RAG. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Fails.

Being on the RED cohort, as I have been since this ridiculous system was installed in school, I have been to most of the revision sessions there is science, art e.t.c. I appreciate that school are willing to help the ‘underachievers’ and so I attend all of the sessions that they want me to, or should I say the system dictates I must. However when I attend these sessions I find regularly that they are of little or of no use to me for one reason in particular. Multi-ability classes. When I have to sit there watching the hands on the clock move slower than traffic on a Friday listening to the teacher explain to the class things that are not relevant to my education I get slightly ticked off. I’m not slagging the people in the lower ability groups, I myself have many friends who are in the ‘B’ band, I’m just saying that when they’re not even sitting the same paper let alone tier as me it seems a bit pointless to mash us all together. The same applies with my lessons for several of my options. Being told by a teacher that we have to answer a set of questions. Fine. Being told by a teacher that we have to answer a set of a questions and then being forced to listen as she answers every single one. Humiliating. Patronising. Stupid.
I had a meeting the other week with a member of the Upper School Office team, a nice lady, she, like many others before her said the same thing to me. She wasn’t worried about me. Some people would take this as an insult but I fully understood what she meant. Unlike many of the people she had been meeting with my target grades were not below C, they were actually quite high.
Another incident occurred the other day as well. Whilst in a class of some of the brightest students in the year the teacher made the comment that ‘I don’t think that anyone in here would be underachieving in 5 or more subjects’ or something to that affect. Raises Hand.

Let’s break it down:
RED: 6 subjects
Amber: 4 subjects
Green: 1 subject.

To me this means that not only do I have to attend after school, I will not be allowed study leave this year. This apparently worked with excellent results last year. Having never talked to a Sixth Former who this applied to I can’t say whether it did or didn’t work, but it’s a bit late to start worrying about that. To become a member of the Amber cohort I would have to, in total, increase my grades by 9 grades i.e. to go from RED to AMBER in art I would have to move up from a B to an A which classes as an increase of 1 grade. Add it up across the board makes 9 grades like I said. In two months???? Not going to happen.Now even more ridiculous is the increase to go from RED to GREEN which totals up to be 19 grades altogether, I’m not even going to try. Why bother? For me I am pleased with my grades & consequently ignore the RAG system where possible, my parents are pleased with my grades and have told me that they are proud of me and that I shouldn’t let it bother me. I try not to. Everyone knows whether you have or haven’t been in year 11 that it is a time when immense pressure is placed on students. Imagine (or remember that). Now imagine (or remember) that with the fact hanging over your shoulders that you are UNDERACHIEVING and because you are UNDERACHIEVING you shall not receive not study leave, you, because you are UNDERACHIEVING shall attend revision sessions. Also as it has been hinted because you are UNDERACHIEVING you may not be allowed to attend the prom. Hell why not give me a RED armband and make me eat with people of the same cohort.


I'm passive, I don't get angry unless someone really annoys me.


For anyone else who is one RED these might come in handy:

Childline: 0800 11 11

The Market Place: 0113 2461659


If you can't remember then they're in the whit pages of your planner under the heading 'Useful Numbers & Sources Of Support'. I wonder why school felt that we would need these?

Random collection of unrelated topics

It lacks the imaginative title of many of my previous articles, but in this instance, I feel the title is apt. This is nothing more than a random collection of unrelated topics. Starting with a rather ironic quote from a certain English Teacher (whom teaches both GCSE and A-level classes, as we are aware) - apparently, it should be "more wider". Rather poor grasp of the language from a teacher of the subject, is it not? And worse still, she didn't even attempt to correct herself. Did she not register her own mistake? That's even worse for a teacher. But all in all, it created a semi-humorous talking point for the next few minutes, so all is forgiven. We're not so mean after all, are we?

Moving on to a Year 11 History lesson, Templar Truths is aware that a torrent of racist abuse was hurled back and forth today - though neither of the "Jews" as they referred to each other were Jewish. As far as we know. It certainly wasn't meant in a joking manner, so besides the fact the two involved need to work on their insults, the other major matter at hand was precisely why the teacher of this lesson took such a long time to intervene. Is the school publically condoning racism now? Perhaps, perhaps not. It's not our place to say. But maybe we'll consider this for next week's poll?

And in a final topic, a certain Mathematics teacher has recently launched into multiple monologues on how the blog - yes, gasp, teachers have found out about us - is always so negative. So as a personal favour, we've seen fit to be a little more constructive in our next article about them. But since we have little to blog about on this occasion, let's just discuss the new stamp in the Maths department. It's... nice. Certainly the new Pi-shaped stamp is a lot more appropriate than the previous, dull as dishwater 'X' that would emblazon every planner it touched. However, we can't let the teacher in question got away scott-free. It has to be said that the new stamp has a much greater surface area (something they should know a lot about given their profession), and so it wastes more ink. But then again, the previous stamp wasted huge areas of blank space, meaning the excess ink was thrown away. I guess it's a no win situation. Prizes for anyone who can calculate which is more wasteful. Joking aside, yes, it is (as close as we'll find to) an improvement. So there you have it - we're not so cruel after all, are we?

And that's pretty much it. English errors, racism and maths stamps. Interesting, aren't they?


[Thanks to Atomfox for correcting a spelling mistake.]

The recession of currency.

Thanks to our sources behind the PD store, we at Templar Truths now know the lay down for the school PD store. Information the school is still yet to publish.

Well to start with, the school are taking a leaf out of the Dark Ages book and the currency for the PD store is going to be pigs. And the exchange between credit to pig is 50:1. Also these pigs are not reusable. So the average student is expected to get about 2 to 3 pigs a school year.

But what will the store be selling? Unfortunately, it is craptastic things this stationary we hoped wouldn't happen. However as it turns out, you can put all your pigs in one basket as the phrase goes in Temple Moor. If you're feeling lucky. You can be just like the other 250 students in your year and use your pigs to enter a raffle were you can win an Apple iPod. The amount of iPods that are going to be raffled is unknown at the moment. However knowing our school, expect a grand total of one. Also I bet we'll see some sort of additional fee when entering the raffle. £5, £10 maybe?

The store will be open on the last week of school after school. Probably because the school feel it might "disrupt" lesson times if it was at break or lunch. Regardless, with it's poor start to the school year so far, expect this, like all other Temple Moor projects, to go tits up.


In other news, it was Year 11 parents evening earlier tonight. Expect more on that tomorrow after we get a wide spread (and frankly one sided) opinion.

Aim Higher and more RAG

As my first post on here for a while (well, since Halo 3 came out), I'll be discussing, or better to put it, ranting about the "Aim Higher" system implemented by the schools fascist administration. The idea behind Aim Higher is to bludger students with hour after hour of "optional" school work. I put the word "optional" in quote tags because that's how these lessons are advertised across, the reality being much more different - or so it seems to us. Other lessons include staying over during the holidays which could be better spent trying to eat broken glass rather than doing coursework.
As another Templar put it, the school is not trying to teach us, but make us into exam monkeys.

Second of all, there is a new development with the RAG system that has been discussed more than once here before. The school administration has taken a leaf out of Nazi German's "Buch" and is now labeling all pupils by colour. You guessed it. Red, amber and Green. Pupils will be awarded Green if they're on target over all. Amber if they are under achieving in some areas, and Red if they are doing not as expected. Of course, the school's first choice of punishment would be firing squad, but when the school found out that was now illegal, instead pupils under achieving wont get any study leaves instead.

How do you feel about either of the new "punishments" the school's implemented? Post a comment or sign up and make your own posts.

For the love of... ART?!

Another failing has reached my attention - mainly since I was stuck in the thick of it, just days ago. Art teachers, hardly surprising but worth mentioning, are idiots. The lot of them. Hell, I bet they don't even know the first thing about the subject.

It's like the old saying - "If you can't do anything else, teach. If you can't do that, teach P.E. And if you can't cope with that either, teach Art."

Due to some tool screwing up the timetabling, Year 11s have been forced to switch to a whole new Art teacher mid-way through a GCSE COURSE! How badly is that going to affect their grades?

From the evidence, VERY badly. Hardly anyone in this particular art glass is anywhere near a pass grade yet. Most are hovering around E/F/G grades. And when I say hardly anyone, that is no exaggeration. It is the majority of the class.

Granted, our new Art teacher couldn't really have done anything about our previous teacher's failings at her job. To be frank, she was useless in every meaning of the word. She broke people's art projects, took time off for illnesses which, as it appeared, didn't affect her a great deal (she came into school many days to "catch up with things", and she looked fine. But she insisted she couldn't teach us and apologized in the most shockingly un-meaningful way I have ever known.) and generally didn't know a great deal about Art in itself, or what our GCSE course entailed. Half the stuff which we allegedly "should've done" last year in Art wasn't even set for us at the time, which has played a major part in dragging everyone down.

But the new teacher isn't much better either. Only now, in October of our final year, just weeks away from our mock exams and a few months from our real exams, does she tell us how far behind we are. Why did she not tell us from what she could see of our previous work with our previous teacher? Because she doesn't have a clue what we did with our previous bloody teacher! So now, with barely time to turn things around, she tells us, and me specifically, that we're doing horribly. Nice timing.

What angered me even more, is that after taking in our sketchbooks, she clearly didn't look at them before compiling these reports on our progress. Half the stuff she claims I haven't done, I have - it's all in my book, not hard to find if you opened the damn thing.

I, personally, am taking a great deal of GCSEs. Far more than the majority of students. Since Year 10, I have worked toward the goal of passing each and every one of them. Being told that you've fallen behind almost irreperably given the time left is one f*cking huge blow.

Art teachers are idiots. They have failed their students. They have failed at their craft. I hate them all.

Who needs Nazi containment cells? We have Maths rooms.

The title should summarise this fairly well. Basically, this refers to several of our Maths rooms, including my own. As if the small windows, that are placed to high too comfortably see out of without being stood, didn't create enough of a prison-like atmosphere, the windows in the doors of Maths rooms are now being covered over with card or paper - completely cutting us off from the outside world. Every lesson in that room feels like I'm in a jail cell - and with a plateful of Algebra, fractions, and theorems sat before you, it doesn't get much more hellish.

But not only does it make you feel cut off, it also has very impractical implications. Our Mathematics teacher has claimed in the past not to just walk in without being asked, and has yelled at us many a time for it. But on many other occasions, he has asked us why we were waiting outside, and yelled at us for this too. So which does he want? I don't think even the Führer-esque teacher knows.

With the window now covered off, we cannot see if he or anyone else is in the room, and therefore are never sure which action to take. When we questionned why there was paper over the window - he yelled. Surprise Surprise.

And, if you need more reasons, how about that it's a severe fire and emergency hazard? Ah, Temple Moor stupidity never ceases to amaze.

First assembly of the year

With a new school year, teachers try to treat us students to a mildly entertaining assembly apposed to the usual drabble. However it is just as entertaining as trainspotting (forget Ewan Mcgregor and think Pete Waterman). But the first assembly always has some hidden moral behind it that will guide students through this year of the schools never ending cycle of mental torture. For year 11, the hidden message was Jane Tomlinson died, so work hard. Well that is how it looked to me.

Also the new school production, Little shop of horrors, is under way and casting is taking place as we speak. Unlike most things on this blog, we are backing this play as the production team is mainly students and not the fascist administration we are against. Unless the production ends up being crap, then expect the longest account on this blog to date.

How fast?

As everyone will know, the school is undergoing construction work. What some people wont know is, nine weeks ago a school in a town called "Toll Bar" was flooded and the school today isn't fit for education. However the pupils of that school now learn in a new school built over the nine weeks the other school has been drying off. Now what I don't understand is, it takes those builders to build a whole primary in nine weeks, yet all our builders have managed to accomplish is gas us all, knock down two parts of the school and then set up two huge metal frames with a ridiculously high crane in about nine months. Our builders must really be crap.

Seating plans

New School year, same old lessons, even same old classrooms and teachers, but for some reason we always end up with seating plans. Despite previous attempts to seat people in the sitting equivalent of Wengjiagang, teachers still try to irate us with what they will no doubt call; "Seating plan v2.0". To heighten agitation even more, most people are sat in the same seats as the previous plan anyway and the previous 10 minutes were for nothing.

Lightwater Shithole

Before I get any bad comments. I know Lightwater Valley isn't a Shithole, its just a funny name.
I will be talking about some of the rides in this entry.

The Eagles Claw
What it's about: Basically, the lovely scientists down at LWV (Lightwater valley for short) decided to make a ride that pisses people off. It goes like this: You get it, sit down, then you get swung around in the air that much that you don't have a flying fuck what the Mary has just happened.
Pros: Good for scaring your best friend or making someone be sick.
Cons: Chance of being sick or scared.

The Ultimate
What it's about: A fighting game in the form of a Rollacoaster. As well as playing the Mortal Combat Theme Tune in the waiting area, The Ultimate knocks seven bells out of you on the way though. If it isn't the bumps or the sudden turns that hurt you, its the cock handled Safety devices and seats.
Pros: First half is fun and the last half is fast.
Cons: First half is slow and the last half can kill you.

The Decapitator
What it's about: While riding across a track thinner than Posh Spice, you go up and down and spin around in your cart.
Pros: The Fact people have died in it is very cool.
Cons: The Fact that you can die isn't very cool.
Notes: It isn't really called the Decapitator, but I think we all know why it is.

The Rat Ride (or Rat Race)
What it's about: Apart from having two names, the Rat Ride is an underground (well in a dark building anyway) ride, Identical to it's above ground sister; the Grizzly Bear, is a basic but fun ride in the dark. After entering through tunnels that resemble a Latvian Villa, you then get to get in you rat and ride around in the dark. For all you know, a 46 year old man, could be raping a 3 year old boy and you wouldn't even tell.
Pros: Fun ride and in the dark.
Cons: Chance of Minimum wage LWV Worker leaving some lights on somewhere.

The Wave (Aka, the Pirate Ship (even though its a Viking ship))
What it's about: A long sea trip, boat simulator to make you throw up after the 3rd ride.
Pros: You get to go high in the air.
Cons: Very very very very Anti Climactic.

The Falls of Terror
What it's about: A Pleasant Boat Ride.
Pros: You get Wet and Tube 3 is fun.
Cons: You get Wet and Tube 1 and 2 are shit.

The Caterpillar ride
What it's about: Go really really really fast in an awesome cart while shooting zombies.
Pros: Go Really Really fast in an awesome cart while shooting zombies.
Cons: I just Lied.

Go Carts
What it's about: Drive around a small track 5 times *gasp*
Pros: You get to live those dreams of driving fast cars.
Cons: No matter how much you impress those LWV staff, they still hate your guts and you won't become a Formula 1 race car driver.

There are more rides but I can't be bothered commenting.

Well I had a nice day of LWV, Hope you had a good one too (unless you didn't go).