This is the first in what I think is going to turn into a series of angry, confused steam-valve blog-waffle-rant-thingys. I don’t expect anyone to listen, but just saying it makes me feel better 
So, to what pleasure in my life do I owe this first rant? Why, none other than “The Powers That Be”. This post is already probably not entirely professional, so I won’t sink any lower with names, but I’m sure your educated guesses won’t be too far amis.
Anyway, yes, ranting. Well I’m a little late in commenting on the ICT College Status ( Sam beat me to it) although I think that still deserves a mention. It was a real kick in the teeth to be told we could not receive the status, despite our ICT system being at least on par with other schools in the LEA, if not miles ahead of certain other schools - even those schools who have ICT status! So why, I hear you ask, if our ICT systems are that spangly and wonderful can we not have status? What possible obstacle could there be? …Science.
Science? Or, to be completely precise, Science and Maths. It seems a school is not allowed to have more than one science/technical college status at a time, and we already have joint Science and Maths status. “Joint science and maths college???” Yes indeed, they keep the maths bit rather quiet don’t they? You don’t see that on the school letterhead; they don’t place a goldplated electronic singing placard of the multiplication tables in Reception and they certainly don’t spend any money on maths!
OK, so bureaucracy won’t let us obtain two similar status’s, but do we really need ICT status? Well, on the rather minimalist budget we are expected to operate under, yes we do. We’re reaching a barrier, and require a lot of investment to break through that barrier. For example, there is simply no more space for ICT to expand into, every possible room that can be spared has been converted to a suite - there are no rooms left, without building more. Every teacher has a laptop, the next step would be to start giving the kids laptops. Ok - not leaping on that band-wagon has let us observe that particular mistake, but giving the kids tablet PCs seems a much better idea - although - unfortunately a rather more expensive idea.
But we’re a school right, we have tonnes of money just stashed away for rainy days? Well, yes we do. So much money that someone sees it necessary to budget £50,000 to flood-light the tennis courts. This is not however an anti-PE rant, I’ve made my amends with that particular department and hold nothing against it anymore **cough**. Stop and think for a moment; who uses the tennis courts? Kids. When do they use it? PE lessons, and lunchtime. Right, glad we’ve sorted that bit out, so remind me again why it needs lighting? Let alone lighting which planning law is going to prevent us using during certain hours of the night! Lights we can’t turn on at night, just what we need!
You’re just making a lot of fuss over nothing surely,what’s £50,000 to you? Well, £50,000 is the same as the annual budget for Cross-Curricular ICT (the budget which pays for the entire curriculum network, from ink toner to interactive whiteboard pens to ICT suites and servers). Now do you see why we need floodlighting?
Then there’s the £90,000 carpark. That’s the carpark we only need because someone decided to put up a no entry sign to the section of the school many people used to park in. The same no entry sign marking the “Green Line” barrier, the magical forcefield beyond which any food may spontaneously combust should a student attempt to do anything so unsafe as to eat it.
This is all sounding worrying like an Overmark article, and I fear this might relight that journalistic spark in me. I’m not sure The Powers will appreciate this appearing on that site though, which is why I shall be venting here instead now…So, **hint**, if you are Overmark, and you are reading this, you might want to add some hyperlinks.
