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Back to Schooldays
Rowson's Comment
Around the Block
News in Brief
Stop the War
Mini-march
Lysistrata Day
Fringe Festival
Straight to the Point
Time to Finnish
Day in the Nick
Starting Over
Readers Letters
Herbal Cleansing
Local Music
Tripping Out
Tippling at the Tup
Property
Housing Matters
Very Testi
Art Happenings
Vietnamese Food
Entertainment
Gardening
Marathon Man
Surfing N16
Man in North Bank
Xword
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When I mentioned I'd been told pupils could
be spied getting smashed in Clissold Park of a lunchtime and after school he vehemently
denied this happens. 'How do I know? I get on my bike and ride round all the time. We have
a lunchtime pass system now and that can be taken away at any time', he says.
One of the big debating points at present is the comprehensive admissions quota system.
The children must be evenly split between the three main ability bands, which in effect
means large numbers of bright local kids cannot get in while others come from as far away
as Clapton. ' It's under discussion', says Emmerson warily. 'Do we want a local school
firmly rooted in the community? Our catchment area locally is now only 600 yards. Children
who attend William Patton cannot get in. My own children wouldn't stand a chance of
getting in.'
Emmerson lives in Finsbury Park with his partner - 'a journalist', he told me pointedly -
and their three primary age children. He is passionate about wanting a school like Stokey
for his own kids. 'We have so many talented children here.
And they have so many opportunities which I wish I'd had at my school. It's easy to knock
being in Hackney, but I love it. It's challenging, vibrant and interesting.'
I believe him. We know. But people have got to be prepared to talk about what's wrong,
otherwise what hope is there. Some of his parents have given me a rough ride over recent
weeks. Once they've calmed down a bit and loosened their grip on my throat, many Stokey
parents have expressed two major concerns. One is persistent anti-social behaviour by a
hard core pocket both in and outside the school, which Emmerson is resolutely determined
to stamp out. And the other is the thorny issue of homework, which many claim is either
not set, inadequately marked or often simply not challenging enough.
'An OFSTED inspector once said to me that parents always complain their children aren't
getting enough homework', says Emmerson. 'But it is an issue we are addressing. We have a
wide range of abilities and motivations here, but we now have a system of monitoring in
place.
All Heads of Department have been asked to check that tutors are setting the work, that
homework diaries are completed and that these are signed by tutors and parents. I always
say to parents if nothing has been set then I'll set it, which is - do some reading. 'The
great Stokey School juggernaut embraces yet another system.
'We have incredibly committed parents at this school and believe me, they let me know if
they think things aren't right,' he says. 'If people appear defensive it's because
progress can be fragile. I think that is perfectly understandable.'
What do I personally think now after my visit ? What would I want for my own daughter?
Something which I've long suspected doesn't exist. A school with Stokey's vibrant 
energy,
cultural and social diversity, challenging ethos and a head who understands and respects
the complexities of how children learn.
Plus top notch exam results, solid traditional teaching, a bright tidy
building full of well
behaved, highly motivated kids who don't smoke dope with Mum and Dad.
Forget it, huh?
