Britain’s Strictest Headmistress: ITV

[Milkyway]

I started watching this & initially found it quite disturbing...
I understand that Teachers need to maintain control of their pupils & it’s a very challenging profession... but as an outsider, this came across as a bit OTT & scary.

I would like to add, that my views did change by the end though.

Edited by Milkyway on Wednesday 25th May 03:44

[HughiusMaximus]

Havent watched the documentary but isnt she the head mistress from that inner city London school that massively out performs vs the averages in the area.

I have heard her interviewed elsewhere and comes across as pretty on the ball.

[Milkyway]

HughiusMaximus said:

Havent watched the documentary but isnt she the head mistress from that inner city London school that massively out performs vs the averages in the area.

I have heard her interviewed elsewhere and comes across as pretty on the ball.

That’s correct.
I watched it on the ITV hub & certainly was an eyeopener, but as the programme progressed, Katherine’s Philosophy began to make a bit more sense.

Maybe I’m a bit old fashioned & my two children left school quite a few years ago... but have younger family members still in education.
Her approach is definitely different & if she is achieving those results, then MAYBE she is doing something right.
There seems to be a lot of respect for her school & the pupils seem happy there.

As we used to say... Maybe there’s a method to her madness.

Edited by Milkyway on Wednesday 25th May 03:36

[shih tzu faced]

So this is a programme about an actual headmistress? Who just happens to have strict discipline? Nothing to do with ooohh you’ve been very very naughty and we know what happens to naughty boys don’t we?! etc etc…

Disappointed

[Biggus thingus]

shih tzu faced said:

So this is a programme about an actual headmistress? Who just happens to have strict discipline? Nothing to do with ooohh you’ve been very very naughty and we know what happens to naughty boys don’t we?! etc etc…

Disappointed

Plus 1

Saw thread title and started picturing black high heals, glimpse of stocking, glasses at end of the nose and tapping a ruler back and forth

[originals]

Cringe.

[Milkyway]

...
I think that may have been the purpose of the title...but I could not unsee ‘Sideshow Bob’. (Simpson’s fame).



https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katharine_Birbalsi...

Edited by Milkyway on Wednesday 25th May 14:24

[GT03ROB]

Milkyway said:

HughiusMaximus said:

Havent watched the documentary but isnt she the head mistress from that inner city London school that massively out performs vs the averages in the area.

I have heard her interviewed elsewhere and comes across as pretty on the ball.

That’s correct.
I watched it on the ITV hub & certainly was an eyeopener, but as the programme progressed, Katherine’s Philosophy began to make a bit more sense.

Maybe I’m a bit old fashioned & my two children left school quite a few years ago... but have younger family members still in education.
Her approach is definitely different & if she is achieving those results, then MAYBE she is doing something right.
There seems to be a lot of respect for her school & the pupils seem happy there.

As we used to say... Maybe there’s a method to her madness.

Edited by Milkyway on Wednesday 25th May 03:36

So :

• she gets results
• results better than other schools in area
• pupils happy
• school has respect

Not sure where there can be an issue or problem

[Milkyway]

I’m sure that Katharine’s alternative methods to teaching is well known in the education world... I wonder how much of this is being drip into the system. :
( Not a bad thing... all positive).

Edited by Milkyway on Wednesday 25th May 11:10

[WindyMills]

GT03ROB said:

Milkyway said:

HughiusMaximus said:

Havent watched the documentary but isnt she the head mistress from that inner city London school that massively out performs vs the averages in the area.

I have heard her interviewed elsewhere and comes across as pretty on the ball.

That’s correct.
I watched it on the ITV hub & certainly was an eyeopener, but as the programme progressed, Katherine’s Philosophy began to make a bit more sense.

Maybe I’m a bit old fashioned & my two children left school quite a few years ago... but have younger family members still in education.
Her approach is definitely different & if she is achieving those results, then MAYBE she is doing something right.
There seems to be a lot of respect for her school & the pupils seem happy there.

As we used to say... Maybe there’s a method to her madness.

Edited by Milkyway on Wednesday 25th May 03:36

So :

• she gets results
• results better than other schools in area
• pupils happy
• school has respect

Not sure where there can be an issue or problem

Staff turnover?

https://michaela.education/vacancies/

[egomeister]

WindyMills said:

GT03ROB said:

Milkyway said:

HughiusMaximus said:

Havent watched the documentary but isnt she the head mistress from that inner city London school that massively out performs vs the averages in the area.

I have heard her interviewed elsewhere and comes across as pretty on the ball.

That’s correct.
I watched it on the ITV hub & certainly was an eyeopener, but as the programme progressed, Katherine’s Philosophy began to make a bit more sense.

Maybe I’m a bit old fashioned & my two children left school quite a few years ago... but have younger family members still in education.
Her approach is definitely different & if she is achieving those results, then MAYBE she is doing something right.
There seems to be a lot of respect for her school & the pupils seem happy there.

As we used to say... Maybe there’s a method to her madness.

Edited by Milkyway on Wednesday 25th May 03:36

So :

• she gets results
• results better than other schools in area
• pupils happy
• school has respect

Not sure where there can be an issue or problem

Staff turnover?

https://michaela.education/vacancies/

They are expanding aren't they? Initially there was a single school but it looks like a second school and a sixth form has been added.

[bucksmanuk]

I’ve heard about this woman and her methods for some years.

• Pupils like her and do well.
• The parents like her and try and get their children in her school.
• She spoke at the Tory party conference one year.

BUT

The rest of the teaching establishment don’t like her. Choose from one or more of the above as to why this should be the case.

[Milkyway]

egomeister said:

They are expanding aren't they? Initially there was a single school but it looks like a second school and a sixth form has been added.

Reading their info.... The Wembley Community School opened in 2014 & the Sixth form in 2019.

Google: The Community Scool in Stevenage looks like that it only opened last year.
( Aided by a 250k investment from Herts council)

Edited by Milkyway on Wednesday 25th May 14:06

[Milkyway]

A bit of light reading...Written by a London Secondary School teacher
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/voices-britain-strictest...

Edited by Milkyway on Wednesday 25th May 14:38

[egomeister]

Milkyway said:

A bit of light reading...Written by a London Secondary School teacher
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/voices-britain-strictest...

Edited by Milkyway on Wednesday 25th May 14:38

That was quite a bizarre article really. A mildly passive aggressive attack on her without a particularly clear articulation of what the objection is.

For example this quote:

article said:

But, to me, the suggestion that such practice is especially controversial or unusual is disingenuous. Schools like Mossbourne Academy in Hackney and King Solomon Academy in Marylebone, as well as some charter schools in the US, have been using traditional methods since long before Michaela’s inception.

Clearly it is controversial and unusual in modern teaching. They themselves identify specific schools over two continents to highlight that, rather than vast swathes of the education landscape. It's also such a shock that these traditional methods have been used before a school founded less than a decade ago - perhaps the hint is in the definition of the word "traditional"

Surely it would have been more valuable to interrogate the decline in these teaching methods, and why they seem to outperform in the current day instead of a thinly veiled dig at someone who is evidently using them with great success...

[williamp]

Another article about her

https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-courage-of...

[Milkyway]

The first half of the documentary seemed to have the shock factor, and left me wondering... is this for real.
The second half, delved deeper into Katharine’s teaching methods & what she meant to the pupils & parents.
She is certainly an interesting character.... & no doubt we will be seeing & hearing a lot more about her in the future.
A ‘Watch this space’ scenario, as this programme has certainly raised her profile.

I have a gut feeling, that there might be a trial ‘school swap’ type programme in the not to distant future.

Edited by Milkyway on Wednesday 25th May 16:30