The Cold Comfort Of Being Correct: The School That Fired Katherine Birbalsingh Is Forced To Shut Its Doors And 'Recycle'

Cranmer shares the news.

And, further detail from the local paper.

CHILDREN at a struggling academy are to be sent to new schools so it can be demolished and redeveloped.

Around 150 Year 7 and 8 pupils at St Michael and All Angels CofE Academy in Wyndham Road, Camberwell, are to be sent to other schools in Southwark from September, it has emerged.

The school is to stop taking new pupils until 2013 as it goes through a major restructure.

The faith academy has struggled since it opened in 2007 and was judged to be inadequate by Ofsted inspectors in April last year.

The report said it needed to urgently address poor behaviour of pupils.

Which is precisely what Ms. Birbalsingh shared with the Conservative Party Conference last October 5. OS can't urge his readers strongly enough to take eight minutes and view this address, and then pass it along to friends.



For which candor, she was...well...sacked. For saying the unmentionable truth: 'The system is broken, because it keeps poor children poor.'

She just wasn't fired, she was publicly tarred and feathered by the board of the school and its headmaster. They attempted to make her 'radioactive', and poison her future career as a teacher.

Now, we learn, following that good day's work, they have been forced to admit, that, yes, the school is a shambles, and it has to be shut down. Then demolished. Then reopened under new management.

Hmmm....

Now, shouldn't the penalty fall upon the school head and board that drew the knife on the teacher that told the truth and appealed for sanity? Miss B wasn't even particularly singling out the school she taught in to be vilified, but offered it as an example of a much greater systemic failure.

But, being a realist, OS knows that there will be zero disruption experienced in the career of ‘Dr’ Irene Bishop, the 'Executive Head', and no fallout for the Bishop of Southwark (who could have come to Miss B's defense), or anyone else involved in her mistreatment.

Except Miss Birbalsingh. And the students. And their families. And the neighborhood.

That's ok, though. They're just the people who do the work and do the work and do the work, and pay and pay and pay the taxes, and try to survive the school, and try to better their kids lives. What matter they? They'jest the LittlePeople.

OS is soooooo grateful to live in Tennessee. The rest of the world thinks we don't wear shoes here, that we're rednecks and hillbillies chawin' 'baccy and playing banjos on the tailgates of our pick-em-up trucks. And we do have our share of failings, no doubt about it.

We, however, elected successive state legislatures that deliberately leave home-schoolers alone. That allows charter schools, and doesn't legislate private school start-ups out of existence.

We have a by-God choice! We can, and do, vote with our feet, to the eternal anger of the teachers unions and the bureaucrats in the Department of Edumahcation.

Go, Miss B!

By the way, ya'll: Her book, To Miss With Love, publishes in March.

Not at Amazon yet--OS just checked.

But wouldn't it be a joyful thing to see it arrive to opening day with about 25K in pre-orders?

Revenge, sweet sweet revenge, served cold.

At a distance.

Archbishop Cranmer On The Warpath

His Grace took a summer hiatus, and has obviously come back refreshed and ready to wield the verbal sword.

His target is the leadership (specifically Irene Bishop) of St. Michael and All Angel's Academy in Camberwell(UK), and he mounts his steed in defense of faculty member Katherine Birbalsingh, who had the temerity to address the Conservative Party last week and tell the truth.

Her address is here, in case you haven't enjoyed it yet.

OS will have some thoughts later about her address, which merits a close review. The issue at hand is freedom of speech, and academic freedom.

You know, things Academia has always stood tall for, until the past forty years or so.

Got git 'em, yer Grace!

Whoo-whee, OS is sooooo glad he's not in Cranmer's sights, the object of his wrathful attentions.