Nuhope at Marple Hall School

[hollins]

http://www.marplehall.stockport.sch.uk/index.php/news/

few videos on there, one from year 10s about nuhope. any critics should watch. and another below from students doing a 'harlem shake' that Dr Hegan leads. critics of her not engaging with pupils should watch.

I will reserve judgement on NuHope - my children are just too old to have been subject to it. However, watching Marple Hall's Comic-Relief "Harlem Shake" video I have to give it to Dr Hegan - she is a heck of a good dancer!

[Dave]

I entirely agree that the school has improved greatly over the past ten years, but that has very little to do with NUHOPE, which only appeared a couple of years ago, I think.  And apart from calling it a 'whizzy transatlantic scheme' (which it is) I have said nothing negative about it.   The only strong opinion which I have aired on this thread, and I stand by it, is that it is disgraceful for the only secondary school in a town with a population of 23,000 to tell parents that 'if you don't like it you should send your child elsewhere'.  That's just not good enough! 

[Miss C]

Dave, it's really disappointing that as someone who clearly has once had connections with the school and a wife who was on the governing body, you are now joining in with the gossip and cynicism without having any evidence. Marple Hall has gone from strength to strength since its poorer leadership 10/20 years ago.

[Dave]

Sorry to be an old cynic, but I don't think that link tells us much, apart from showing that MHS (or the council) has a competent PR person, as you would expect.

[bigmarps]

http://www.marplehall.stockport.sch.uk/index.php/news/

few videos on there, one from year 10s about nuhope. any critics should watch. and another below from students doing a 'harlem shake' that Dr Hegan leads. critics of her not engaging with pupils should watch.

[sgk]

If you are not happy with MHS email Stockport Education complaints, talktous@.gov.uk, they say they have had no complaints from parents as of yet, which I find hard to believe. I also do not believe a parent actually wrote what was on the last Nu Hope letter.

I think that should read talktous@stockport.gov.uk

[Bramble]

If you are not happy with MHS email Stockport Education complaints, talktous@.gov.uk, they say they have had no complaints from parents as of yet, which I find hard to believe. I also do not believe a parent actually wrote what was on the last Nu Hope letter.

[Bowden Guy]

You know you're getting old when you think "what the hell is a 30cm ruler"?

[JMC]

'if you don't like it you can move to another school'.  And MHS should not be saying that either! 

Marple Hall said the exact same thing to me when I complained that my child was put in a form with someone extremely disruptive who had bullied her and NO friends when the rest of the class was in groups of friends. They thought my well behaved child would be a good influence! Hmmm. They did this to another friend who decided to move to Harrytown.

Other than that we have been pretty happy there. My DDs years haven't had NUHOPE until very recently. But I have friends who have and get very fed up. Zero tolerance should concentrate on behaviour and not forgetting a ruler.

[Dave]

I take what PP says, and agree with it, but there's an important difference between the 'market position' of state schools and that of independent schools.   Independent schools are in a competitive market, and they have to attract and retain pupils in order to stay solvent.  Hence they are responsive, because parents are customers and as in most businesses, customers call the shots.  If an independent school were to adopt something like NUHOPE, and a number of parents said they didn't like it, the last thing the school would say would be  'if you don't like it you can move to another school'.  And MHS should not be saying that either! 

[Rachael]

I had private education, and looked at private education for my son, dont think because you pay for the education it necessarily means you are going to get better , I looked at the school I went to for my son ,  which I absolutely loved, and went to look at Marple Hall with an open mind, and Marple Hall won hands down.  If a child wants to learn, they will, and if they dont want to, they wont .... money wont necessarily make a difference . ( just my opinon of course )

[the rover]

We already have quite a few. I cannot believe what staff have been saying to some parents. A friends year 9 child attended a nu hope yesterday and spent his whole lunch time today trying to prove it, somebody did not tick his name off. He was really upset at being labelled a liar, she is very annoyed. I have been through 5 30cm rulers since Christmas, they are all breaking each others equipment, it is driving me nuts. Two different mothers have told me tonight they cannot wait for the Easter break so the stress of nu hope will stop. I wish I could afford private school, but we have 3 in education.

My youngest daughter had a stand up argument with her mother in the street about refusing to go to school and said she would rater die then get another detention, is this right?? Nu Hope has become NO HOPE in our house.

[Bramble]

We already have quite a few. I cannot believe what staff have been saying to some parents. A friends year 9 child attended a nu hope yesterday and spent his whole lunch time today trying to prove it, somebody did not tick his name off. He was really upset at being labelled a liar, she is very annoyed. I have been through 5 30cm rulers since Christmas, they are all breaking each others equipment, it is driving me nuts. Two different mothers have told me tonight they cannot wait for the Easter break so the stress of nu hope will stop. I wish I could afford private school, but we have 3 in education.

[Dave]

I find this quite shocking:

their attitude is if you do not like it move school.

The School Governors will not discuss the Nu Hope policy.

There are parent governors.   Mrs Dave used to be one a few years ago, so I remember the sort of thing they did.  I suggest you get together with a few like-minded parents and arrange a meeting with one or more of the parent governors, and try to get them on your side.  Then get them to place the matter on the governors agenda.  The governors may be avoiding discussing NUHOPE directly with parents, and that is quite understandable, but if a governor puts it on the agenda for a formal governors meeting they will have to deal with it then. 

[Bramble]

Nu Hope - No Hope. The text or phone call to let you know your child have received a Nu Hope sanction comes in after 1.50pm, If you have a job where you are unable to answer your child may not be able to get home safely. There is at least 60+ children a day kept behind, which of course means little chance of a public bus stopping to pick up. If you are unable to arrange safe transport home for your child within 2 days they spend a full day in the isolation unit, please remember this may be for the crime of forgetting your 30cm ruler. In a court of law in this country firstly you have to be proven guilty of a crime and then the punishment is given to to severity. At Marple Hall a child has been given a NU Hope for not having a book, given a second Nu Hope for telling the teacher they have the book and a third Nu Hope for being late for the next lesson as they had to find the head of year to sort it all out. A year nine told me he got a Nu Hope for telling the truth that he had forgotten his book and the rest told the teacher theirs was lost and just received a new one. I know of a few year 7 students whose parents are struggling to get them into school because of NU Hope. Respect of teaching staff is turning into resentment. If you go to a meeting or receive a phone call you are told you are the only parent not agreeing with the Nu Hope system, they are trying very hard to isolate parents, their attitude is if you do not like it move school. The School Governors will not discuss the Nu Hope policy.