Repeal major detrimental changes at Christ's Hospital

[Spartacist]

Ok

so you agree that CH should become Ardingly?

A disciplinarian haven? Christs Hospital is not all about that. It is about giving opportunities to people from disadvantaged background. These benefits do not include harsh 1 chance rules being brought in by Mr Franklin and the new SMT.

Please see my previous posts.
I feel you miss the point.... As I was there for 6 years under Dr Southern, and 1 under Mr Franklin....

It is clear he wants to make a name for himself .... and this not what CH is about.

[lonelymom]

I don't agree anything of the sort, CH is not Ardingly, but I doubt very much whether Mr Franklin is trying to make it so. But nor do I agree that he is taking away opportunities from disadvantaged children. How is tightening discipline removing opportunities, and why does it only affect those from disadvantaged backgrounds? Are you saying that 'disadvantaged children' aren't capable of understanding school rules, and should therefore be given a second chance? If so, I think you are forgetting that all CH pupils are intelligent, and more than capable of understanding rules, no matter what their background is.

What makes you think that Mr Franklin is trying to make a name for himself? Apart from the things you are saying about him I haven't heard anything bad, I just think he is making some changes, which, as I said, won't please everyone. What else has he done to 'make a name for himself'?

[lonelymom]

Look, Shane, if in the future my daughter comes home and says 'Mr Franklin is horrible, he's done this, that or the other' I will let you know and you will have every right to say 'I told you so'! But in the meantime, and as far as I know, my daughter is very happy at CH, which means all of Mr Franklin's rules suit her. Which means I cannot agree with you that the changes you mention are for the worse, but I am sure others will disagree with me and you will have their support. Sorry.

[NEILL THE NOTORIOUS]

Oh dear -- lonelymom ---- My expression Borrowed --should have been in inverted commas.
I don't know whether the offender was ever charged, and I have been careful not to give an identification !
Most of my contemporaries are dead now --- but you never know !

[lonelymom]

But that's even worse, Neill, if he actually stole the gun and grenades, because that means they weren't very well guarded! I'm surprised there weren't many, many more incidences such as this one!

[NEILL THE NOTORIOUS]

To use modern parlance --------Yeah -- Well --- Like ----

[lonelymom]

[Momto2]

May I just make an observation here?

We were at a match at CH recently. Mr Franklin was wandering around and did not once approach or speak to any parent. That honestly would not have happened in Dr Southern's day when there was always a friendly greeting and light-hearted banter with parents, both us and the opposition.

It was always going to be very tough to fill Dr S's shoes but in our opinion the new headmaster truly is the most uncharismatic and unapproachable head/teacher/member of school personnel we have ever encountered and I know for a fact that an awful lot of pupils are of the same opinion.

A minor thing you will probably all think but oh how much he would have gone up in our estimation with a word of acknowledgement.

[dinahcat]

Well ,it just goes to show that it depends on your experience. My daughter has had several meetings with Mr Franklin some that were arranged and some that were ad hoc. She said he was very kind and funny and sympathetic. My personal opinion is, that he is quite reserved or shy even and some people may feel that these qualities are not desirable in a headteacher. I have many reservations about Dr Southern but again it depends on your own experience.
My own view is that I want my children to be happy and they are ,so as lonelymom says, you can't please all of the people all of the time .

[cstegerlewis]

I shouldn't be here, but I need to support Shane on getting this back to topic, so here goes.

I went through 3 HM's (Baker, JH(?), Poulton) - Baker was known as a liberal, JH as a stop gap disciplinarian, and Poulton in between. We had a Bring Back Baker campaign as some didn't like the stricter rules, but it fizzled out.

He will not be trying to make it Ardingly, just an evolved CH; again if the governing body see something different they should act, otherwise if parents and staff are happy I am not sure you will see a change.

[Eruresto]

May I just make an observation here?

We were at a match at CH recently. Mr Franklin was wandering around and did not once approach or speak to any parent. That honestly would not have happened in Dr Southern's day when there was always a friendly greeting and light-hearted banter with parents, both us and the opposition.

It was always going to be very tough to fill Dr S's shoes but in our opinion the new headmaster truly is the most uncharismatic and unapproachable head/teacher/member of school personnel we have ever encountered and I know for a fact that an awful lot of pupils are of the same opinion.

A minor thing you will probably all think but oh how much he would have gone up in our estimation with a word of acknowledgement.

I must say, actually, that once in conversation Mr. Franklin is very sociable indeed - his problem is not that he is unapproachable, but merely that he is shy. Last year I was having an illicit tea-drinking session during prep, out of house, and was going back to house with a mug in my hand when I spotted the Franklins walking their dogs along the back ash. My initial instinct was to act as if it were perfectly natural, and so prepared to give the customary "good evening". However, Mrs. Franklin stopped me, but instead of asking what I was doing out of prep with no books for working and a mug of tea in my hand, asked me how things were, and once the head caught up (clearing up some dog mess, I believe), he joined in. We were there for nigh on ten minutes!

Sorry, but I felt that had to be said...

[Momto2]

Hi Josh

I appreciate all that you are saying but perhaps having a 'shy' man for a headmaster of a prestigious school is a very 'unusual' situation!

A word of greeting honestly would have sufficed - as parents we all recognise him when we see him at matches/concerts etc and I for one would be delighted to speak to him but he simply isn't approachable but that is my opinion and as I say was only an observation. Mr Vessey on the other hand teaches my daughter History and is a very sociable man who always has a chat!

[Eruresto]

Aye, that is true. Mr. Vessey is much more forthcoming - gave a talk in Tuesday chapel today actually, was very interesting.

[qwerty]

I have never met Mr Franklyn, however I was at CH a few weeks ago for the memorial service, and when one of my friends asked where the headmaster was because she wanted to speak to him, she was told by the member of staff we were talking to - "I wouldn't bother if I were you" doesn't sound good really.

On the other hand, there are bound to be teething problems with a new head, I was at CH under Poulton and Southern, and when Dr Southern arrived he was very unpopular amongst the pupils, but they soon got use to his changes and rules, and by the time we left it had all been forgotten and we all liked him. His changes were giving people a second chance, so those rules have only been in place for the length of time he was there, which in the great scheme of things isn't long. He changed the grecians ball form earlier in the week to the same night as the rock concert on the last night of term, so people weren't going round pissed all week. We were in uproar about it, it was our night and we didn't want it to clash with the rock concert which was the night we got to say goodbye to all our other friends that weren't leaving. I don't know if it still goes like that now, but I expect a couple of years on no-one cared because that is how it had always been for them.

There will always be cycles, things will be abolished and then reintroduced as if they are something new.

[J.R.]

There will always be cycles.

I don't think I dare comment !