LEEDS NASUWT

241 Leeds Road Rothwell Leeds LS26 0GR

Telephone Number: 0113 201 4281 Fax Number: 0113 201 4289

Email:

NEWSLETTER 334FEBRUARY 2009

SPONSORED TO DEATH

If there’s one issue that unites all teaching and support staff unions it is the systematic break-up of the state education system.

And it is not just the unions that are concerned of course but also the local communities who do not wish for their school to be handed over to unelected and unaccountable sponsors, whether well-meaning or not. There are no ballots of local people and consultation seems to be tokenism at best, yet shouldn’t council taxpayers have a say in the giving away of their local school buildings and land to sponsors not accountable to the ballot box?

Many of you will have read the press reports, some of which have been confirmed by Education Leeds and others where details are a little more sketchy.

Let’s look at where we might be in the very near future should the emerging picture reveal itself as reality.

There would be 6Academies:DavidYoung, Intake, South Leeds, Primrose, City of Leeds, and Parklands Girls. 30Schools would be involved in Trusts: Boston Spa, Wetherby High, Royds, Bruntcliffe, TempleMoor, Woodkirk, MorleyHigh, Gildersome, East Ardsley, Victoria, Hilltop, Westerton, Blackgates, Churwell, Newlands, West Oaks, Austhorpe, Meadowfield,GarforthCommunity College, Strawberry Fields, Ninelands, East Garforth, Green Lane, Prince Henrys, Adel, Ashfield, Bramhope, Whartons, Westgate, Crawshaw.

All these schools, should it pan out this way, would no longer be a part of the Leeds local authority and so as Leeds’ taxpayers you will lose what control or influence you previously had as all this transfers to the sponsors.

Shouldn’t you know about this if it is going to happen? Shouldn’t you have a say? Shouldn’t you care if you work at one of these schools and your employer will change from the City Council to being employed by the sponsor (whether you like it or not)? You will no longer be a City Council employee working within the framework and strategic overview of a local authority; the second largest education authority in the country.

What is alarming the members who contact the office is that they often don’t know what is happening in their own schools. If there was not a problem with taking this road, why then do schools keep information from staff until the last minute?

Education Leeds Chief Executive, ChrisEdwards, has already been quoted as saying; ”Someone, somewhere at DCSF thinks that the answer to life, the universe and everything is academies”. We share Chris’s take on this. We also know that schools are forging ahead with Trust status without the knowledge of the local authority or Education Leeds which is of great concern. Councillors are aware of the risks of going down that road - not least the issue of being forced to give away land and buildings currently owned by the taxpayers of Leeds. Public assets forcibly donated to private sponsors, contributing to the demise of the local authority as we know it.

Already we have examples of West Yorkshire school sponsors forming their own ‘LEA’, spreading their wings, looking to take over schools in Harrogate, Doncaster and Scarborough. The franchise model, like McDonalds or KFC, and at the same time pushing the local authority and thus local people into the background.

Local Authorities may never be the same again - they could die as providers of local services, elected and accountable. Replaced as commissioners of local services supporting private sponsors – who knows what their motives are in reality?

CALLING ALL CENTRALLY ATTACHED MEMBERS

In order to keep our Membership Records up-to-date, we would appreciate you making sure your membership details are correct, particularly if you are on Secondment, working in Central Services, working out of the Blenheim Centre, Elmete Professional Development Centre or Merrion House. Please indicate if you are on the Soulbury Pay Scale. Please ring the Leeds Office on 0113 2014281 or email us on .

QUIZ NIGHT

GENERAL MEETING

Wednesday 18 March

VictoriaHotel,Great George Street, Leeds

Meeting 6.15 - 7.15 p.m.

Quiz at 7.30 p.m. with drink, pie & peas supper included

Teams of 4 - to include 2 NASUWT members

Entry fee of £1 per person

Fabulous prizes for everyone

To register your team or for further information,

Please ring Cindy on0113 201 4281