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Exhibition cancellations (not much to do with that anymore!)


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18 hours ago, griffgriff said:

TBF the Head sounded miffed just because he wasn’t invited.

 

GRIFF

 
This is not a populist response.But then I’ve done the job. Any head will tell you that the primary qualities in success  as a head are leadership skills which should include loyalty to one’s staff,both teaching and non teaching .This head clearly expects ....and rightly so....his staff to give likewise.And indeed yes they were perhaps foolish in their attendance at
that fateful knees up earlier this month but as Mr.Aspin readily admits they did nothing at that time contrary to HMG edict. Since when btw has it been mandatory to seek the advice of one’s boss for a night out ? 
 

So then we return to a question of the two ‘l’s....leadership and loyalty.This ideally is a two way traffic It has to be because if it is not there,then the organisation....in this case a school....ceases to function effectively.

Out I suspect out of sheer frustration or perhaps inexperience,this head has chosen to throw caution to the wind.As I can read on this forum,he strikes a sympathetic chord and I can understand that too.This is just a single snapshot of what goes on there.The rest we don’t know.

 

But ponder this if you will. When his staff hopefully are recovered and the school is operating at full strength again,he has to work with this staff on a daily basis. This same staff whose reputation he has thrown to the wolves by appealing to vox populi and the media in a dramatic.....and disloyal.....manner.He is the guy who is paid to carry the can and take responsibility.He is or should be an effective leader.Good heads are loyal leaders of the whole school community. This is now divided on an us and them footing. I hope he’s good at healing division.He sure will need to be.

 

And no I would never dream of going public,especially in that way.

 

 

 

 

 

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27 minutes ago, Ian Hargrave said:

This same staff whose reputation he has thrown to the wolves by appealing to vox populi and the media in a dramatic.....and disloyal.....manner

 

From what I can see, he didn't do that at all, he simply wrote a letter to the parents explaining why his school had to close due to lack of staff, and anything else snowballed from there.

 

IMO, the parents and governors had what might be called a 'moral right to know', and the whole thing would have become an even bigger mess if, rather than being direct and honest, the Head had kept schtum, and the truth had emerged in dribs and drabs, as the truth always does eventually.

 

If you read the letter he wrote to parents, which is on the BBC news site, as part of a drily factual, very much non-sensational report, it is crystal clear that the guy has been driven to his wits end. 

 

I don't know how the papers have played it in print, but the Sun, for instance has played it very straight on its website, giving a near photo-copy of the BBC report.

 

I think I would probably have done as he did.

 

The teachers are going to be in very contrite mood when they get back and are meeting parents at the gates every day!

 

 

 

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"Mom, mom, I don't want to go to school today"

 

"Sorry son, you have to go."

 

"But I don't want to!! The kids all hate me. The teachers all hate me. Give me 2 good reasons why I should go!!"

 

"Because, son, you're 54 years old, & you're the Headmaster"......

 

(Sorry. I'll see myself out..... )

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2 minutes ago, Nearholmer said:

 

Or, did he simply write a letter to the parents explaining why his school had to close due to lack of staff, and it all snowballed from there?

 

IMO, the parents and governors have what might be called a 'moral right to know', and the whole thing would have become an even bigger mess if, rather than being direct and honest, the Head had kept schtum, and the truth had emerged in dribs and drabs, as the truth always does eventually.


Well he wrote a letter .Anything published is in the public domain. Had he published facts without the histrionics and overt value judgement.then fair enough ....in other words with care as when you write to parents you must always and with balance to be scrupulously fair to all concerned.....which includes his staff .He has created an us and them situation which could have been avoided by being properly managed.Beware of any protestations of truth and honesty both of which are easy prey to manipulation. ATM he appears to have set parents against teachers. What’s his own position from here onwards?

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2 hours ago, Dunsignalling said:

There's nothing that anybody can do after 10pm that can't be done, usually to better effect, before that time.

 

Quoting a memorable episode of The Big Bang Theory, Penny says, "Your parents are old, anything unspeakable will be over by 9.30".:jester:

 

John

Seeing in the new year?

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Ian,

 

He had material facts to hand, and a choice: make the facts known; or, attempt to keep the facts a secret.

 

If he'd attempted to keep a secret, he would have left the entire school community doubting the ability of the school to maintain a safe learning environment, and the whole thing would have leaked-out at some point anyway, making the teachers, him, and probably the governors too look like a bunch of muppets who can't be trusted with children.

 

By disclosing frankly and honestly, I think he has probably limited the damage so far as he can.

 

44 minutes ago, Ian Hargrave said:

Good heads are loyal leaders of the whole school community

 

Indeed they are, and that community includes, or should include, the parents, the pupils and the governors, who all have the same right to respect and honesty from the Head as do the staff.

 

I'm just glad I wasn't in his boots.

 

Kevin

 

 

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3 hours ago, Nearholmer said:

Hire the school sports field, rather than the school hall. A model railway fete...

 

Been there, done that. Never again. We were persuaded because it was a charity show for a good cause.

 

Fields aren't level. Nothing would stay coupled. We spent all afternoon operating in push-pull mode with the locos on the downhill end. Freight trains did look a bit silly, but if the loco was on the uphill end there was a risk of uncoupled wagons rapidly disappearing off the end of the layout.

 

Geoff Endacott

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3 minutes ago, Nearholmer said:

Ian,

 

He had material facts to hand, and a choice: make the facts known; or, attempt to keep the facts a secret.

 

If he'd attempted to keep a secret, he would have left the entire school community doubting the ability of the school to maintain a safe learning environment, and the whole thing would have leaked-out at some point anyway, making the teachers, him, and probably the governors too look like a bunch of muppets who can't be trusted with children.

 

By disclosing frankly and honestly, I think he has probably limited the damage so far as he can.

 

 

Indeed they are, and that community includes, or should include, the parents, the pupils and the governors, who all have equal right to respect and honesty from the Head.

 

Kevin


But there are better .less heated ways of doing it than this.There is a fragillty in leadership here which truly screams at you.Blowing things apart in such a manner will overheat a situation that needs to return to normality as quietly and effectively as possible. Believe me,the very last thing any school community needs is scrutiny by the press for all the wrong reasons,speaking as one who as a deputy head once had to firefight Fleet Street and attendant photographers when his head threw a hissy fit and went awol because she’d made a bad decision which attracted their attention in spectacular manner.

 

You think he’s limited the damage.?  Really? How’s he going to manage the returning staff who have had their professional reputations scored up for all to see and upon whose skills his school and its children depend ?

The true extent of such damage we won’t know.

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Bacup though is in enhanced measures like most of Greater Manchester, so he is correct that they shouldn't have attended a party at a former colleagues home.

 

Parents will be angry at the head for closing the school and no doubt looking at each other with suspicion as to who started the outbreak - this is what we are reduced to now in life always looking for someone to blame.

 

Teachers who have been away from work for months due to Covid attend a party just as cases in the area are rising and the school is going to re-open - really makes you wonder where their priorities lay. 

 

Yes the headmaster may have a difficult situation with the staff when they come back, but his overriding duty is to the children of the school, the teachers also and they failed in their responsibilities why should the headmaster hide that fact.

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17 minutes ago, Ian Hargrave said:

But there are better .less heated ways of doing it than this

 

Which are?*

 

As for the returning staff, I should imagine they'll feel very contrite (they blooming well ought to), that everybody in the place will be speaking to one another in a very sheepish way for a few weeks, and that the flow of life will put it all into distant perspective within a few weeks.

 

As to damage to the reputations of the individual teachers: there will probably be some minor damage in that the incident might be remembered if/when they seek posts elsewhere in the near future, but I can't imagine it all casting a very long shadow, and I can't imagine the teachers feeling anything other than a bit ashamed of their own folly.

 

The trouble with sweeping things under the carpet is that somebody will trip over the lump.

 

*I suppose the teachers could have written an open letter of apology.

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11 minutes ago, Nearholmer said:

 

Which are?*

 

As for the returning staff, I should imagine they'll feel very contrite (they blooming well ought to), that everybody in the place will be speaking to one another in a very sheepish way for a few weeks, and that the flow of life will put it all into distant perspective within a few weeks.

 

As to damage to the reputations of the individual teachers: there will probably be some minor damage in that the incident might be remembered if/when they seek posts elsewhere in the near future, but I can't imagine it all casting a very long shadow, and I can't imagine the teachers feeling anything other than a bit ashamed of their own folly.

 

The trouble with sweeping things under the carpet is that somebody will trip over the lump.

 

*I suppose the teachers could have written an open letter of apology.


Well utterly pointless in attempting to convince you .I actually have told you what a less confrontational way could have been.You obviously have a jaundiced view of teaching staff .Minor damage....how on earth can you predict that ?. Good experienced teaching staff are not easy to replace and are in no way sheep to be herded. It may have escaped your attention that many are struggling to secure Covid tests before they are secure to return to work. I’m afraid you sweep gloss over the surface without attempt at any real understanding of how this situation might unfold.

It ain’t that simple,despite what you might believe. 

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12 minutes ago, Ian Hargrave said:


Well utterly pointless in attempting to convince you .I actually have told you what a less confrontational way could have been.You obviously have a jaundiced view of teaching staff .Minor damage....how on earth can you predict that ?. Good experienced teaching staff are not easy to replace and are in no way sheep to be herded. It may have escaped your attention that many are struggling to secure Covid tests before they are secure to return to work. I’m afraid you sweep gloss over the surface without attempt at any real understanding of how this situation might unfold.

It ain’t that simple,despite what you might believe. 

There isn't a different set of rules for teachers than the rest of us, if my wife cannot visit her sick mother at home then there is no way on earth a group of teaching staff should have all been at a party at a colleagues house.  

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2 minutes ago, Ian Hargrave said:

You obviously have a jaundiced view of teaching staff

 

Oh dear. My brother (retired deputy head of secondary school),  my sister in law, and my father, were he still with us, would be disappointed to hear that.

 

No, I have as much respect for teachers as for everyone else who works hard in challenging circumstances. But I also believe teachers to be as much prey to ordinary human folly as the rest of us, that these particular teachers made a foolish mistake, and that sometimes, sadly, the price of folly is embarrassment.

 

My prediction of the likely flow from this is based on long experience of managing professionals, engineers rather than teachers, but just as difficult to find/replace and just as capable of independent thought, in sometimes difficult circumstances. 

 

9 minutes ago, Ian Hargrave said:

I actually have told you what a less confrontational way could have been.

 

Do you mean your suggestion of a differently phrased letter?

 

Possibly, but the letter he wrote seems pretty balanced and fair to me.

 

Beyond that, you and I seem to see this differently, and its probably best left at that.

 

 

 

 

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9 minutes ago, woodenhead said:

There isn't a different set of rules for teachers than the rest of us, if my wife cannot visit her sick mother at home then there is no way on earth a group of teaching staff should have all been at a party at a colleagues house.  


But at the time what they did may have been foolhardy but not illegal thus    painful though you may find it you cannot compare the two.

 

We are all ....or most of us ...living through painfully difficult situations.

I am not exempt from such pain and difficulties in the same way as you.

I am now sole carer for my wife who is suffering from terminal pancreatic cancer. Sure,we have good carer support from our local hospice but our close family is divided between Rhondda Cynon Taf and Gateshead .Work that one out....not rocket science is it ? I’m on my own.Like you close family cannot help physically in any way.I just get on with it.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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3 minutes ago, Ian Hargrave said:


But at the time what they did may have been foolhardy but not illegal thus    painful though you may find it you cannot compare the two.

 

We are all ....or most of us ...living through painfully difficult situations.

I am not exempt from such pain and difficulties in the same way as you.

I am now sole carer for my wife who is suffering from terminal pancreatic cancer. Sure,we have good carer support from our local hospice but our close family is divided between Rhondda Cynon Taf and Gateshead .Work that one out....not rocket science is it ? I’m on my own.Like you close family cannot help physically in any way.I just get on with it.

Bacup wasn't under enhanced lockdown on 5th Sept so you are correct it was not illegal.

 

I am truly sorry to hear about your wife.

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Er, wasn't this thread about exhibitions?

 

1 hour ago, Geoff Endacott said:

Been there, done that. Never again. We were persuaded because it was a charity show for a good cause.

 

Fields aren't level. Nothing would stay coupled. We spent all afternoon operating in push-pull mode with the locos on the downhill end. Freight trains did look a bit silly, but if the loco was on the uphill end there was a risk of uncoupled wagons rapidly disappearing off the end of the layout.

 

 

There is a less predictable hazard with an outdoor show....rain.

The damage it would do to most railway exhibits & the chances of it falling makes outdoor shows impractical in the UK.

So cover the exhibits with gazebos? Apart from being an extra expense, these are similar to marquees which were discussed, debated & dismissed several pages ago.

 

Outdoor model railway exhibitions are simply not practical.

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24 minutes ago, Pete the Elaner said:

Outdoor model railway exhibitions are simply not practical.

 

Continuing to muse, rather than propose ..........

 

If indoor exhibitions remained impractical for public health reasons, the choice would then be between outdoor ones, and none at all, and I'm sure that ingenious souls would rise to the occasion.

 

Tents could certainly work for some sorts of exhibits/stands, but another option might be what amount to caravans, either ones that the visitor actually enters, or ones with a long lift-up flap in the side.

 

Expensive? Yes, sure. But, people do spend money in surprising amounts on hobbies.

 

All sorts of trade shows, food fairs, agricultural shows etc. operate outdoors on a "pop up" basis, even in rainy old England.

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I've exhibited once at a show where half the exhibits were outside in a marquee. 

The biggest problem was huge humidity, 

The next biggest was someone parking a diesel ice-cream van just outside and filling the marquee with fumes,  until it was moved. 

We didn't have huge problems with levelling but we did take some ply foot pads to put the feet on and spread the weight. 

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1 hour ago, Gilbert said:

Tennis Courts and Five a side pitches are relatively level........

And commonly in use at weekends though plus difficult to secure tents to without lots of weights. 
 

I’ve exhibited in engine sheds which are very dusty from concrete floors, carriage sheds that were like taking part in a giant game of mousetrap thanks to planks on the floor pinging up and a tent that was noisy as it kept slapping in the wind and was uneven and slippery once we’d trampled the grass behind the layout. I also doubt you’ll find it practical for larger layouts on grass over 20-30ft due to large variations in height, we aren’t usually allowed to pitch tents on bowling greens ;) 
Let’s worry about the alternatives next year if no solutions are on the horizon but I can’t see my 34x11 end to end layout working in a tent! 

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