Humungus

I've just become aware of this thread. Looking back through the posts, I find it astonishing that so many are prepared to criticise the RO Academy yet most likely never had a child attend there. The Academy follows the Robert Owen Foundation's philosophy, based upon those of Robert Owen himself in providing an alternative to the "normal authoritarian approach to child education". In particular, the child's contentment is explored and is found to lead to improved manners of the children brought up under his system. When established at the former Holme Lacy Primary School, the majority of the pupils were what mainstream schools considered as their misfits. Those of poor academic ability or experiencing attention deficit issues. This is where the RO philosophies flourish, they encourage the children to develop their practical capabilities whilst maintaining what were once known as 'The Three R's' (Reading, wRiting, aRithmetic) in order to ensure that the children were literate and numerate as well as practically skilled. All but the eldest of our children attended Fairfield and all except our second step-son flourished. My eldest son attended Kingstone and experienced some abuse from a particular teacher hence the others going elsewhere, he has a degree in Animation and works locally. My eldest step-son is about to begin a PhD in biosciences, my daughter attends Hereford 6th Form is preparing to begin a degree in Photographic Arts. Both were encouraged by Fairfield but my youngest step-son was failed by them. He had diagnoses of both dyslexia and dyspraxia but managed to make it to the end of Year 9 before the school decided that he was academically incapable of completing any further study, preferring that he take up the limited vocational options they had on offer. At the same time, the Robert Owen school was taking new students for its initial openings at Holme Lacy. With its small classes, palliative carers, one-to-one periods and extra teaching assistants he flourished. Sure, he performed poorly in English & Maths initially and took two resits before gaining his GCSE passes, but his vocational skills were explored and encouraged by RO Academy. He studied horticulture, carpentry and engineering and (on paper) has achieved BTEC L2, L1 and L1 respectively. I use the term 'on paper' because the teacher whose job so many parents and students campaigned to retain in 2016 was a charlatan. He kept no records of the children's work or studies and the person who took up his legacy is still now struggling through the mess he left. Not one of the children has been awarded any certificate solely because of that teacher's shortcomings. Regarding Andrew Hubble, the former headteacher. Mr. Hubble was always wholly professional in his work and presented an environment where children were safe and where bad behaviour was not tolerated. Many parents took issue with that and sought to discredit him but my wife and I always found him to be true to his word when anything was agreed respective to my step-son. Our lad left RO Academy last year to attend Herefordshire & Ludlow College taking a broad-based L1 course in construction skills. He has been accepted to study Electrical Installation L2 which he thoroughly enjoys and is capable of, a far cry from Fairfield's opinion that he would be not capable of anything more than basic animal care. We have RO Academy to thank for that and particularly the headtecaher at the time, Mr. Hubble. Looking objectively from the outside, Hubble was always going to have a difficult task at RO Academy. Ofsted judges schools based on academic achievement which doesn't fit with a vocational school. Results were always going to be below average and particularly where parents do not encourage their children to 'tow the line' and behave, as was the case with many who I encountered at parent's evenings. Everything was in place - smaller classes, palliative carers with whom children could take time out and vent their anger and frustration, extra teaching assistants, respect for professional diagnoses and the support they can bring for a child - my step-son had 25% extra time for exams, readers and writers (where appropriate) so he could perform his exams and attain his GCSEs. If RO Academy had not become established then our lad would likely have no qualifications and no future other than e.g. working a production line in a cardboard box factory. Ofsted has noted improvements to RO Academy's processes and procedures in its move to go beyond Special Measures", yet others are working against that. Some say it is the Council and I have learned today (from a staff member) that this is the case. One has to wonder what is the motive for that. Clearly its location at the heart of the "New Hereford" is like the proverbial sore thumb and the Council's desire to build more and more houses within the City leads to suspicions of intent. Our Council listens to nobody and has little care for the needy children who attended RO Academy. I learned today that one student was relocated to Kingstone and lasted just one week. It is not a school for naughty kids, it's a place for needy children to flourish. We must accept that such establishments will never achieve high academic levels but also acknowledge that there is a place for them in our society, bearing in mind too that other mainstream high schools in Hereford and the County had poorer academic results last year. I do not acknowledge the witch hunt against this school, it is wholly necessary in this Country and its loss will only serve to affect many children who would otherwise benefit from it. My wife and I are wholly indebted to its staff and the RO philosophy without whom our lad would have been left with few prospects for the future.