As ever, I read GToon’s article on the Mag on Sunday morning (‘Mr Curtis or Mr Knight, which is Eddie Howe?’) with great interest. I found it to be the usual mixture of honest opinion laced with a hint of mischief.
I also really enjoyed John’s article sent in in response (‘This is what Mr Eddie Howe did in a supposedly poor school year ….’) and thought it was nicely tongue in cheek whilst making a valid and serious case. Both arguments have their merits.
I know from past experience the picture that GToon paints of the established Head of Department nailing the performance stats. This is something not restricted to education.
In many traditional business/commercial settings-ups, the more junior staff will spend their time looking in with envy as the Heads of Departments schmooze the most valuable clients, conclude the biggest deals, teach the brightest kids and sell the lines with biggest commission.
They will have the private office space, the most free time, the biggest perks and the highest wages and the biggest budgets. Quite possibly, they will have assistants to lighten their load and utilise the most up to date technology whilst sending their used goods down the line to be squabbled over by the underlings.
In the case of Mr Curtis and Mr Knight we have the perfect analogy for the Premier League – Mr Curtis, manager of Newcastle United, and Mr Knight, manager of Manchester City.
Mr Knight is secure in his post where he doesn’t have to turn sows’ ears into silk purses. The Head Teacher and the Governors, having been given copious amounts of money for a decade or more have ensured that he has a ready supply of the correct academic ability to achieve those A to C grades that are so important.
Mr Curtis, on the other hand, has to contend with the leftovers. He might be lucky and unearth the odd late developer that earlier assessments missed, he may also pick up the occasional discipline problem who was kicking over the traces in Mr Knight’s ordered world and he could take a chance on the kid who missed a lot of school with a string of soft tissue injuries.
Does Mr Knight being spoon fed the brightest kids in the school prove that he’s a better teacher when he gets those top grades? Is he elite while Mr Curtis remains a journeyman with a grade C ceiling?
If the world was fair, the Governing Body would set the conditions for the school to upgrade it’s facilities and services so as to attract more of the able students with aspiring parents so that Mr Curtis could have his fair share. Apparently, they are working hard on fundraising, mainly through sponsorship, but it will be several years before they reach the levels necessary.
The school could do things more quickly through overdraft facilities, which they could afford to service, but Local Education Authority spending rules won’t allow that. They would need a change of policy or maybe intervention from a government regulator.
Meanwhile, Mr Knight continues to bask in the glory of his privileged position and Mr Curtis flogs away, uncomplainingly, whilst performing minor miracles.
My conclusion is in fact very similar to GToon’s.
Eddie Howe has all the qualities necessary to reach unquestioned elite status but hasn’t yet been afforded unfettered access to the most able players.
He’s still reduced to trying to unearth raw talent and picking through the leftovers of the Septic Six. I am convinced he WILL get there but the question is whether he will be given the time to do it with us.
I sincerely hope so!