Academies

Academies Scam Rolls On

Tom Unterrainer reports from Nottingham Despite all the critical reports, investigations and public opposition the Government appears more determined than ever to press ahead with City Academies. It seems that for each concern raised about the scheme, an “innovation” is announced. The latest idea is to give one school away for every three purchased — so if you’ve got six million pounds to spare you can buy yourself half a local education authority at a bargain price. In the same way that Ruth Kelly, Lord Adonis and the other jokers running education in this country have picked up a few tips...

Don't close Homerton School!

Local school Homerton College of Technology faces the chop as academy-mania grips the borough's Learning Trust. The Trust is 'consulting' on the future of the school, but has made it clear that it thinks that the only real option to to close Homerton and replace it with an 'academy'. Hackney already has one academy - Mossbourne - and will soon have two more - Petchey and Bridge. Now the Learning Trust wants a fourth. An academy is founded when a rich sponsor puts up around £2m and the government adds around £25m. The rich sponsor then gets to control major aspects of the school, with precious...

Save Hackney schools

Nearly 100 people attended a public meeting opposing the proposed closure of local school Homerton College of Technology and moves to create more academies in Hackney. Read a detailed report here and download a leaflet advertising the protest on June 30th here ..

Hey bankers, leave our kids alone!

ARK (Absolute Return for Kids) is a “charitable” trust supported and run by a group of investment bankers and hedge fund speculators who are seeking to become the sponsors of a number of city academies in London, including one which will be based on the current sites of Islington Green and Moreland schools and others in Lambeth and Westminster. For £2 million ARK gets control of a school capital-funded by the state to the tune of £25-30 million but not democratically controlled in any way by the local community. Islington and Lambeth Teachers’ Associations and Islington UNISON have called a...

Stop privatising education!

Schools Minister David Milliband demonstrated the Government's adoration of business involvement in schools when he declared that every FTSE company ought to become a sponsor for state secondary schools. Labour wants to channel private money, sponsorship and "expertise" into every corner and crevice of the UK school system. We already have "action zones", "clusters of excellence", Education Business Links, partnerships, providers¦ In the first of two articles on the state of the UK school system, Rosalind Robson examines the record of the private sector in education. Labour's first...

Hackney Shorts

From 'Hackney Solidarity' April 2005 issue, for Aspland & Marcon estates School gates closed? Rents up again Pensioners cheated Recycling cash Re-open our youth club School Gates Closed? It’s great to have a new secondary school on your doorstep, isn’t it? Especially as it is non-selective, mixed and non-religious, which many parents and kids prefer. If you can get a place there, that is. Many of the estate’s 11-year-olds who applied for Mossbourne Academy have been turned away. We’ve not met one who got in. It seems that academies are able to use their admissions procedures to get the intake...

Education not for sale! New Labour's Academies

At the recent National Union of Teachers conference, delegates voted to fight the Government’s planned expansion of the Academy programme. Academies are publicly-funded independent schools, new schools built in “deprived” areas or where schools are deemed to be “failing”. Businesses and other sponsors, including religious organisations, donate towards the cost of building a new school — the current price is £1.5 million. That is often a fraction of the overall cost (less than 10%). The schools are then handed over to the sponsors to run, although they do not have to pay the running costs. Many...

Should religion run our schools?

Notes from a discussion at a North London AWL branch meeting, introduced by Jean Lane. What are the reasons for the growth in the movement for single-faith schools? Why do socialists oppose this? Sir Peter Vardy is a right-wing Christian fundamentalist, who is a millionaire through his car business. He runs the Vardy Foundation and its education arm, the Emmanuel Schools Foundation. He got together with a right-wing educationalist, and used the Tory view of school 'independence' to take over a state school. The New Labour government's policy allows a private sponsor such as Vardy to set up a...

We saved our school!

By Mathew Bailey Parents, teachers and students of Northcliffe School, serving Conisbrough and Denaby near Doncaster, have recently stopped their school from being turned into an academy run by a religious organisation, the Emmanuel Schools Foundation (ESF). This is the first time proposals for an academy have been overturned. It is, as the Yorkshire Post put it, a “huge blow to Blair”. New Labour’s academies are a way of bringing the market into education. Only 12 currently exist but the Government wants 200. Academies are directly funded by central government with private sponsors running...

Save our school.... from Christian fundamentalists

By Joan Trevor Parents and teachers of Northcliffe School, serving Conisbrough and Denaby near Doncaster, are fighting to keep their school… and to keep it from Christian fundamentalists. The school, a secondary school in an ex-mining area, had been declared a failing school in 2003 and was in special measures at the start of 2004. This makes the school eligible for bids from private or voluntary bodies or religious organisations to run it as a city technology college or city academy. In such situations, the school is taken out of control of the Local Education Authority and answers to the...

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