New Portobello High School - PPAG Judicial Review

[seanie]

I was party to a conversation after the PCC AGM and TalkPorty was mentioned several times, and not in a good way.

One person said they were horrified at the comments made on it...

...then confessed they never looked at TalkPorty themsleves.

[Porty]

Maybe Keir Hardie has been keeping them informed?

[Pal of Porty]

Generally speaking, the accusations of bullying come from those whom have no facts or credibility to support their argument and they have to resort to general issues away from the relevant points of the discussion.

[gillian]

Ah, so Lashylass may be a man. How cool is that? Whatever flies your kite I always say.

[Porty]

Talks shite - that's the only thing we can be sure of.

[gillian]

That may be the case Porty but he/she is very cunning, tricking us all like that!, Wee minx.

[Epykat]

Talks shite - that's the only thing we can be sure of.

Defo a man then.

[gillian]

Haha!
Epykat, fair play to you, you're good

[Puerto bella]

In my mind Lashylass now appears like Boab Coyle's dad in Granton Star Cause/ Acid House. If you've seen it or read it - you'll catch my drift......'oh Doreen, ave no been seeing that Anna Ford'.

[Bob Jefferson]

Well you certainly seem to have frightened her/him away, you bullies! For the record, my name is Bob Jefferson and I'm all in favour of people posting under their real names. In fact, if I ever moderated a discussion forum again (please God, don't make me do it) I would insist upon it.

[Porty]

Knowing what I know now, I would have to agree Bob, especially in a "High Street" or community forum like Talkporty. Suzanne's Facebook pages proves it works.

Yesterday was my 8th TP birthday. Prior to joining I had been a frequent poster on a global Springsteen forum and that was my only experience. I called myself Porty there and kept the name and the same avatar when I came here. (I used the name PORTY because it was the chant we used to warm up prior to taking field at rugby). I didn't choose a name to be anonymous, I simply thought that's what one did.

It was all a bit of fun and over time most of the regulars got to know each other in real life or like Epykat who revealed herself on day on the high Street. (we used to have a name for this reveal but it escapes me).

Then the school debate came along and things got serious and PCC got dragged into it. At that point I asked the Mods if I could also register under my own name so that I could be transparent in the schools debate. I was prompted by something Brenda Molony said to me about anonymous abuse. She levelled the accusation at me, which I thought was odd, given she knew who I was!!

Looking back I should have just changed my Porty to Stevie Mac. If we all used our own names, this would be a better place. Although It would not protect TP from multiple ID abuse we've seen in the past and which is probably still going on.

[Puerto bella]

Spladoosh was the phrase.
I think we should all change to our own names.

[Puerto bella]

I cant readily see how I would though.

[Puerto bella]

I think what the Facebook group for Portobello High Street shows is that 320 people can be brought into a discussion within seconds to gain a spread of views; people want to engage in community issues but have moved with the times and like social media not sitting in a church hall for 2.5 - 3 hrs once a month listening to waffle, without moderation and instruction people engage positively and with respect to each other, we are not a split community or in crisis or whatever as the headline of the Porty Reporter would have you believe.

[Maria]

Way back at the start of POL I was originally registered as Maria, but then messed up my password and had to re-register. I couldn't use Maria, so simply changed the spelling to reflect how my father pronounced my name. I wasn't trying to conceal my identity.

It is difficult to see how you could verify an online poster's ID though.
For example, I recently defriended someone on my Facebook page, when I realised that it was simply someone assuming my friend's ID and wasn't really her. The same problem with false identities occurs on Twitter.

[Porty]

I think what the Facebook group for Portobello High Street shows is that 320 people can be brought into a discussion within seconds to gain a spread of views; people want to engage in community issues but have moved with the times and like social media not sitting in a church hall for 2.5 - 3 hrs once a month listening to waffle, without moderation and instruction people engage positively and with respect to each other, we are not a split community or in crisis or whatever as the headline of the Porty Reporter would have you believe.

Well said.

[Sceptic]

One has to remember the make up of the Community Council. It is not a group of people whose prime interest is Portobello, it is a collection of people representing self interest groups. Residents' Associations etc.
Their prime interest can be a "NIMBY", simple because, even though something is for the good of Portobello, it is detrimental to their particular area. Perhaps the Constitution should be changed, where the people of Portobello vote DIRECTLY for their Community Council. As it stands, members of the CC are responsible only to the group they represent, not to Portobello in general.

[Mark Cameron]

There are elections where the Porty public can vote. Unfortunately due to the local elections this year they've been postponed until next August (or maybe September).

I too can't see how to change my user name to my own name. Wangi is it possible?

[Bob Jefferson]

I think wangi may be currently indisposed. From recollection, I think the forum is set up so that you can't change your username without re-registering. So one option would be to re-register under your real name, though you may have to use a different email address to do so. Or you could use your signature line to display your real name. Or, we could just start a new thread in which everyone posts their username and their real name. I think posting under your real name, or declaring it in some way, is a very Positive Porty thing to do.

[eaveyard]

Is that the best you can do? criticise her spelling.
The bullies are at it again.
What do you think Mrs McArthur would think of such behaviour. Then again discipline is on the decline at PHS.
She regularly trawls these pages apparently, must have nothing better to do.

Despite speaking out many times in face-to-face forums about the school issue I've not been tempted to engage online to date. I just can't let this go though. Peigi McArthur is a fantastic and dedicated head teacher and we're lucky to have her. It can't be easy for her to have to navigate all this on top of running a big school in a difficult building and it is completely unfair to trash her professionally in this way. If you want to find out more about how she runs the school come along to one of the Parent Council meetings and hear her in action. You can then ask about issues such as discipline and how it's tackled in addition to hearing about other areas she manages.
Emma Wood

[gillian]

Emma, you are right of course. Look back at some of Betty's other posts though and you will see that no one really takes her seriously, well I don't anyway. The people who know and who matter know what sort of headteacher Peigi is.
Gilli

[Pal of Porty]

I did not think it even merited a response so I decided not to comment.

[eaveyard]

Thanks - and to you Gilli. As we don't know who reads these posts I think it's useful to have this clearly stated!

[tufty]

Betty Windsor wrote:

Is that the best you can do? criticise her spelling.
The bullies are at it again.
What do you think Mrs McArthur would think of such behaviour. Then again discipline is on the decline at PHS.
She regularly trawls these pages apparently, must have nothing better to do.

I have left replies on Evening News stories, to be heavily criticised about grammar and spelling by a PPAG supporter, -bullying from their ranks.

I have three children at Portobello, my oldest achieving very high grades and my younger ones secure and settled. They do complain about behaviour at times, but as a teacher I rate this as normal and no more than at any other school. They never complain about the way behaviour is handled.
They do however complain more about the building, having to walk down stairs to then return up another set of stairs to higher floors. The one way system is for their own safety due to the high volume of students, but it takes time away from class, puts them outside in the cold weather and can be onerous when they are carrying heavy bags.
In short in the five years I have direct experience of Portobello the complaints I have from my children are mostly about the cold, the wind, the noise from the weather in higher floors, the toilets, the lack of gas in the bunsen burners, the stair crush, the stairs, the lack of IT, not having somewhere nice for lunch and having to go on the bus to PE.

I am very glad my children are being taught by the staff at Porty, but I wish they could go to a state of the art school, instead of an overcrowded old tower block, with outdated facilities and crumbling structure.

I have to add I really don't want any more of my council tax going to fix something that shouldn't be in use.

[Porty]

I think it is pitiful Peigi's professionalism is being doubted and aspersions cast on school discipline. PHS punches above its weight in so many areas and its largely down to the team at the helm, led by Peigi. It is said to be the last truly comprehensive secondary in the city, which must be huge challenge to manage. And she has the skill set for the job.

Although I left School 35 years ago, I have had a close encounter with Peigi's disciplinary technique. A well known PPAGer reported "me" to the head teacher for comments made by a poster in the EN- wanted her to have a word. I had not long turned 50 but being collared by the headie still resonates.

[seanie]

The battle over our communal spaces

 I was interested to read in your special report on open spaces about the battles over common-good land in Scotland and, in particular, Edinburgh. Another common-good debacle currently playing out is the City of Edinburgh council's attempt to build on Portobello Park, which is also common-good land. As with Princes Mall and Inverleith Park, the council initially denied that Portobello Park was common-good land, until campaigners trying to save the park from development produced a legal opinion from an eminent QC, and also the deed for the sale of the park to the council back in 1898, that clearly showed the park was common-good land.

The council gave itself planning permission to build a school on this park, a decision that has not been subjected to any higher scrutiny, despite the fact that it stands to make £3.9m from the sale of the current school site. The council's right, or otherwise, to use common-good land in this way is currently being contested through the courts and the judgment will have an impact on common-good land throughout Scotland. If the City of Edinburgh council prevails, we are going to see a lot more common-good assets being appropriated and citizens will have no redress against these decisions.
Diana Cairns
Edinburgh

[Porty]

Its sad to see.

[seanie]

Save Porty Park says;

Many of you will have already heard but, for those who haven't, the good news is that the Transport, Infrastructure and Environment committee unanimously agreed to nominate Portobello Golf Course as a Diamond Jubilee Field to Fields in Trust. This is not the end of the process but a good start and the first indication by the council that they have apparently decided not to pursue their plans, announced in 2006, to build on the whole area of the park and GC.

Maureen Child in her newsletter said: "I hope this goes some way to allaying the persistent fears and claims of a few people in our community that the Council's intention is to build on the whole green 'Common Good' area, and not just the School."

She is mistaken if she thinks these were the fears of just a few people; many people, including those who support the school being built on the Park, were concerned about the future of the GC. A few words to indicate that there was absolutely no intention of building on the GC several years ago would have put people's minds at rest.

The first indication that the council weren't pursuing plans to build on the golf course?

A few words several years ago would've put people's minds at rest?

Whilst the possibility of development to part fund the school(s) was briefly floated, it was never adopted as Council policy and was quickly abandoned as an idea, before the 2006 site consultation even began. At the 21st December 2006 meeting of the full council, the report that was presented confirmed the following.

7.2 Much of the debate during the consultation has arisen regarding concern that the open space at Portobello Park and/or Portobello Golf Course would be sold for housing development to assist funding of the two schools. However, it was stated during the public meetings that there is no intention to do so, and this stance is reconfirmed in this report.

And, when it came to the vote, the full council voted unanimously for a motion explicitly giving the assurance "that no housing would be built on the remaining green space of Portobello Park/golf course."

Whilst no doubt people have continued to harbour fears about such development, that's not down to the Council failing to make anything clear. Rather it's down to PPAG lying to people about the Council's 'secret plans' for the last 6 years.

[Porty]

NEW SCHOOL
I have kept you up-to-date with developments as regards the new school planned for
Portobello High School. At present petitioners have appealed against Lady Dorian’s
judgement as released in April 2012. We await, with tested patience, the ruling of the
appeal heard by the panel of judges.

Tested patience indeed.

[Scoop]

NEW SCHOOL
I have kept you up-to-date with developments as regards the new school planned for
Portobello High School. At present petitioners have appealed against Lady Dorian’s
judgement as released in April 2012. We await, with tested patience, the ruling of the
appeal heard by the panel of judges.

Now I know it really shouldn't matter, but it's a bit slack not to get the name right. It's 'Dorrian'. Not 'Dorian'. It's a matter of r's.

[regent]

R's ..............!

[Puerto bella]

lol - Bob'll be looooooosing the plot

[regent]

Loose r's ......even!

[regent]

Bob will be pleased the spell checker ruined that. Should have read ....... Looooooose r's ...... Even

[Bob Jefferson]

Ah yes, the notorious DVD's apostrophe.

The Commie has a huge information board full of interesting facts about the history of the swimming pool and its refurbishment, which must have cost a considerable sum of money to produce. Have a look at it next time you are there and see if you can spot the schoolboy error.