Hannah Thompson

Did they give any reasons for their 'definitive' decision? Forgive me if I am wrong, but I thought that dismissals had to be backed up with some sort of explicit reason/gross misconduct?? At the very least an excuse??? Even after all this time, I'm still really angry about the whole thing.....the silence from the school and its 'supporters'/'people who are close to the school and could do something but are not doing'... or however I should call them, is infuriating...... Wish I could say something concrete to help.

Well, they can't postpone the court case again - the school is going to have to face the music at some point. This tactic of delaying things, hoping that people will forget about it all, is going to run out.........Even I can see that.

Are there any specific reasons that anyone knows about for this decision?

Hello Does anyone know when the court case is going ahead? It is so disheartening to see the forum so quiet like this. I didn't have anything more useful to say so I haven't been saying anything, but when NOBODY has anything to say....it's quite worrying, that's all. I wonder when the court case is and if it will shed any light on how this situation is going to be resolved?

I agree with Adrian. What you're saying makes perfect sense, Henri, and the point that the other teachers are competent and that the students will probably, if they work hard, get good results anyway is valid. But I really hope that the students find a way to show the school that, even if it is subtle, they have not forgotten the way that their voices and opinions were so callously dismissed. Which they were. No, ok, it's not as important as world peace, third world hunger or the threat of nuclear war. But it is important -important in the day to day lives of teachers and students, and ultimately instrumental in the type of school that the IST becomes. Or not, as the case may be. What happened to the student meetings? Try the t-shirt thing again. It isn't over until Mr Albiston stands up for himself anyway. There's still the court case at the end of this month, too remember, which could throw up some more issues and possibly shed some much-needed light on the issue. Please try to figure out a way to show what you so ardently believed just a few short weeks ago.

How can you gauge whether he has been successful or not? I haven't heard any new developments from the IST in a while; is it this silence that you are referring to? Hannah

Tanya I have to say I agree. Although as you so rightly point out, that seems wholly irrelevant. The 'businessmen' not listening- as elitist and pompous as it is, does not surprise me. What is disconcerting is how they see themselves as businessmen - are we to conclude that money and power is the same thing as children's education and the lives of many? Evidently. What surprises me and, whether logical or not, actually hurts me, is the distinct lack of action or words from any of the secondary school teachers. That, I would not have expected and that I find unsettling. Of course they want to keep their jobs and pay their bills. Nobody is suggesting otherwise. Has it crossed their minds that Mr Jones wanted that too? If there is far more to the incidents, then I suggest they stop hiding and come out with it. Not everyone is involved in the court case, and the excuse that absolutely everyone involved is restricted by 'French Law' is becoming old. In my French school, I had a teacher who found it acceptable to throw my personal possessions around the class and onto the floor from a great height in front of the rest of the pupils. Who thought it was ok to spend fifteen minutes of class time instructing a child to use a bin as a toilet when they asked to be excused from class. Who threw a child out of the classroom by their ear when they tried to answer a question without putting their hand up. Who mocked me when I made a language mistake in class after being in France for 4 months. Who shouted, shrieked and made a huge scene in public because a child hadn't put their coat on when walking back to school after using the library. That teacher was not sacked. I was told at the time that in France, this behaviour is part of the normal disciplining system of French schools and that I should stuff my soft English ideas because I was in France now, and what was more, French Law restricts the sacking of teachers (and any other employee for that matter.) And under this same French Law, one of the best teachers many of us have ever known has been sacked for photocopying a dismissal letter. Please, do not talk to me about French Law. Something doesn't add up. And yes, I care about my old school. As the photo supplied by Mr Simkin (and Adrian) shows, I was at that school longer than most of current teachers. I was there before they were and I have seen the school grow from a wasteland field to what it is now. I was there for my entire secondary education and my whole future has been changed because of the doors it opened for me. The potential of any other students to feel the same as I once did is now being put in serious jeopardy. I am absolutely fuming mad at the mismanagement, disloyalty and disrespect that this absolute debacle has brought to light - and will not stop posting on here until something is done to resolve it.

Thanks Adrian. Amazing, I know....

Mr Simkin, I cannot seem to open the above file. Is there an expected reason for this? Hannah

I was indeed in Scouts. Many happy memories of making things (bridges or indeed pasta....), putting washing up liquid on the OUTSIDE of pots and pans, and running around with water balloons - many not-so-happy memories of always being the last on a hike, or of not having a shower for 2-3 days on a camp.

I hope that some teachers come and post on this forum. That way, we will be able to see both sides of the story. At the moment, the problem is only exacerbated by never getting to see what teachers actually think. Reading this forum, teachers' input is greatly needed to provide an alternative point of view about the situation these actions have caused. I can't believe that some people are still hanging onto the claim that this isn't an important issue and that they can just ignore it and it will go away. Even if Mr. Albiston 'wins' in his vendetta...the issue won't go away as it will always have happened.... Thus far, I agree with Mr Simkin. But I am willing, as I am sure he is, to hear evidence to the contrary if indeed teachers have been remaining silent for better reasons than simply that they are afraid of reprimand or because, (if they're honest....), they don't particularly care... I apologise if I am offending anyone. I am not trying to. I just want to urge teachers to say something rather than continue in this insufferable vein of submission. I was at IST for so long, I felt I came to know many of the teachers in the context of the classroom - I can't imagine that any of them are without opinions on this issue. Please, say something, anything! I'm not the only person to have asked for some sort of comment.

Does this mean something insulting was said? It is a shame that there is no longer a forum for students to discuss ideas on, but I assume there must be a very good reason for taking it down indefinitely. I haven't heard any news from IST recently - possibly the situation is calming down? We will probably need to wait until the upcoming court hearing before anything else happens.

Mr Simkin, Your post above is admirable! I just wanted to know if there was any chance of the Student Forum thread being put back up again? Thanks, Hannah

Well said, Robin, I completely agree. Thanks.

Mr Simkin, That's really strange. You obviously know more than me about how these search engines work and how they list their results - will Google be censoring the page because of the number of hits, or something like that? Or have the pages actually been manually taken down by people who don't want them there? It is disconcerting to think that Google could censor things in this way! I'm intrigued. Have you heard anything more from Mr Albiston or the school about how the case is going and what they think their future actions will be? Maybe we will all have to wait until the court case in February before knowing what else we (as the community who support Mr Jones) can do. Your help on this subject has been truly amazing! Hannah