The Malory Years

From September 2000 until July 2004 when it began the process of becoming a Government Academy I was Teacher at the above School on the Downham Estate in South East London. It was not far from Grove Park Station and it came under the Lewisham Borough Education Authority although the Postcode was a Bromley Address: BR1. You're confused already aren't you? There was a wonderful air of confusion about the place, it was pure chaos on a daily basis but it worked. I taught English for a year and then a vacancy in the Drama Department became available. So from September 2001 I oversaw the progression of three years of GCSE students through the Edexcel Examination Paper in Drama. I became the only teacher to teach the whole school from Year 7 until Year 9 when pupils chose their GCSE topics. One hour a week of Drama for each pupil but I was on a hiding to nothing. They were bouncing off the walls when they came into the Drama Studio and they were bouncing off the walls when they left the Drama Studio. There was no Morning Assembly at Malory so children just walked straight into their classes after a breakfast of pop and crisps.
It was stressful work but I enjoyed the challenge because no two days were the same. Each day presented different behavioural challenges. I could teach and I had a sense of humour which helped. I have very fond memories of the pupils. Great personalities one and all but they were deprived of a decent education in ostensibly a sink school because despite the best efforts of the teachers, there was too much disruption. Too much disruption from their lives outside, too much poverty and too much poverty of ambition in their home environments.
I don't believe in streaming but Mixed ability does not work in practice in my opinion. Generally, classes are disrupted by poor behaviour and the more able pupils are not able to progress because the teacher is forever dealing with challenging behaviour to be able to teach. Many times I had to abandon lessons due to challenging behaviour and then this valuable time could never be regained. They say youth is wasted on the young, well I believe that education is, at least formal education. A teenager doesn't want to be learning facts and figures. They need encouragement, nurturing in social skills and calmness, responsibility and assertiveness not 'dry' topics for which they will have no use as adults. We have to ask the question is education about passing exams or learning about the world and its people. You cannot do both in my opinion!   
Malory School was taken over in 2004 by Haberdasher Knights Academy and is now a new build. It was a life and experience that I am very grateful for. It was a brutal environment for pupils and teachers. I believe that schools are brutal environments generally and children are actually traumatised by such educational hot housing.
Well that is the Autobiographical Aspect of Shark Fishing in Wales now up to date. I returned to Wales in 2004 and continued as a Supply Teacher back in Wales where the deficiencies of the system and bullying were common place.
In September 2001, my first week as a Drama Teacher revolved around the collective unconscious of 9/11. When 7/7 occurred four years later, this bruised and battered former teacher was self medicating with cannabis outside an Amsterdam Coffeeshop. According to Dutch law I then went insane but I now believe that it is not me that is insane but the world, but no one will believe me.