Schools chief exec goes after restructuring

Hear Hear Mike and others. I've also suffered the effects of Judith Richardson's ineptitude. Her arrogant and autocratic behaviour earned her the nickname Hitler. Carisbrooke High School was a flourishing school with caring, motivated staff. Carisbrooke College cannot boast the same, staff morale is at an all time low and over thirty staff left recently, unable to work any longer with the frustrations caused by the accumulation of a long line of crack pot schemes imposed by the IIT. "Ruthless and narrow minded half-wits" just about sums up JR and the 'yes men' she surrounded herself with. 'Parent Consultations' were a joke, student behaviour was getting worse, and all efforts made by the new Head were undermined by JR. No wonder the Head left. At the end of July Carisbrooke had no Headteacher, School Business Manager or Office Manager, and over thirty other staff resigned. Speaks volumes. To the staff who remain, best wishes for the future, I know how hardworking you all

@S Greaves. I couldn't agree more. Having recently left carisbrooke after 5 years in a support role, it got to the point where every day was filled with dread as to what other crack pot scheme or ill conceieved restructuring waste of time was being implemented without consultation with those whom it would have most affected. Staff morale was bombing and nobody seemed to have an inkling as to what was happening and why.Staff were ,and probably still are at the mercy of a renegade bunch of students who were allowed to run riot and sometimes hold a building at siege whilst the upper orders were noticable by their absence at break times and other 'flash' times. I was often called a fxxxxxx cxxx by students whom I had asked to leave a building, there was never an apology or sanction that was effective. The whole affair is one sorry **** up and will be best taken care of by educationists not businesses with an eye to an easy government initiative cheque. IIT? IITANIC is more like it!

My son started at Medina this year and I have been really impressed by the support and encouragement he has received. Every year can have its problems, and it can take time to implement a new system effectively. My son has always been well behaved and it is only now at Medina this is praised and encouraged, rather than him being ignored for good behaviour. After extra time switched off in a primary school setting unsuited to the age group, he is finally inspired and wanting to learn. That is not the sign of a failing school! Well done Medina college.

The buck stops with mrs Richardson. Carisbrooke was on an upward curve and working well with with local middle schools before she came along. I would be interested to hear the views of those teachers whose working lives and morale have been effected by what has happened over the last 3 years....let alone those who lost their jobs entirely through the reorganisation.

Judith Richardson's hands were tied behind her back by what S Greaves describes as the narrow minded half wits heading up IIT. The question needs to be asked why they were given the contract when they had absolutely no experience of or expertise in running secondary schools. How soon are they to be relieved of that control. I was told by a teacher that you need a helmet and body armour to teach at Carisbrooke. The Local Authority has now to find someone or some body to clean up the mess it created.

Here's a link to the letter from the governing body:
http://www.carisbrookecollege.org.uk/index.php/news/letter-from-governing-body/

Having suffered first hand at the often arrogant and ham fisted way mrs Richardson went about bulldozing her way through the process of ruining Newport's secondary schools. It only leaves me hoping that they gave her a one way ticket off the island. I dread to think how much she was paid by our bumbling council to do the job in the first place. I very much enjoyed teaching on the island and had made it my home. Sadly it was the ruthless and narrow minded half wits heading up IIT that forced me back into teaching on the mainland. I only hope now that the new regimes actually listen to the teachers and parents this time and make slightly better informed decisions about the best way forwards.

Michelle, as a parent having to choose a school for my son next year, here's my thoughts. 2011-12 was the year the five ex-high schools had to take in three year groups, plus new teaching and support staff, as the middle schools closed and they became full secondaries. And, as I said below, the changes to the grade boundaries for those taking the GCSE English language exam in June, affected some schools more than others – nationally, and on the island. As I understand it, Medina and Carisbrooke were hit by that, while Christ the King and Ryde Academy weren't, as they entered students for that exam earlier. (If I've got this wrong, someone please tell me!)
Christ the King has had continuity of management and pupils. I'm not saying that accounts for all the difference, by any means – they deserve their good results.
My impression on looking round the schools is that they seem far more settled this year than last, and I'm certainly hoping they all see improved exam results in 2013.

easy, Christ the king is the school to aim for, so those who's grades are greater tend to favour going to CtK, creating a spiral of the more able students going to CtK and less able to the IIT schools, there also seems to be a severe discipline problem at both IIT schools, that from experience i would say is the minority, but still a sizeable minority.
Some blame must also be given to the disruption caused by the restructuring of the island school system, as the current year group who were affected the greatest. the results also look exceptionly bad (even though they would have been average a decade ago) as the standards of results had risen for the past few years!

I am a little confused - why have Christ the King acheived their results and Carisbrooke and Medina failed???

Any views or opinions presented in the comments above are solely those of the author and do not represent those of the Isle of Wight County Press.