St James Independent School for Boys Twickenham

Discussion of the children's schools in the UK.
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St James Independent School for Boys Twickenham

Postby Guest » Sun Nov 14, 2004 1:19 am

Perhaps there will be more

CurrentParent@StJamesBoys

Postby CurrentParent@StJamesBoys » Mon Nov 15, 2004 10:31 pm

I am the parent of a boy who is currently at St James School for Boys. My son is a bright young lad with a lively enquiring mind. Just recently, he had been discussing with some school friends the relationship between the SES and the school and in an effort to get a better understanding of it he came home and did some 'googling' on the SES and found this
messageboard. He was very, very distressed, disturbed, angry and shocked by the allegations made against his teachers, past and present.

When St James Boys School came to Twickenham it attracted local parents who were looking for a well disciplined, good academic education for their sons. Boys who were less able or who had special educational needs were not discouraged from attending this school, unlike some of the other fiercely academic independent schools in the area. The school has grown considerably during its time in Twickenham and many of the youngsters now attending have not come up the ranks from St James Junior schools and their parents have no connection to the SES and probably in many cases, have little or no knowledge of the SES. In 2004, vegetarianism, meditation, eastern philosophy and all things vedic albeit not mainstream, do not seem out of place in the way they would have, say, 20 years ago. In public, the good, polite behaviour of St James' boys enhances the school's reputation among the residents of Twickenham.

Do the boys at St James know of the existence of this messageboard? Not in the experience of my son. Some may, but as I write, it certainly is not generally being talked about. When the contents of this messageboard become public knowledge, as I have no doubt they will in the near future, I hope that the fallout will be handled in such a way as to minimise the impact on the boys, particularly those who are probably feeling the pressure of public exams and that the school authorities can maintain the morale of both teachers and boys. Whatever the relationship between the individual child and his teacher, all the issues around corporal punishment are thankfully completely unknown to this generation of St James children.

To those who have told their harrowing stories on this board, I acknowledge and honour the emotional pain you are feeling. I hope you find from the school authories what you want and need to express your sad and angry feelings and that you find in your hearts the strength to forgive those who have hurt you. As adults, whether as parents, teachers or carers, we have a duty not to harm the very precious children who come into our care. When we do, we must expect to answer for our transgressions.

Tom Grubb
Posts: 380
Joined: Tue Feb 17, 2004 10:23 pm
Location: London

Postby Tom Grubb » Tue Nov 16, 2004 9:44 am

Current Parent,

I am not at all surprised at the reaction of your son to some of the things he has read on this messageboard. I am delighted that he has a "lively enquiring mind" and I hope that he will now use that mind to enquire further into the veracity of the allegations on this forum. I hope you and other parents will do the same. Why not ask the accused teachers directly? Why not ask the headmaster? Why not ask the governors? I would be very interested in their reaction.

The plain fact is that, during much of the 70s and 80s, there was a systematic campaign of child abuse at SES-run schools. There is massive evidence to support this! Unfortunately, rather than dealing with this long, long ago, the SES has chosen to sweep it under the carpet. That is why this ever-growing forum exists. We are trying to tell the truth that the SES seems too frightened to tell.

The current St James may have a reputation for producing well-disciplined, polite young men. Please appreciate that this is of little comfort to the hundreds of men and women who suffered brutal physical and emotional abuse at SES-run schools. Some of this abuse was perpetrated by teachers still working at the current St James.

At the same time that this abuse was occurring, its victims were being told on a daily basis that the SES 'philosophy' that was being rammed down their throats represented the 'Truth'. Does it not seem strange to you that the SES now seem so intent on covering up the plain truth of what happened at their schools? Yes, of course you and your son should be angry about this forum. You should be angry that the school has placed him in the care of people accused of child abuse.

Best wishes,

Tom


CurrentParent@StJamesBoys wrote:I am the parent of a boy who is currently at St James School for Boys. My son is a bright young lad with a lively enquiring mind. Just recently, he had been discussing with some school friends the relationship between the SES and the school and in an effort to get a better understanding of it he came home and did some 'googling' on the SES and found this
messageboard. He was very, very distressed, disturbed, angry and shocked by the allegations made against his teachers, past and present.

When St James Boys School came to Twickenham it attracted local parents who were looking for a well disciplined, good academic education for their sons. Boys who were less able or who had special educational needs were not discouraged from attending this school, unlike some of the other fiercely academic independent schools in the area. The school has grown considerably during its time in Twickenham and many of the youngsters now attending have not come up the ranks from St James Junior schools and their parents have no connection to the SES and probably in many cases, have little or no knowledge of the SES. In 2004, vegetarianism, meditation, eastern philosophy and all things vedic albeit not mainstream, do not seem out of place in the way they would have, say, 20 years ago. In public, the good, polite behaviour of St James' boys enhances the school's reputation among the residents of Twickenham.

Do the boys at St James know of the existence of this messageboard? Not in the experience of my son. Some may, but as I write, it certainly is not generally being talked about. When the contents of this messageboard become public knowledge, as I have no doubt they will in the near future, I hope that the fallout will be handled in such a way as to minimise the impact on the boys, particularly those who are probably feeling the pressure of public exams and that the school authorities can maintain the morale of both teachers and boys. Whatever the relationship between the individual child and his teacher, all the issues around corporal punishment are thankfully completely unknown to this generation of St James children.

To those who have told their harrowing stories on this board, I acknowledge and honour the emotional pain you are feeling. I hope you find from the school authories what you want and need to express your sad and angry feelings and that you find in your hearts the strength to forgive those who have hurt you. As adults, whether as parents, teachers or carers, we have a duty not to harm the very precious children who come into our care. When we do, we must expect to answer for our transgressions.

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a different guest
Posts: 620
Joined: Mon Mar 29, 2004 12:13 am
Location: Australia

Postby a different guest » Tue Nov 16, 2004 10:05 am

Dear current parent

So your son was not aware of this board until he wanted to explore the link between the SES and his school?

Think about the following.

Students were certainly aware about this board - they received an email about it. But which students? Perhaps only those whose families are SES? What does that imply to you?

At what age did your son realise there was a link between the SES and the school? Were YOU aware of this link?

What do you know about the SES and their core beleifs?

Consider that the SES's core beliefs led them to systematically abuse children in the 70s and 80s. I am NOT talking mere corporal punishment - I am talking pyshical and emotional ABUSE! What are the SES's core beleifs now - how have they changed and if so, why have they been modified? How deep do the changes go?

Why are at least 2 teachers much implicated in this abuse scandal STILL teaching?

What sort of education is your child really getting? How useful is sanskrit? Why can't they study geography? What is so bad about Beethoven? What are they taught about gender roles? What is so wrong with Coldplay?


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