Nicola films class after her parents snap over report

Mar 29 2007 By John Rowbotham

A TEENAGER car peted by her parents for  poor maths results used  a mobile phone to film the class she was in.

John Ogilvie pupil  Nicola McPherson  wanted to prove that she  was being insufficiently challenged during lessons.

The 16-year-old, from  Little Earnock, twice  this month made short  videos of pupils in the  Intermediate 2 maths  class.

The film shows pupils  sitting on desks chatting while a teacher taps  away at a computer.

A boy is also seen making a rude sign at  the camera, and another  is dancing.

And in other footage,  there is a teenager with  a post-it note stuck to  his forehead playing a  `who am I’ game with  pals.

South Lanarkshire  Council this week in sisted that the films  “may not be a fair reflection on what takes place in the class over five 50  minute lessons a  week”.

Filming other children and their teacher  was unacceptable and  an infringement of their  rights, they add.

But Nicola’s father,  gas engineer Alan  McPherson, defended  his daughter’s actions.

He said: “Earlier this  month she came home  with a report card which  contained quite a few  negative comments.

“She passed Standard  Grade maths with a  good mark but seemed  to be going backwards.

“I had a go at her and  told her that she needed  to pull up her socks.

“A few days later I  discovered that she had  been withdrawn from  the Intermediate 2  maths exam, which  made me more angry be cause she wants to be a  PE teacher and maths is  one of the qualifications  she is likely to need .”

Mr McPherson (41),  who also has a  14-year-old son at the  school, added: “Nicola  showed me a film taken  in the class in early  March.

“I was surprised be cause the kids didn’t seem to be doing any thing and I asked her to  shoot another film.

“Having viewed both  pieces of footage, I would certainly say that  they warrant an inquiry  by the council into the  way maths is taught at  John Ogilvie.”

Nicola said: “I just didn’t understand the explanations given for  some of the work.

“On some occasions we didn’t get the  amount of work we  should have done.

“And during one peri od earlier this month,  three teachers were in  the class chatting around the computer for  most of the lesson. I  didn’t have any work  and we were just sitting  around chatting.

“On another occasion this month, we had  notes to copy from the  board, but you couldn’t  read them and everyone  ended up sitting chat ting about pubs and res taurants in Hamilton.”

Mr McPherson and  his wife, Rosaleen, have  complained to the school about the decision to  withdraw her from the  maths exam.

They have spoken to the head teacher Anne  Marie Fagan, but Mr McPherson said that in terview ended abruptly  when he asked if the  exchange could be recorded.
John Ogilvie was last  inspected in Novem ber,2005, and at that  time had a roll of 911.

In a report of the in spection, printed in  March, 2006, the school  was judged ‘good’, ‘very  good’ or ‘excellent’ in 15  of the 19 indicators used  to measure the performance.

Inspectors found that “in almost all maths  classes, pupils were well behaved and worked on  tasks set”.

But the inspectors noted that pupils’ per formance at Higher  maths was below or well  below national averages in most years.

Performance at Inter mediate 2 maths had  been declining in recent  years and was now well  below national aver ages.

A spokesman for the  council said: “The school  are fully committed to  supporting all pupils  with their course work  and parents should  raise any concerns they  may have about  achievement and at tainment with the head  teacher.

“We have not had the  opportunity to view the  footage, however, it is  our understanding that  the clip lasts two minutes and may not be  a fair reflection on what  takes place in the class  over five 50 minute les sons a week.

“We would also have  to say filming other children and their teacher is  unacceptable and an in fringement of their rights.

“Our policy is that mobile telephones should  not be switched on or used in classrooms. We  have a duty to protect children and staff.”