't able to warm their muscles up properly first with stretching and aren't given any time at the end of the lesson to warm down before getting changed back into school uniform?

davewebbsbrain said:

Would it surprise you if I said that when doing PE, and cross country in particular, the children aren't able to warm their muscles up properly first with stretching and aren't given any time at the end of the lesson to warm down before getting changed back into school uniform?

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If you have concerns about that then raise them in writing with the school. I know that many schools struggle to fit in time for full lesson for many of the children who are notoriously slow to get changed after PE lessons.

OldBlueLady said:

If you have concerns about that then raise them in writing with the school. I know that many schools struggle to fit in time for full lesson for many of the children who are notoriously slow to get changed after PE lessons.

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I have loads of concerns that the school aren't interested in. Wasn't our choice to go there. I wanted Sweyne as it has very good Pastoral care. Got an appeal next week to get him into Sweyne and I hope to god he gets in or Eatwood will break him within months. Don't get me started on Eastwood and the regime they run. I am shocked at the school, I really am.

The head of house called a pupil an idiot in front of other pupils and threw a basketball at some glass a student was sitting behind studying. Bullying in both cases.

My son got a bad mark for his homework being too good. Got shouted at for stretching before running as the teacher wanted him to sit down. The list is endless. The school thrives on bullying and scaring pupils with archaic tactics. They aren't interested in pupils reasons for doing things, don't care for the students pastoral needs, in fact pastoral care is what they class what happens between pupil and teacher during detention. It's all results, results, results with no interest in the pupils social care.

davewebbsbrain said:

Would it surprise you if I said that when doing PE, and cross country in particular, the children aren't able to warm their muscles up properly first with stretching and aren't given any time at the end of the lesson to warm down before getting changed back into school uniform?

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My wife is a physio and has a masters in sports injuries. She did her masters dissertation on stretching exercises. The conclusion she reached (that is backed up by lots of other research) is that you shouldn't stretch cold muscles because it will increase the chances of injury. A muscle needs a good 20 minutes warm up before any stretching.

A good analogy is blue tac. If it's cold and you stretch it, it snaps. If you allow it to warm up and then stretch it, it stretches.

Given that you can't really stretch before running in a lesson. However, they should be given time at the end to do so.

londonblue said:

My wife is a physio and has a masters in sports injuries. She did her masters dissertation on stretching exercises. The conclusion she reached (that is backed up by lots of other research) is that you shouldn't stretch cold muscles because it will increase the chances of injury. A muscle needs a good 20 minutes warm up before any stretching.

A good analogy is blue tac. If it's cold and you stretch it, it snaps. If you allow it to warm up and then stretch it, it stretches.

Given that you can't really stretch before running in a lesson. However, they should be given time at the end to do so.

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Good point. Thanks

davewebbsbrain said:

I have loads of concerns that the school aren't interested in. Wasn't our choice to go there. I wanted Sweyne as it has very good Pastoral care. Got an appeal next week to get him into Sweyne and I hope to god he gets in or Eatwood will break him within months. Don't get me started on Eastwood and the regime they run. I am shocked at the school, I really am.

The head of house called a pupil an idiot in front of other pupils and threw a basketball at some glass a student was sitting behind studying. Bullying in both cases.

My son got a bad mark for his homework being too good. Got shouted at for stretching before running as the teacher wanted him to sit down. The list is endless. The school thrives on bullying and scaring pupils with archaic tactics. They aren't interested in pupils reasons for doing things, don't care for the students pastoral needs, in fact pastoral care is what they class what happens between pupil and teacher during detention. It's all results, results, results with no interest in the pupils social care.

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Doesn't sound very good at all. Are they an academy? If so, then write a formal letter of complaint to the Chair of Governors, and whether they are or aren't do the same to the local authority and copy it to Ofsted.

davewebbsbrain said:

I have loads of concerns that the school aren't interested in. Wasn't our choice to go there. I wanted Sweyne as it has very good Pastoral care. Got an appeal next week to get him into Sweyne and I hope to god he gets in or Eatwood will break him within months. Don't get me started on Eastwood and the regime they run. I am shocked at the school, I really am.

The head of house called a pupil an idiot in front of other pupils and threw a basketball at some glass a student was sitting behind studying. Bullying in both cases.

My son got a bad mark for his homework being too good. Got shouted at for stretching before running as the teacher wanted him to sit down. The list is endless. The school thrives on bullying and scaring pupils with archaic tactics. They aren't interested in pupils reasons for doing things, don't care for the students pastoral needs, in fact pastoral care is what they class what happens between pupil and teacher during detention. It's all results, results, results with no interest in the pupils social care.

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Doesnt sound great, but as a child in senior school during the early 80's Im not sure what people today would class the actions of our teachers back then if being called an idiot is bullying :smile:

My niece and nephew both went to Eastwood and did very well academically, and neither of them are taking hard drugs. So I would give it a thumbs up.

OldBlueLady said:

Doesn't sound very good at all. Are they an academy? If so, then write a formal letter of complaint to the Chair of Governors, and whether they are or aren't do the same to the local authority and copy it to Ofsted.

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They are an academy. I have spoken to so many parents who don't want their children to go there because of the way they get results, through breaking children down etc . The presentation they gave last year when doing the big 'draw you in' speech was all about the results they have in exams, nothing about the welfare and care of the children. One family I know are actually selling up and moving to Rayleigh to be out of catchment of the school so their children don't have to go there.

I know I sound over the top but it's all true. Taylor is scared to approach any teacher now after a host of incidents. Being shouted at during a lesson because he didn't have his pen in his hand when doing some work. Getting a tally because he couldn't find his homework, even though we sent a letter saying we had misplaced it and could he have the work sheet again. He did his science homework and took it to the next Science lesson, 3 lessons a week and he was told to take it home and bring it in the next Science lesson. All ways to break children down. I'm utterly exasperated with it all

They were very focused on the results in the presentation.

My daughter started at KES this year and whilst she is still getting used to homework and getting stressed out about when to hand things in and get things done she has never mentioned anything like you have said.

Jam_Man said:

Doesnt sound great, but as a child in senior school during the early 80's Im not sure what people today would class the actions of our teachers back then if being called an idiot is bullying :smile:

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They say they are proud of the anti-bullying at the school yet the teachers are the biggest bullies.

The kids all have clip on ties and already, older kids are coming up to the year 7 pupils and pulling them off and running off with them. No tie = detention and my son is terrified he will get his stolen and get detention. The teachers won't be interested that it was stolen, only that he doesn't have a tie on. They aren't interested in how an incident happened, they just come down on the kids hard

Ive just had a chat with the missus as two of our friends have girls start there this year, both of them seem to be happy and enjoying it.

Not wanting to be dismissive of anything but is your lad a sensitive type? My daughter takes things in her stride and has always just fitted in wherever she goes, but my son can be very sensitive and we had a hard time getting him through the school doors to start with and he is affected by a lot more than my daughter. I know senior school will be a bigger drama for him than her no matter what its like.

Just a thought on my part.

The tie thing for example, no tie=detention sounds perfectly normal, if your lad does get his taken and reports it immediately to a teacher and they give him a detention then that would be out of order, until it happens though are you sure thats what would happen, or is it just his anxiety?

New Year 7s are often over awed and alarmist about things that go on. Surely there are proper ties available, not just clip ons? Honestly, your best bet is to put a complaint in writing, they are duty bound to report back.

There WILL be pastoral care, it's just a case of finding it. Does the school have school council or mentors from higher up the school? At Appleton, when my kids were there, a couple of year 11 prefects were allotted to a year 7 class for them to come to with problems, it always worked very well there.

It is a very daunting time, I'd hang in there a bit longer but document everything.

That was my thinking too OBL.

There is a big jump from primary school to senior school and some kids would see the increase in discipline, which some kids actuallyneed, as intimidating.

I personally think teachers have to actually have an element of fear, back in the day we were terrified of a lot of our teachers, and you didnt step out of line, these days kids arent scared of them and thats why there is such a lack of respect and discipline with kids. (Crikey I sound like my grandad).

As I said above my daughter rarely has had any issues through school, never scared, never worried, yet when she got a male teacher in about year 5 for a couple of weeks it threw her a little as he kept "shouting" at other kids, not even her. The reality was he was a man and his manner was just more forceful than all the young females teachers she had had and it was just different. In the end she got used to it. We did however voice our concerns with him and he took it well and said he would take it on board, which may well have been a total fob off, but at least we let him know and our daughter was fine from then on.

That said not dismissing anything as DWB's lad might be a confident type and may not be the case for him.

It could be worse, you could have paid for him to go to Thorpe Hall.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-29426512

davewebbsbrain said:

Would it surprise you if I said that when doing PE, and cross country in particular, the children aren't able to warm their muscles up properly first with stretching and aren't given any time at the end of the lesson to warm down before getting changed back into school uniform?

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Pretty sure that was the way it was at King Edmunds in the 80's however we were the hardest school in the district.

OldBlueLady said:

New Year 7s are often over awed and alarmist about things that go on. Surely there are proper ties available, not just clip ons? Honestly, your best bet is to put a complaint in writing, they are duty bound to report back.

There WILL be pastoral care, it's just a case of finding it. Does the school have school council or mentors from higher up the school? At Appleton, when my kids were there, a couple of year 11 prefects were allotted to a year 7 class for them to come to with problems, it always worked very well there.

It is a very daunting time, I'd hang in there a bit longer but document everything.

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Nope, they only do clip on ties. No girls are allowed to wear skirts because a few girls were skirts too short a couple of years ago they banned all girls from wearing skirts. It's like a fascist state there, it really is. I think they had problems some years ago and they have come down hard now.

Taylor has a sensitive side but these reports have come from other parents too that my wife knows. It's a good school if you are brilliant at everything. If not, you are bullied to conform.

My wifes friends boy is in catchment but was rejected as he has tourettes, he wouldn't fit in with their eliitest regime.