Why assumptions shouldn’t be made because of TV

The School hasn't been fairly represented in media or on TV.

Whilst many haven’t been watching, just as many have tuned into the channel 4 documentary “Educating Essex” over the last six weeks, and the programme has thrown up various points in the media. With certain papers and websites slating the school and the teachers in it, I have decided to write to balance the sides.

Yes, I am an ex-pupil at the school, however, this will enable me to give an accurate view on what actaully goes on in the remainder of the school that was not shown on TV. As it is a documentary, they are hardly going to show the 95% of pupils that always do the correct thing. Conflict makes good television, and this is why they have shown what they have shown.

I left the school in 2009 and I can state that without the base that Passmores gave me, I would not currently be at University. Whilst there was the odd teacher that may have picked a profession better suited to their abilities, the large majority where top quality. In my first year I was lucky enough to have the undoubted star of the show “Mr Drew” as my form tutor, and yes, as an 11 year old starting a new school, he was a slightly scary individual. But his methods work. He is a teacher that will shout when he needs to and will equally have a joke and a laugh with a class. My classmates and I wouldn’t have achieved as highly as we did if it wasn’t for all of the effort the teachers at the school put in.

Putting in all this effort with pupils, and even more effort when required as shown on the programme, means they are entitled to release the inevitable stress that would build up throughout the day. They chose to do this through laughter. In one earlier episode, Mr Goddard was seen hiding behind a door and jumping out at Mr Drew. Due to a middle finger being shown, (in a joking manner), certain press took this well over the top. When paired with a teacher saying “clear off scumbags” to a class that were about to leave, the Daily Mail had a field day. In an article which I will link in later, they asked the question “What sort of example is this to set our children?”. The answer is this; a perfectly acceptable one. What is being shown in the first incident is two friends having a joke with each other. No students were around, and due to editing we can not even be sure if it was in school hours. As for the second incident, this is clearly said as a joke. None of the pupils would have found this even remotely offensive as after four or five years with a teacher, they are bound to build up a relationship with said teacher, and due to the quality of teachers at the school, this is a given.

Like I have said, many in my graduation year at school are now at various University’s around the country, and this is testament to the school and all of those that work there. Whilst time is taken up by the children with issues at school, the staff at Passmores still clearly had time to teach to an exceptional standard and earn their “outstanding” OFSTED report. I’ve written this to hopefully prove a point that not everything you see on telly is completely true, and to attempt to get the hard-working and caring staff at my old school the praise they deserve.

Daily Mail link: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2040729/Educating-Essex-What-sort-example-set-children.html