The Staff of Tomlinscote tell the governors

... in no uncertain terms that this is NOT a good idea.

Tomlinscote teachers had stormy meeting with Surrey County Council representative PJ Wilkinson this week and expressed their opposition to the merger in no uncertain terms. Afterwards staff members railed against the bluntness, insensitivity and lack of ability to listen of the Acting Head of Schools - a standard performance that Kings and Tomlinscote parents are all too familiar with. They have now produced a letter to the Governing body saying that the merger proposals as set out by Surrey County Council meet with their "complete disapproval" and describe this decision as unanimous across teaching and support staff. The letter describes that "the current proposal is not viable". 170 teachers and support staff whom the parents of Tomlinscote entrust the education of their children on a daily basis have said unequivocally that they feel this will affect educational outcomes. Parents have said unequivocally that they do not want this to happen and local politicians from all parties are united in opposition to Surrey County Councils proposals. It is rather difficult to see on what grounds this merger could proceed.
Kings teachers also had a meeting with PJ Wilkinson this time masquerading as the grim reaper, so brutal and harsh was the delivery of the (premature and ill informed) news of Kings demise that many staff walked out. It is difficult at this stage not to see Surrey County Council as deliberately engineering the destruction of Kings in order to prove their case. Parents and Staff at Tomlinscote pledged to aid Kings in pursuing an academy or other viable solutions.

June 13 2011

Dear Governors of Tomlinscote School and Sixth Form College
Re:  Proposed merger of Tomlinscote School and King
After listening to the reasons and arguments for merging Tomlinscote School and Kings College over the past few months, the staff at Tomlinscote School has expressed its complete disapproval in absolute unanimity.
You will be hearing / have already heard directly from individual members of Tomlinscote’s staff their personal reasons for being against SCC’s proposal. These views were also clearly expressed in a consultation meeting with SCC on June 16th.  
Below is a summary of staff concerns regarding SCC’s proposal with regard to the split site scenario:

• the loss of teaching staff should the proposals be ratified
• impact upon the educational progress of students  
• falling standards in relation to teaching and learning
• increase in workload and levels of stress for staff
• logistical problems relating to timetabling and travel
• career opportunities limited to Key Stages of education, impacting on professional development, pedagogy and curriculum knowledge
• impact on career opportunities outside of Tomlinscote due to a narrowed experience and perceived lack of expertise across the whole secondary curriculum
• financial implications for staff regarding fuel, car maintenance , car insurance premiums etc
• possible damage to the excellent ethos which runs through the school from Year 7 to the Sixth Form
• create a KS3 “holding area” site and in danger of a KS4 “exam factory”
• could lead to job cuts in proposed savings in administrative re-structuring
• damage the excellence in SEN provision in terms of difficulties in coordinating two sites
• loss of cross year interaction, such as: RAG Week,  Charity Fair, Mentor Programmes, environmental campaigns, whole school council initiatives, SEN reading scheme programme, Athletics Day, Sports Prefects, Active Break, Young Chamber, Drama and music productions
• damage continuity of relationships – knowledge, understanding, reputations - between staff and students
• increase disruption in students’ educational career and increase levels of anxiety through further transference
• reduced student loyalty and sense of identity to being associated with Tomlinscote
• problems of communication between parents and staff, which have already been noted by Ofsted, will only be exacerbated by the proposed merger and a split site campus
• reduce the amount of goodwill, passion and enthusiasm amongst staff to deliver “outstanding” provision
• requirement to renegotiate contracts which will become a concern for professional associations

We trust that you will consider seriously the opinions of Tomlinscote’s teaching and support staff and arrive at the same conclusion: in order to maintain the outstanding status recently awarded by Ofsted the current proposal is not viable.

Yours sincerely
Tomlinscote Staff Association & Professional Association Member