Email: friends@friendsofjohnloughborough.org.uk

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Press Release!  Press Release!  Press Release!  Press Release!  Press Release!

John Loughborough School (JLS)

Most Improved in Haringey!!!

The PTA of the JLS congratulate the year 11 pupils of 2008 on their GCSEs successes - 60% 5+, Grades A-C (40% incl of math and Eng) - placing them 5th in the Haringey league tables, as the most improved school in the borough. But whilst the local authority (LA) and its imposed management regime are posting ‘Youtube’ videos, claiming the credit, we, the parents, give the credit where it’s due: the children themselves, their hard working teachers and the professional leadership of suspended Head Teacher, Dr June Alexis.  

We note that the Ofsted report of May 2008, stressed that the new leadership team had only been in post for 9 weeks (since Feb 2008). 40% of the candidates of 2008 had already obtained their GCSEs in August 2007, as year-10 pupils - some as many as 3 and 4 - which were included in the forecasted 2008 results. In fact, we firmly believe that the results would have been even better, without the unwarranted and disruptive interventions of the LA.

At their year 11 Thanks Giving service in July 2008, our children diverted from ‘the script’, to thank Dr Alexis (in absentia), for her sacrifices and for helping them believe that they can succeed. It is therefore a shameless, un-Christian and unprofessional act that anyone else should publicly claim the credit, while denying and vilifying the person to whom it is really due.

Dr Alexis has been suspended since 26th February, 2008, after being harassed by Sharon Shoesmith (Dir. of Children and Young Peoples Services) to step down, since Sept. 2007, on unfounded incapability grounds. Ms Shoesmith dismissed the Board of Governors for refusing to sack Dr Alexis, despite being graded ‘2’ (good) by Ofsted; replacing them with an Interim Executive Board - expressly to sack Dr Alexis - which Ofsted graded only ‘3’ (satisfactory).

Dr Alexis was suspended, ostensibly, for our protests against the above chicanery (25th Feb. 2008) and faces a disciplinary hearing before the same IEB and LA (12th Sept 2008). This clearly smacks of a ‘Kangaroo Court’ scenario to which we strongly object as the parents of the children in whose interest they claim to be acting. We find the LA extremely autocratic with no regard for our parental rights, in law; and we believe our school’s Seventh-day Adventist ethos and its African-Caribbean profile are significant factors in this aggressive, disdainful approach.

We thus urge community support in demanding a cessation of the said disciplinary process and the immediate, unconditional reinstatement of Dr Alexis, by contacting Sharon Shoesmith - Tel: 020 8489 3883; email: debra.bolt@haringey.gov.uk.

STRATEGIES FOR PASSING SATS & GCSE EXAMS

READ! READ! READ!

The PTA in Collaboration with Pepukayi Book Distribution Services invites children, parents and teachers to a Book Market.

There are massive sale items on offer.

On Saturday 4th. Oct. 2008 12 noon - 7pm.

& Sunday 5th. Oct. 12 nooo - 6pm & every 1st. Saturday and Sunday of the month.

Between Monument Way and Somerset Road

London  N 17.

Studies have shown that children who read regularly achieve higher exam results than children who do not.

AFRICAN PROVERB: Knowledge is like a garden, if it is not cultivated it cannot be harvested. Guinea.

BIBLICAL QUOTATION: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of of Knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Proverbs 1: V. 7).