THE LATEST NEWS AND INFORMATION ON ACADEMIES, FREE SCHOOLS AND PRIVATISATION ISSUES FROM THE NUT’S PRIVATISATION IN EDUCATION UNIT
NUMBER 11, JUNE 2011
ACADEMIES CAMPAIGNS
Academy campaign victories in Leicestershire, Islington and Cumbria
Due to the hard work of NUT school reps and the Divisional Secretary, Lutterworth College in Leicestershire will not be proceeding with the proposal to apply for academy status. The Head at the college said “Due to the concerns raised by staff and trade unions…the governors are aware that it is clear that they have not carried the arguments and will not be proceeding to academy status this term”. (NUT Leicestershire).
The NUT in Islington has also successfully battled off an academy threat at Poole’s Park primary school, despite the desire of the head teacher to convert. An NUT staff survey revealed that they were strongly against conversion, with 100 per cent of the NUT group voting in favour of a statement stating that: “It is fairer, more equitable and more accountable for schools to be connected to their local community through a local authority than be part of a private branded chain.”
NUT members campaigned alongside UNISON support staff members and received the backing of the Labour led Council. Council leader Catherine West spoke at a meeting of parents and the council’s provision of free school meals to its maintained schools proved a key argument against opting out. (NUT Islington).
A successful joint NUT/NASUWT campaign at Cockermouth secondary school, Cumbria, has resulted in governors voting 10-9 against converting to academy status. (Workington NUT)
Strikes against academy threat to pay and conditions
Staff at two Coventry schools took part in 48-hour strike action earlier this month over plans to turn their schools into academies. Coventry NUT said teachers were angry about the lack of consultation and the threat to their terms and conditions of employment. (BBC News 7.6.11)
A one day strike over academy conversion at Ilkeston School, Derbyshire also took place this month.
ACADEMIES
Academy Figures – June 2011
Forty six new academies opened in May bringing the total of open academies to 704 at 1June 2011.
NUT REGION / Old style sponsored secondary academies / New style - secondary / New style - primary / New style - total (inc others[1]) / Total openYorks/Midlands / 40 / 43 / 9 / 52 / 92
South West / 23 / 63 / 24 / 88 (+1) / 111
South East / 33 / 48 / 11 / 59 / 92
North West / 35 / 21 / 6 / 27 / 62
Northern / 17 / 12 / 4 / 17 (+1) / 34
Midlands / 34 / 27 / 11 / 38 / 72
London / 59 / 49 / 15 / 64 / 123
Eastern / 33 / 56 / 20 / 85 (+9) / 118
Total / 274 / 319 / 100 / 430 (+11) / 704
NOTE: In column ‘New style total (inc others)’ the ‘others’ include all age, all through and middle deemed secondary academy schools (DfE classification). At June 2011, all the 11 ‘others’ were middle deemed secondary academies.
New floor targets will create more academies
In a speech in Birmingham on 16 June Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove announced that Secondary schools in England are to be set new targets for at least half their pupils to gain five A*-C GCSE passes including English and maths by 2015. Those which fail to achieve the target could be taken over by a successful neighbouring academy. In 2010, 870 out of the 3,000 secondary schools in England fell below that benchmark. Gove added that the government would retain the "progress measure" element of the floor target. (BBC 16.6.11)
Council to foot bill for academy redundancies
Birmingham City Council could be forced to foot the bill for job cuts at schools switching to academies, the authority’s education chief has warned. The Birmingham Post says official documents show growing concern that schools considering academy status could force the council to bear the cost of any redundancies before leaving local authority control.
The move was branded “immoral” by Councillor Les Lawrence, cabinet member for children, young people and families, who said that at least one city school could leave the council with a redundancy bill before becoming an academy. (Birmingham Post 2.6.11)
Hidden academy cost - Capita stands to make millions!
Private Services Company Capita stands to make tens of millions of taxpayers’ money from the Coalition’s expansion of the academy programme, it has been claimed. Head teachers overseeing the transfer of their schools to academies are being slapped with bills-often of more than £20,000-to change the licence on their vital school information management systems (Sims). Capita’s contracts have previously been with local authorities rather than individual schools, but when a school opts out of local authority control they are forced to pay for an individual licence. Capita’s systems are used by more than than 20,000 schools across the country – nearly 80 per cent of the market. (TES 3/6/11).
Academies flouting admissions’ rules
A poll by the TES suggests that seven out of ten new academies are flouting admissions’ rules by failing to make clear how they allocate their places. Schools that act as their own admissions authorities, including academies, were legally required to publish their admissions arrangements on-line by 1May 2011. However a survey of websites of 200 new “converter” academies has revealed that 68 per cent have failed to post their draft arrangements by 2012.
Culture of excess at Outwood Grange
A financial audit by Wakefield Council has revealed a lack of financial control at Outwood Grange academy. According to the report, obtained under the freedom of information act, Michael Wilkins, who had been described by the Education Secretary as a “great school leader”, paid thousands of pounds raised for charity directly into the school’s account and also paid tens of thousands of pounds into his private company, signed off only by him and the chair of governors. Details of a rewards culture saw money lavished on alcohol, overseas trips and hotels for staff. The chief executive of Wakefield Council said that, “This report raises many serious issues about the use of public money…and for this reason we will be referring all relevant information to the Audit Commission, HM Revenue and Customs, Charities Commisssion, and other appropriate bodies for their consideration.”
Cash windfall for Norfolk academies
Three Norfolk academies are to share in a £340,000 funding boost from their county council sponsor. The ruling cabinet was due to discuss proposals to give the City Academy Norwich, King’s Lynn Academy and Thetford Academy the cash to support community involvement, leadership and learning. The investment has been proposed due to a £475,000 under spend on the 2010/11 budget, but opposition councillors said the cash should be shared out among all schools, particularly at a time is cutting funding support and spending on new buildings and improvements is being squeezed. (Eastern Daily Press, 6/6/11)
FREE SCHOOLS
Free school openers
No more than eight free schools are likely certain to open their doors at the start of the academic year in September. When Education Secretary Michael Gove launched the programme he said he had received more than 700 expressions of interest. The Free Schools with Funding Agreements in place are:
· Batley Grammar School, Kirklees (an existing private school converting to free school status)
· King’s Science Academy, Bradford (secondary)
· Eden Primary School, Haringey (a Jewish school)
· The Free School Norwich (primary school)
· Nishkam Free School, Birmingham (Sikh primary with early years’ provision)
· St Luke’s Church of England Primary School, Camden
· Stour Valley Community School, Suffolk (secondary)
· West London Free School, Hammersmith & Fulham (Toby Young led secondary)
New Free School Proposals
A proposal for a Jewish Free School in Golders Green has been submitted to the Department for Education. A group of parents are driving the bid to open Golders Green Jewish Primary School for around 200 pupils in September 2012.The proposal has been backed by Lord Sacks, Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth.(Times Series 9/6/2011)
An application has also been submitted for London’s first Greek Orthodox state secondary school. Sites in Enfield and Barnet are being considered. (Haringey Independent 9/6/2011)
E-ACT, which currently runs 11 academies, says it has submitted plans for three primary free schools in Greater London and “all-through” free schools in Northampton, Ealing and Oxfordshire. The group says it aims to be the biggest free school provider in the country and has plans to run 50 free schools within the next five years. (TES 10/6/11)
A proposal for a pupil referral unit with free school status in Oxfordshire has been submitted by an educational consultant who claims to have the backing of Oxfordshire County Council. (Oxford Mail 10/6/2011)
Camden free school delayed
A group of Camden parents who want to set up a free school have had their plans delayed by Camden Council which has sold two vacant hostel buildings in Belsize Park it deemed “surplus to requirements” and which the free school group had earmarked for their project. Labour Finance chiefs want to use the cash to finance a backlog of repairs to Camden schools. (Camden New Journal 10/6/2011)
Bristol Free School causes chaos
A Bristol free school is causing chaos to the admissions process in the area, governors of neighbouring schools have claimed. Governors are considering a legal challenge to Bristol Free School’s admissions policy after it wrote to local primary schools inviting parents to apply even if they had accepted places elsewhere. The head of Henbury School which has 150 surplus places said, “The Government is explicitly saying they don’t want free schools to be socially divisive but that’s exactly what the situation is.” (Times 31/5/11)
Free schools and terrorism
The government has outlined plans to investigate free school providers to ensure they are not promoting terrorism. In an update to its anti-terrorism Prevent Strategy the government says a priority of the Department for Education’s Preventing Extremism Unit, which was set up earlier this year, will be to carry out "due diligence to minimise the risk that unsuitable providers can set up free schools". The strategy adds that the unit is expected to become "a centre of excellence" in investigating attempts by terrorist groups to radicalise pupils. However, the strategy concedes there is only limited evidence that terrorist groups are targeting schools. (Children and Young People Now, 8.6.11)
OTHER NEWS
Labour and the coalition’s education policies
Writing in The Times, Andy Burnham, Shadow Education secretary, has noted that while there are similarities between Labour’s education policies and those of the coalition Government, for example, both believe that autonomy is a good thing there are nonetheless fundamental differences. He argues that the secretary of state’s plans take power away from parents and communities represents a risk to standards and fairness. He also notes how Labour tried to create a more modern engaging curriculum in the Labour academies whereas Gove is backing the English baccalaureate which prizes Latin above engineering.
He also appears to soften Labour’s opposition to Free Schools, saying that: “We won't operate blanket opposition at local level to free schools: each is different and it is perfectly possible for them to embody the comprehensive ideal”. (Times 10/6/1)
Archbishop of Canterbury criticises coalition policies
Writing in The New Statesman magazine, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams raises concerns about the coalition’s education reforms. He claims that no-one voted for its radical policies and that they are being forced through without proper debate. (New Statesman 9/6/11)
Ark director to head Ofqual
Amanda Spielman, who is currently research and development director of Ark Schools, has been recommended by the secretary of state for education for the position of exams regulator Ofqual.
Private sector faces “unfair competition”
It has emerged that five senior education company executives have written to the government complaining that they are facing "unfair competition" from government-backed organisations.The letter, initiated by CfBT Education Trust chief executive Neil McIntosh, was sent to Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude in December 2010. Other signatories include David Blackie, chief executive of International Education Connect; Andrew Fitzmaurice, chief executive of Nord Anglia Education; and Kevin McNeany, chair of Orbital Education. Their letter alleges that organisations such as the British Council and the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust use public grants to "subsidise their commercial operations". It also accuses them of "exploiting... privileged access to information" or government contacts.(Education Investor, 20.5.11)
Knighthood for Woodhead
Chris Woodhead, the former Ofsted chief who is now chair of private schools chain Cognita has been knighted in the queen's birthday honour's list. Sir Christopher, as he is now styled, received the honour for his services to education. A former head teacher, he founded Cognita in 2004. Woodhead was the chief inspector of schools from 1994 until 2000, during which time he famously said there were "15,000 incompetent teachers" working in UK schools. He is also currently a professor of education at the private University of Buckingham. (Education Investor, 13.6.11)
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