By Gavin Mackintosh-
Parents of children at Cecil Jones Academy in Southend, Essex after Ofsted praised the school for addressing bullying. Ofsted inspectors were already aware of the levels of bullying in the where primary school children walk into without any entry requirements.
Ofsted inspectors claimed in their report that major incidents of poor behavior have reduced since the academy joined the trust. However, angry parents have criticised the report, by pointing out that their children are still subjected to regular bullying. Angry parents contacted the Local Echo newspaper to vent their anger at bullying which they claim has still not been stopped.
Madi Everitt, 30, from Rayleigh, said her 12-year-old daughter at the school had once been beaten and was now being subjected to threats at the school. She told The Echo: “My daughter started there a month ago and has already been beaten up once and had threats from another girl who started there recently.
“They put the girl who repeatedly kneed my daughter to the face in half a day isolation, then made my daughter and the girl talk to each other and hug it out.” Her complaint does suggest that the school made efforts to resolve the dispute and make the girls reconcile their differences, through a hug, but what the parent didn’t say is whether the dispute was properly solved. Fights and disputes of some sort are inevitable in most school, but bullying can only be confirmed to be taking place where the bullying is regular. The circumstances of a dispute are also central to establishing whether bullying is actually taking place.
POST TRAUMATIC STRESS
Another parent described how her 12-year-old son has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after being targeted by a group 20 pupils in the playground, who kicked and punched him.
The mum, who insisted on anonymity told the Echo: “He is too terrified to go to school and I am not happy with the way the school dealt with it.
“He had to go to A&E because he had hurt his wrist and he still has problems with it now, ten weeks on.” The report of wide targeting of a student by 20 people is shocking and unacceptable, children need to be taught that group attacks are bullish and reveal individuals with little or no conscience. Their young age as children does not preclude them from the just criticism that they act like animals with wickedness in them every time they behave this way. Cecil Jones schools have one of the worst reputations in Essex for bullying according to research carried out by the eye of media.com. Children in all schools should be taught about the law of ‘joint enterprise’- where a group can be given the same punishment as one who delivers the killing blow in a murder case. This might open up their minds a little bit.
HORRENDOUS
Kelsey Sonn, 17, attended Cecil Jones in 2010 and said the bullying then was “horrendous.”
She told the Echo: “I got beaten up, chairs and tables were thrown at me, name calling you name it.” Claims like this are worrying, but go to show the level of unruly behavior in the school in need of urgent attention. Cecil Jones is one of the secondary schools The eye of media.com has been researching in the last six months. The school was brought to our attention by complaining parents, most of whom admitted their children were an absolute handful at home.
A lot of children from dysfunction homes who are a handful of both their parents and teachers attend the school. However, authorities from the school once told the eye of media.com that they were getting tough on unruly behavior. The question is whether the school know how to handle these children.
STEPS
Bev Williams, chief executive of the trust, insisted steps are being taken to address parents’ concerns. She said: “We are on a journey and we know we are on a journey. We are making a real impact which has been recognized by Ofsted and the Department for Education.
“There is visible and tangible results with what we are doing.” She added the academy looks at the “whole child” when they misbehave to ensure the cause of the problem is tackled. The academic level in the school is one the eye of media.com has also researched, though there wasn’t much comment from Ofsted in this regards. Our research found that the academic standard needs to be raised to help students focus and perform better at school. We have given special advise to some parents, although r few more research being conducted with students and families of the school.
