Some of you have probably gathered tha the nightmare that is school music is still rolling on.

It's got to a point where I feel I have no option but to make a formal complaint.

Daughter has had no feedback whatsoever on her composition, she was given a mark of 14/15 for it when it should be out of 30. It's not what it should be but she hasn't been asked to do anything about it or given advice on what to do with it as it is.

The teachers attempt at covering the listening paper is to sit my daughter at the back of the class with a CD player. The only words she speaks to her are "go for the CD player". she actually writes down the question numbers on a piece of paper that she wants doing. She tells child the answers but doesn't give her any opportunity to listen to the CD again to find out where she's gone wrong. Daughter is made to sit at the back of a double class, where the misbehaving pupils are put, her name isn't even called from the register.

The latest from school teacher. She will not tell us the dates when she expects to record the practicals and I've mentioned on several occassions that daughter will need people to come into school to play with her. She expressedly told my child that she has to wait for dates from the board to hold the practicals. I can't believe she's done this especially as I haven't hidden the fact that I'm looking at the syllabus (what else am I supposed to do when she's totally unhelpful?). The practicals can be recorded at any time during the course. My daughter has witnesses to this as it was said infront of other children.

Yesterday I arrived home to find daughter's exam dates, phoned school and atrranged to drop them in to avoid clashes with GCSE work. On collecting my daughter I found despite having a 5 week window the teacher had arranged the Terminal Task on one of the Music Service special visit days. I thought it was a coincidence initially, although given all the other stuff happening I have to admit I was a bit suspicious. Last night sitting outside the Aural lessons was the boy she teaches Trombone. She must have got the letter with his exam date on and decided that was when she was having the Terminal Task (she knew daughter was taking exams this term). I'm furious!! I have swopped one of daughter's exams but the fact she's even tried to do this is beyond belief.

I had a meeting with the Deputy earlier in the week and have tried to remain calm about it. He tried to lead me into saying the teacher was incompetent. I very diplomatically said I couldn't judge and maybe she just doesn't want to teach my daughter. I had this meeting because the teacher would not say when her coursework deadline was, she was waiting for info from the board, it's the same date every year for the board. It's not that difficult to find on their website and in the CPG book for the course.

I am disgusted that the school are supporting her to the hilt. she's the best thing since sliced bread because she manages to get the odd A. she only has seven pupils at a time and the one who got top marks last year did so with outside help. One of them didn't even take the exam. My daughter's class music book is empty. It contains a line of Treble Clefs on one page, the basic notes on the stave on another, a bit of her second composition and some questions that she's answered. This shocked the Deputy but he still can't see there's anything wrong.

There's no school band, choir or other after school music activity except keyboard club which is run when she feels like and consists of the attendees, using a set of tunes on the keyboard whilst wearing headphones. She looks at their fingers to see if they are doing it right. Needless to say the kids get fed up and walk. She gets rid of the choir participants by having them sing depressing songs whilst she bashes away at snails pace on the Piano. The Steel Pans given to school in September can't be used because she doesn't have any sticks.

This has got to be the laziest Teacher in the Country.

please don't anyone say I've given too much information and she is identifiable because I'm really past caring. I'm not going to but she more than deserves to be named and shamed.

Every meeting I've had with school I've tried not to make it personal, just asked questions and tried to clarify what's going on. How can this person mark my child's work objectively and how will I know that she's submitted everything to the board? Although I've had concerns for ages when I first contacted school a year ago I was only trying to get some defrenciated work for my daughter.

I feel I have no other recourse but to esculate this by raising it with the Governors. I no longer feel that she should be marking my child's coursework (not that she's made much attempt).

My daughter has lots of friends at school and gets on well with other members of staff so I'm not looking to remove her which probably be swopping one set of problems for another but I don't think the music situation should go on any longer. I haven't told the Deputy but members of my child's form have been asking why the Music Teacher is ignoring her, treating her badly etc.

Sorry about the rant but I needed to say it all.

Does anyone know of another way out of this mess or have any thoughts what to do now? The Deputy is seeing my Daughter, her Form Teacher and the Music Teacher seperately today but to be honest he's fed up of the whole thing (not that I blame him).

Thanks David!! I hadn't thought of targetting a particular governor but I don't think the Chair will be detached in this instance. I have been in contact with school for over a year and had a meeting with the Head, Deputy and Music Teacher in October. I've had endless conversations with the Deputy, lots of stuff put in writing and should have a final conversation with him tomorrow before moving forward. I've also given them plenty of time to sort things out but I suspect the woman is very stubborn.

Have you got a bottom line?

If the situation doesn't improve, you don't want to take your daughter out of the school (which seems reasonable, music isn't the only thing in the world), so what will you do? Should she drop out of the GCSE? Do what the teacher says and let the results fall where they may? Get (pay for?) outside help with the GCSE? Submit according to the syllabus even if it's disagreeing with the teacher?

In general I find it helps to already have in mind what you will do if you can't negotiate a good solution, a kind of least worst case thing - at the very least it gives you something practical to compare with any offer that is made.

All of this will depend on what your daughter thinks, what will happen in her compulsory music lessons in any case, and how confident she would feel going against what a school teacher says, especially if the teacher can otherwise disrupt her life.

Approaching a parent governor is probably a good idea. It might help to write an outline of what the problem is particularly in relation to the GCSE requirements (ref to spec), what you ideally would like to happen, and what alternatives you are willing to accept. You don't necessarily need to share it with them directly, but it can be useful to have it clearly and concisely laid out.

I'm sure you already know this but it's probably best to avoid making accusations directly (e.g. regarding the timetabling of the terminal task). Sticking to the facts (and giving her enough rope...) might help prevent a sort of sticking up for the teacher because she's a teacher thing.

If I didn't know it wasn't I would think you were talking about my boys' school. And just when I thought it couldn't get any worse the useless music teacher got pregnant and is off for a year, leaving a replacement who seems nice but does even less, so that's another year gone, with no band, choir or any other music group in the whole school. We have the same problems with getting dates for GCSE performances. I know music has been sidelined but it is shocking that a secondary school can think it acceptable to have almost no one learning an instrument and nowhere fot eh ones who play and sing to do so. It sadens me that these children have such an impoverished school experience. Thiose of us who can, and will, take their children to groups out of school obviously do so, but the vast majority get nothing.

Sorry, this is a bit off topic really, but I really sympathise with you. I would come and complain with you if I could. You are absolutely right that the situation your daughter is in is totally unacceptable. Don't be fobbed off (I'm sure you won't be - you're clearly determined). Just think of all those people you may never have met but who would back you 100%.

Essentially all this started because I wanted her to give me daughter some defrenciated work in her class music lesson. I wasn't expecting one to one teaching just a little use of imagination so my daughter didn't have to improvise on3 notes on a glock for 4 weeks (when she already had G5 Jazz Flute) Another thing they did this year was to play 8 bars of the theme tune from Friends, the notes are all written on the keyboard (this was after the GCSE had started). She was becomming disruptive due to being bored and I didn't want this to start happening in her other lessons.

The school offered the group GCSE in an after school situation to gifted and talented pupils that the teacher identified. There were 8 in the group to start with mainly grade 3's and a couple of grade 5's. In theory it sounded quite promising especially as the exam wasn't until 2010.

The school agreed that my daughter could do the exam a year early. The Deputy orginally suggested it but I was hesitent, it got to the stage that my daughter was so upset that it wasn't worth her staying in the lesson for another year. At that point I agreed to her taking the exam this year. I didn't expect a great deal of help but definately wasn't expecting obstruction.

The group is now half that number and basically endlessly practising the Terminal Task.

The bottom line is I want some honesty, openness about dates for coursework to be submitted, performance date options and the work to be marked. Up to now I've avoided making any allegations but of course they are hanging there unsaid.

I've got someone to work through the listening paper with her but there isn't much time until the exam. I would be prepared to write off this bit of the exam to get all the other parts right, but I don't see the teacher giving in easily.

I can't understand why this happens or how schools and ofsted ignore it. I'm the only person who as ever complained about her, according to school, but I know for a fact that isn't true.

If my daughter doesn't take the exam they can find her something elsa to do during her class music lesson time because she's not being sidelined or ignored any longer.

I wonder how I can trust this woman to mark my daughter's coursework and submitt it to the board in it's entirity.

It could be that what you're up against will be that non-music teachers don't know much about music, and therefore won't/can't accept how bad things are. A headmaster/mistress will have an idea about maths, English, Geography, etc, but many are are completely in the dark about music. And will not easily accept that the only successes that there are occur because of outside help.

Is there any way you can get another professional musical opinion to back you up, to avoid being a lone voice in the wilderness, before you approach the governors?

School will not talk to the Head of the Music Service who knows my daughter well. He is very professional so won't comment on the skills of the teacher which I think is quite right.

You are right it is because they are not musical that they don't see the problem or understand why pupils can succeed even with a poor teacher. I don't believe though that in their careers they haven't come across good music teaching practice. It surely can't be hard for them to speak to collegues in other schools to see what their staff would do undersimilar circumstances.

They have had every opportunity to look at my daughter's AB certificates, if that's not objective then I don't know what is. They haven't looked at them but I think it's just a way of putting off recognising what they already know. It's not like they haven't heard my daughter play as quite often she's the only person who turns up to after school events and we laugh about her being the school orchestra. Sometimes it's planned that she plays alone but I think the lack of support generally should say something to the school. Many of the pupils play in Arts Centre groups so are willing to take part in after school music and there hasn't been any issues with bullying as there are in some schools.

I appreciate the support and it's certainly making me think about it more instead of just being angry (which I still am).

If she carries on and takes the exam, what sort of result is she likely to get? (ie: might it be a bad one that would be in contrast to the rest of her subjects?) If so, might it be better to abandon the GCSE and use the extra time to concentrate on instruments and other subjects?

Not the ideal route, but maybe one that should be considered.

Or, would it be at all possible to transfer music to a tech college or some such?

I sympathise entirely. Yes music is much misunderstood by non-music specialists but I also believe the quality of all education and motivation of our children is still very dependent on the teacher. Of course core subjects such as maths and English would not get away with such poor teaching - the school wouldn't allow it because of their results and league tables. I do think you should write a letter of complaint to the Governors (there are usually curriculum governors in Primary schools - is this the case in Secondary schools) and the letter should be factual and non-judgemental - all the things you've already said. At least you will feel you are doing something. However I don't know if it will get you the bottom line criteria about honesty that you (reasonably) want and your daughter has the right too. But at least you could get the factual stuff of when deadlines should be in. If I was in your situation I would get some private tuition to sort the listening and compostion work to a standard to do your daughter credit. I know this is dependent on time and having a tutor available. Also, how about taking the lead on the performance dates and telling the music teacher when you want it done - just present them with a time and date and let them sort it out if it isn't convenient. Just ideas that may or may not help.

I can't find "defrenciated" in any dictionaries - is it a technical term to do with teaching or something?

Edward

My heartfelt sympathies from one who has been through the mill from time to time.

I know that this probably isn't the best time but have you thought about where you want your daughter to be with her music in two years time?

I can't help thinking that, for your own sanity and peace of mind, you are going to have to draw the line under music at this particular school. Would it be possible for your daughter to apply for a Junior Conservatoire place and effectively 'opt out' of music at her weekday school?

Alternatively, no-one is likely to become a better person in the long run by having to deal with all the stress and grief that you are being put through. I know that you say that you are reluctant to move your daughter all together to an alternative school but quite frankly unless you do something about this soon you and your daughter are likely to be experiencing problems for a long time to come.

Probably "differentiated" was meant.

Chris

I was typing too fast lots of distractions and poor proof reading as usual.

This is not going to be solved in sufficient time so that you have a smooth road ahead. I fear that you have ...dare I say it... a battle on your hands. It is likely that the staff who will be there long after your daughter has left, will dig their heels in and you will be banging your head against the door while your daughter still wont get a satisfactory result.

I had a 'battle' with my son at primary school and I am a teacher who thought I knew the 'system'. I realised that time was ticking away, and my son was not getting the attention and education he needed, I didnt have five years to wage a war, so I took my son out and against all my socialist beliefs & lack of funds, put him in a Independent prep school. Your child only has a set time to get the necessary education in school, otherwise you possibly will end up paying anyway for retakes etc when they leave school.

All Junior Conservatoires will give bursaries based on parental income. It is not an impossible way to fund music tuition. Why not put your energy into investigating and pursuing some where that Wants your child's music skills.

Thats my 'pennyworth.

The only reason I agreed to my daughter doing the exam early was to get her away from the school music situation.

The latest is that the Deputy spent the whole of my daughter's music lesson with the teacher. They were looking at the papers I left with him on Monday.

My daughter had to go and explain to her form teacher what the problems are. She seems to think the teacher was shocked that all the composition and written work to go with it have been done at home. This teacher helped someone else do a language GCSE early so she must have some idea of how daughter could have been helped.

My daughter told the music teacher she wasn't going to take the exam. Her reaction, telling my child, we'll have to pay for the exam if she doesn't take it. Claiming that she's already been entered, which is rubbish as I noticed on the OCR website that final confirmation isn't until mid March. I can think of more helpful responses.

Talk about denial!!



This is something I am looking at but it won't resolve the current problem.

I do agree very much with this. It is a battle you are unlikely to win and at the end of the day it is want your daughter wants out of music that is important. It seems to me the best option would be to look elsewhere for the music education, as for example what Minstrel suggests, a Junior Conservatoire. You would then be putting positive energy into what is really needed for your daughter and not exerting negative energy on a teacher who seems a waste of space. Good luck though whatever you decide.

I don't think you'll be able to force the teacher's hand, as you'll just end up with an even more uncooperative teacher due to ill-feeling on her part.

Never expected to be able to force her into doing anything but I fully expect honesty. I imagine that I've stirred it up enough for them to start looking at whether she's value for money. The school are moving site and starting a sixth form in a year or so. No way could she teach A level and I doubt that anyone would want to work alongside her in the current mindset unless of course they were of the same ilk.

I would just like to say, that after going through the schools complaint procedure at the Primary school my daughter was once at which was very long and frustrating we stepped back one day and realised we were wasting time, while we were backwards and forwards filling out forms etc and attending meetings my daughter could of been settling into a new school.

We called it a day in the end, we have regrets, but all the while we were trying to sort out the mess she could have been happier else where.

She is at secondary school now, I am very lucky she goes to such a great school. If I were put in your shoes now though, I would get her out there. Life is too short and education too important. There are lots of Forces kids at daughters school who move schools form time to time, they soon make friends and still keep intouch with old ones, it does them no harm.

Sadly on balance daughter's current school is the best one in our area. We are not in a position at the moment to go private and for various reasons I don't want a specialist music school just now. My daughter has to the end of this school year to put up with school music then it will fade in the distance. It's not significantly long enough to now to uproot her for fresh problems elsewhere.

That is not good...



This is worse, and I think, sorry to say, quite shocking. How on earth is she meant to get feedback/help if she's stuck at the back of the class with only a CD for company? You know where I am, give me a shout if you want any help.



The second to last sentence says what's needed here...so why hasn't the school picked a date?








I think you have little option but to raise it with the governors. You may get joy, you may get less joy. But bring as much evidence as you possibly can to back yourself up, and if you can get someone else to give statements, written or personal, so much the better.

I wish you all the luck in the world, you and emsoboe deserve it.

I would be shocked about this, except that I was subject to the very same (if not slightly worse) treatment at one of my schools, to the extent that my music teacher acted surprised when my mother was speaking to him and asked whether he thought I was talented enough to apply to conservatoires - he replied with "does she even play an instrument?" This despite the fact that I had accompanied the school chamber string quartet on a number of occasions, organised frequent recitals with myself and a couple of other of the high standard players in my year and had just spent 2 years in his GCSE music class, which included performance and recording elements! (I was playing at about Dip level at that stage).

I would strongly advise, when you go to the govenor(s) - which I believe you should do - that you take along with you statements from objective individuals, because if you deputy/headteacher refuses to speak to them directly, at least this way there is evidence of support from people who are uninvolved personally with your case, but know enough about the subject to be authoratative.

Good Luck!

Sadly on balance daughter's current school is the best one in our area. [/quote]



Unfortunately this is so true of the area, with many of the high schools not even being able to provide adequate education to many average children let alone above average children. The local school my daughter was due to attend would have had to send her to another school for science as they did not teach it at her level, and the top set would have seen her in a class with many children achieving two levels lower then she is currently. With this in mind its no wonder music is neglected. There are many good provisions out side of school for music, but this does not help in this situation.

I think the only thing you can do is take it to the bored of governors in the hope it can be sorted and rectified.

Alternatively if there is an Offsted inspection happening at the school speak with them I had to do this while my daughter was in primary school, a week later the Head finally did something abut the music lessons I had been asking for for a year and half materialized even thou I had given him all the information my self many times.

Best of luck I just cant understand why schools and teachers thinks it okay to leave a child stranded like this.

You need to Contact you County Music Inspector and fast. They have much more clout than the govenors.

You will probably find their contact details on the your county councils web page. Persevere and you'll be in contact with them within half a day.

You'll then probably be called in to an interview with the headmaster chair of govenors and the teacher in question.

Make sure you have all your facts at hand. Syllabus requirements etc, be business like as the inspector will call them to account.

With any luck you will then have things sorted within a week.

Good luck.

They won't listen to LEA Advisor because he's not impartial, or at least he won't tell them what they want to hear. He knows my daughter very well with his other hat on. I will try and ask for his help formally. He's well aware of the situation informally.

I'd do that. I really hope this situation is sorted for you soon. Schools sometimes have to listen to what they don't want to hear.

I have followed posts re. your daughters situation over the past few months. Although I feel my input to this may be unpopular, I feel you should have really left well alone as regards to your daughters music lessons at school.

You have already identified that the school overall is good in many other areas. I don't know of any school which does not have some poor teaching in certain areas. I have two children one in year 9 and the other in year 11. The eldest goes to a regular comprehensive; music is just as appalling at this school as yours I would expect. There is no school orchestra despite being one of the biggest comprehensives around. My daughters music teacher can't play piano so all submitted performance work for her GCSE has been unaccompanied. It had been previously recorded with accompaniement before one of the teachers left to take a post at another school, but these were lost. Listening part of the exam is only just now being addressed. Nothing ever seems to run to timetable re. dates for recording performances etc. and a lot of the kids in the class are disruptive and well below the standard for performance required to even pass the exam, in fact many can't read music, and this is just the tip of the iceberg! Despite all this my daughter has achieved A* for performances and is predicted an A* overall. She is in no way musically gifted and after GCSE will not be taking music any further. I think your daughter would have easily been able to (and obviously still could) achieve this without any intervention. Music at school is very general, and varies considerably from school to school. If you want a better music education you need to look outside the school I am afraid. As it is, you now have a music teacher that will obviously not go out of her way to help and support your daughter because of your intervention. I presume this teacher is friends with a fair few of her colleagues so you run the risk of them seeing your daughter in a different light also. It cant be much fun for your daughter being singled out like this either.

GCSE performance levels are only grade 4 standard. Obviously people above this standard are not going to find it a challenge. Youngest daughter attends afterschool music classes where another pupil taking GCSE music has been told to do his composition piece to be submitted again because the standard is way too high for what is required, (His school carries performing art status). Yes it is frustrating, but you have to look at the overall education being received and music classes are always going to have a wide variety of abilities, and the teacher has to try and cater for the average I am afraid. The end grade is what is important in order to progress onto the next level, we have looked at it for both children as being a GCSE that they will not have to struggle with hence leaving more time to give to those subjects that are more demanding of time like English, History, Geography etc where course work is plentiful.


Youngest goes to one of the best selective schools in our area if not in the country. Plays at grade 7/8 on two instruments. Music provision is good, ICT teachers however are a nightmare. English teacher fails in many areas. Her report is good for these lessons though so will leave well alone. I'd rather have teachers working for, and with my daughter, rather than her being given the cold shoulder. She will be persuing a career in music it appears, but I am not, nor would expect anything challenging from her GCSE course, this will have to be found out of school and from her instrumental teachers.

Even if the lesson was easy or the kids were bored, I would not tolerate disruptive behaviour from either, and the teacher would have MY support in this situation.

I hope you can find some middle ground with the school as I feel up to yet, the path you have chosen hasn't improved your situation at all. Sometimes it's best to bite your tongue and just get on with it.

But surely putting up with poor teaching - or poor anything for that matter - is to condone and encourage laziness, shoddiness etc (speaking generally) on the part of those providing the service. To look at it from a more general perspective, all of us who pay taxes should get "value for money" in the services we pay for, and I don't see why taxpayers should condone a lazy teacher coasting along at our expense. Laziness and "laissez faire" wouldn't be tolerated in a good commercial organisation, and I don't see why taxpayers should expect any less.

To come back to this specific situation, the fact that a school student may have been "punished" because of a parent's concern, says even more about the quality of the teacher than the original problem. Even more reason, in my opinion, why this teacher's practices should be questioned by those who have an interest in providing good eduction. This teacher could go through a lifetime of putting students off music if parents sit back and "let her get on with it".

The only note of caution I would sound is to let the head know what you have in mind, ie to contact the County Music Inspector, so that he is aware of how seriously you view the situation. It might cause a re-think (although I wouldn't bank on it), but if nothing else it would be courtesy. Otherwise, I think the County Music Inspector *should* know how poor the situation is, not just for this one student but the fact that the teacher hasn't organised any musical activity in the school for the other students either by the sound of it.

I think your points are valid. I have wondered whether going into school has made things worse. i came to the conclusion that it' hasn't but it's not made it better either.

My daughter didn't become disruptive because the lesson was too easy. It happened because the teacher was totally ignoring her,nothing has changed in that respect. I went into school because I didn't like what was happening with my childs behaviour.

My daughter has done everything in her power to help this woman. she is still the only person who turns up to after school events to participate musically. On open evening she takes several instruments whilst the teacher sits at the back of the class looking proud. In year 7 she spent most of her lunchtimes recruiting people for choir, only for the teacher not to turn up.

I never have expected one to one teaching but I think that like any subject those who work hard, find it easy naturally have a right to some extention work.

My child is hopeless at PE, it's not her thing and she has no interest in it. The teacher could have easily let her drift and no one would have minded. instead she's been supported, ecouraged and dealt with in a positive way. There's been no big moment nor has she been given any preferential treatment. It's quite recognition for a well behaved child who turns up with her PE kit every week. In the grand scheme of things it's not made my daughter any more physically fit or got her to join the sports teams but she is happy in what she's doing.

As a parent if any adult makes my child unhappy I have a right to say so. Most of the time things happen without intention and we can learn something from the points raised. If the teacher doesn't like me raising things of that nature then I ask what tare they about? As an adult in a teaching situation (and I've been there) we have to have respect for our charges. If we start behaving like children ourselves then we have lost.

I actually think you would do something about it if your child was being totally ignored or spoken three words to in the course of the lesson. As my daughter is not part of the normal teaching the things that are addressed to the class don't concern her (she's wearing headphones some ot the time anyway).

If you don't want comment on how you behave at work then the easiest thing to do is make sure you always behave properly and if you can't look for another job. I fully realise this isn't the only school hopeless at music but I have a right not to accept it. Why should I let this woman steal my child's confidence. What another family does is their choice.



I have to agree with Skylark and would in all honesty even if it weren't my daughter






He is well aware of what is going on and I don't doubt in the background he's provided lots of opportunities for the pupils of this school that they wouldn't have had.

I know there are certain levels of support that he will give without question. If that would be coming into school to battle with themI've no idea. I don't know if this is something I could even ask for. There's no doubt in anyones mind this teacher puts children off music and the issues are much deeper than one child and a member of staff.

Please don't shoot me down in flames but I'm in agreement with Tracy here.

No good can come of a situation where a child picks up the impression that their parent thinks that their school/teacher/LEA/Music service is rubbish.

I would vote with my feet and go elsewhere and give my child the lesson that school, home and child all have to work together to make the education partnership a success.


(Ducks and hides)

Yes. I think so too.

the teacher has to try and cater for the average I am afraid

at the risk of tripping over my soapbox, is this not part of what's so wrong with 1) education and 2) the UK in general??

notmusimum, best of luck.

To follow this argument through, then if a parent supports a teacher who is behaves like the one in question here, then the message the parent is giving their child is that it's OK to be lazy and discriminatory at work. What sort of message is that to give a child and possible siblings who will shortly be starting work? And what message does it also give to a child if their parent doesn't support them, and instead supports a teacher who appears to be "rubbish" at teaching? If I were that child, I'd be thoroughly confused, and more than a little upset at my parent supporting someone who is - in my opinion as the "child" - absolute "rubbish" rather than "me" who thinks it's all wrong. It would be like a parent sticking up for a bully instead of you, the victim.



PS. Don't mean to shoot flames, Minstrel, it's just a debate!

Could be wrong, but my impression from notimusimum's previous thread was that Emsoboe was the one who decided that there was a problem and started to question the teacher's ability.

My daughter has to the end of this school year to put up with school music then it will fade in the distance.
[/quote]


Then why go to all this bother and give yourself stress you could do without. You have tried and have not got anywhere. From experience, they all side with one another, letters are missed placed and if the Chair of Governors is really friendly with the head you do not stand a chance. We had a so called independent inquiry, it was no such thing.

If music is what she wants get what she needs outside of school, it can be done and you do not have to go private to get a good school, there are many state schools that offer excellent music, you may need to travel further a field though or put up with what you have.

What I see here are two issues:

notmusicmum's daughters GCSE music grade being jeopardised, which must be addressed in time by the LEA music inspector, and ensemble music making oppourtunities which can be solved by notmusicmum and her daughter themselves.

Now it is the former which as an instrumental teacher concerns me the most. I have good relationships with both the LEA secondary schools that my local primary school feed into, and regularly record performances of pupils for their portfolios.

There appears to be a problem with this music teacher's ability to meet the assessment criteria which needs to be addressed before the coursework is entered, or it is going to cause the external examiners no end of problems. I would also question if this is the case how much work has been done preparing her for the aural, but notmusicmum strikes me as savvy enough to make sure this is done.

I find it incredulous where it is clear that a candidate should be heading for an A or A* only to be held up by their teacher. This is why she needs to act, and act now.

I think the problem is we expect too much! The budget schools have to work with is limited. Yes we pay taxes, but many don't! Everyone wants to take out the system, everyone blames schools for poor education, teenage pregnancies, poverty etc. etc. I really think we should stop blaming the government, the schools etc. etc. and try and work with what we have, which is a lot more than other countries. I hear people complain all the time about my eldest daughters school, it's never anything to do with their kids, it's the teachers! (I am not suggesting this is the case here though) Although, let's bear in mind, we have only heard one side, I am sure the teacher and school in question may see things from a totally different perspective.

I think that one issue in this situation is that this has be OFFERED by the school as an extra.
If they don't have a teacher willing and able to TEACH it (which is partly what appears to be the case at least; telling someone to do composition without any guidelines among other things) then they ought not to have made the offer.

We are now the end of February the work for this course has to be with the Board by the end of May.

Somethings I can do...

make sure my child gets outside help with composition feedback, this is happening.

Ensure that she has all the resources connected with the syllabus, they are new and we bought them a few weeks ago. Encourage my daughter to work through these books. We have used them for guidance on the compositions as there has been no other input.

Find someone who is able to teach my child the history part of the listening paper, we have done this.

Ensure my child is working towards what is required by the syllabus. That she has two Compositions complete with Briefs and Appraisals. Has looked at 3 pieces of music in the same style to base one of the compositions on (we had to buy several pieces of music to do this).

Have someone on standby to accompany her solo piece and help her to decide which piece to play. Make sure the ensemble piece is one of the three studied pieces and there is someone to play it with her. All the bits that go with this like having an appropriate instrument in good working order.

All this has been organised without even a hint of advice. Now no one will tell me that they would be willing to do all of this and then sit back and wait for dates they may never be given.

What I cannot do is organise for the the practicals to happen and get them recorded as this has to be done in the teachers pressence.

Why is expecting her to do her job unreasonable? I'm doing everything I can as a parent to ease the situation for my daughter. To be quite honest school politics and the teachers unhappiness with her lot is not my problem. I don't see why I should pay or make extra effort because of this but I have.

No other teacher in the school behaves in this way.

I didn't ask school to provide an after school GCSE class for my daughter I've never expected one to one teaching. I don't see why I'm being unreasonable.

No wonder our education system is in a mess when people can't be bothered giving their child even the basic support.

It was my child who discovered the music teachers inadequacies and it's not been decided by me.

Sbhoa is right the problem is that the teacher doesn't want to run the after school class but the fact she's in that situation is none of my doing and definately doesn't give her the excuse for behaving the way she has towards my child.

I am not the type of person who does egos very well, and I suppose this is why I've lost patience with school. I feel they have caused the problem by making the teacher run this group. Having done this they should take some responsibility for the situation.

I am going to give the Deputy time to come back with some reasonable suggestions or the results of his finding and then I'll go to the Governors. It'll be up to them to deal with it and it's worth doing so no other child finds themselves in this position.

There is something wrong with this teacher. I know you already know that. So you simply want her to give you a date for the practical assessment so you can make sure it happens. And she won't even do that.
The only thing I guess is that it makes me appreciate my children's school all the more.
Which doesn't help you.
I really would advise you to consider the Junior Conservatoire option. All the children I know who go love it.
Dora

Had letter from school this morning stating the dates of the Terminal Task (with consultation of Senior Management), 30th of April for the compositions (Board closing date 15th May), 13th May for the Exam.

No comment on the teacher's lack of teaching and still no date for the Practicals.

Governors here I come.......

At the moment my daughter is still in a class music situation and attending the after school GCSE group. I think I need to bother to get her the support for that alone.

She very bravely told the teacher she wasn't going to do the GCSE. Now she's getting notes about when the next after school class is and the dates for everything but the practicals. They obviously have some difficulty accepting things.

All of the points I've raised about lack of teaching for my daughter have been ignored, unless the Deputy contacts me on Monday. I take itthen that they are accepting everything I've said and refusing to deal with it.

To me, this seems to change things slightly. You now have most of the dates that are required (but the practical date is outstanding). This suggests that the school has taken on board at least some of your concerns. Give them a few days to try and sort a practical date before you go charging off to the governers - otherwise they'll just say something like 'well, you haven't given us time to arrange them'. If you feel you want to do something immediately then a nice letter which thanks them for the dates for the terminal task and makes a polite enquiry about the practical date might possibly do the trick (this would acknowledge to them that you recognise that they have done something, even though it isn't all that is required and gives a gentle reminder of what is still missing).

Hope things improve.

I think that might be an option but it doesn't do anything about the teaching situation. I will give it a few days to see if I hear anything further .

Skylark - no offence taken, I quite understand and agree where you are coming from in principle.

Unfortunately, the practical and budgetary constraints that many of us have to cope with are far from ideal and, realistically, we also have to teach our children that, much as we would like it to be an ideal world and that we all work towards it as far as possible, sometimes the overall balance of the situation is such that we have to step off the soapbox and just get the right practical solution for our child in a fairly short timescale as their childhood is just too short to be messed up. No harm too in the lesson that sometimes life IS unfair and that people and organisations do get things wrong at personal expense - and to harness energy constructively in making the best of a bad job.

This is something I would agree with in normal circumstances. However i wonder what would have happened if my child hadn't on her own initiative done the compositions and written elements to go with them. If school don't inform her of the practical dates and nothing is organised in the way of accompanist and it gets sprung on her, she will fail that element of the course and probably the exam as a whole.. It's not impossible as she got 6 days notice of the GCSE mock.

This is not just someone incompetent, it's a difficult stubborn poerson with an over inflated ego, and there should be no room in any school for this in a school, it's not setting children a good example. It's not just my daughter she's difficult with although that's all that concerns me. School deny that parents complain about her. but on the previous occassion another parent was complaining about the teacher's attitude on the same day.

I can work round the teacher on lots of fronts and tell my daughter her behaviour is unacceptable but I have no control over the basic information that should be given without argument. That's nothing to do with budget nor is it a mistake.

I have asked my daughter to give up the GCSE on several occassions and would have totally supported her in this. So your logic is that I force her to give up against her will a subject that she was perfectly capable of passing with guidance and support and probably even with just a bit of communication.

Skylark is right about Tax payers money funding this situation.

I am very sorry that your situation has become this bad, as we were in a similar pickle at exactly this time last year, and I have followed Emsoboe's trials and tribulations with some concern.

In our experience, the school will simply refuse to accept that there is a problem, or they will cover for the teacher in question. We caught a teacher telling barefaced lies about our son, and the school point blank refused to acknowledge it - they can't, because if they do, they are admitting some liability. We had meetings with the head, the deputy and got nowhere.

I wrote to the chair of the governors, and never even had the courtesy of a reply. The governors often include the head and deputy head of the school, so you may not have a chance of getting anywhere by going down this route either, though you have to write to the governors before taking your complaint the next step, which is a letter to the secretary of state for education.

We soon realised that we would never get anywhere with them, no matter how hard we tried, and didn't want to rock the boat too much and affect the education of our younger two children, who are still there, so in the end we simply gave up on this school for our son, who is now as happy as anything at his new school, one year on, and doing very well with his music.

Very best of luck, I hope you get the attention you need for your daughter's benefit.

Burl

This teacher is also telling lies but they are about dates which she claims she's waiting for from the board. This is complete rubbish!! At least it's not my word against her about my child which would be very difficult to prove.

She can't deny not giving feedback as my daughter hasn't had her composition back with anything marked on it. They haven't been given any handouts whatsoever to cover the history of music. It would be very hard to prove that she's done this. I think there aren't any. She would have to go away and make them and I don't think she'll wnat to do that.

I'll take it to the sectretary of education if I have to. I suppose if things go very wrong there's always Chets I think the only things that might help here is that the teacher isn't doing her job properly, whether that be teaching GCSE Music or the lower school class lessons. It's not merely a personality clash or demands for things she just can't do.

I really don't think we should have to go to all of this simply to get a reasonable standard of education for our children. It's not as if I'm looking for anything more than a bit of imagination on the teacher's part. I've even accepted this won't happen but but don't understand why she won't do what she's got to on the coursework to enable my daughter to get a result wihtout lots of stress.

I'm beginning to wonder if when it was decided that my child should do this exam if she said that she wouldn't help and this has been accepted.

I totally disagree with any suggestion of just accepting the situation. I know that money in schools may be tight, but this doesn't excuse bad teaching. When we buy a product in a shop, it is a legal requirement that it serves the purpose for which it is intended, or we have a right to return the product. This teacher simply doesn't seem to be serving the purpose for which she is intended here. You're paying through your taxes for her services, and have every right to point out what's amiss.

I'd make careful notes of exactly what areas your daughter would be struggling with if it weren't for you helping/keeping tabs/pushing for answers. You shouldn't have to do this. How do children cope if they don't have a mother like you who's musically minded and has the time to be involved? My son is currently doing music GCSE and I have had no input whatsoever, except for a brief chat with the teacher at a parents' evening, in which I was told where the marks go, and how he was faring in each section. I didn't even know exactly what the various components of the exam are or what they're worth - and I'm a musical mum! But I'm a busy one, with four children and lots of pupils, and I expect teachers to be able and allowed to get on with their job without my interference. Your teacher wouldn't fall into this category, so for the sake of others as well as your daughter I do think you should follow this through. My son's compositions recently came home on a cd - ready to be submitted - and this was the first time I'd heard them, or even had any idea of what he'd been at! I was impressed with the standard, and am glad he has a teacher who is obviously capable of both teaching and knowing dates. That's how it should be.

I wonder if anyone from school has come across this thread........

Daughter handed in her compositions, briefs and appraisals on Tuesday of last week and got them back today. I wouldn't say the feedback she got was top notch and one or two grammar errors were corrected in the written work, but it's something.

She did try and blame my daughter for not doing the composition in class or asking how to do the supporting work but at least it's more than she's done in the last year.

I think school have finally realised that there might be a tiny bit of something amiss.

To anyone else finding themselves in a similar situation, stay calm, make sure you give everything in writing and provide as much evidence as possible.

I don't expect things to hold in our case as we've had mini breakthrough's again only for them to revert back to square one. We'll see how long this one lasts.

We've even got dates for the practicals

Well done and good luck to your daughter.