I'm sorry I've not posted for a while: I went to the Lib Dem spring conference last weekend, then my husband was away working for three days, leaving me home alone with our two teenage children in the taxi years, plus a full-time job. It made me think and commiserate, as I do from time to time, of how a single parent manages.
The spring conference was very good value: fun and thought provoking in equal measure and a chance to meet lots of thoughtful, caring people who I look forward to seeing again. Back in the saddle now, I do want to share some reflections over the next few days.
One of the Lib Dem ideas for governing that Nick Clegg spoke about was the pupil premium, a sum to be entrusted to schools for spending on helping struggling children as the staff judge fit. He was adamant that it was not to be ring-fenced, that head teachers should be trusted to spend it well.
My deep and abiding fear is that without having to show extra, focussed initiatives (accountability), the money would go into a general pot with no overview on how it is spent. While a parent governor 2002-06 at Arnold Middle School here in Central Bedfordshire, I saw how it spent £4,000 from memory on library finger-printing equipment to replace cards and book-stamping, rather than books. I only found out about this after it was under way and was not impressed.
Then last year Harlington Upper School installed finger-print recognition equipment so that the catering staff didn’t have to handle small sums in cash, and instead made students aged 14-18 give finger prints to credit and debit sums from their lunch accounts. When pressed, HUS said that alternative arrangements could be made where parents objected, but these were never made explicit in writing, and certainly not to my then 14-year old who did what all his mates did and gave his fingerprint, but not telling me for several months because he knew I'd be annoyed at the coercion. He thinks that it could be handy if he went to other schools using the same system, because he could access his account there - aargh!!!
Who else can access these accounts? What is the data protection in place to ensure the system is not abused and such personal information used, maybe sold, for illegal use, fitting innocent children up for a criminal record? I must press HUS to be assured - it's on my To Do list
Perhaps Central Bedfordshire schools are in the vanguard with such initiatives. I'd certainly like to know. Please share your views and experience with me.
Must go now, the sun is shining and the water is beckoning so I'm off to row with my Star Club recreational rowers on the Ouse at Bedford.
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