Schools

Academies, religion & schools, class sizes, remodelling, testing and tables, ...

Lewisham school occupation sees off cops and bailiffs

The parents and activists who have been occupying the roof of Lewisham Bridge primary school for nine weeks to prevent its closure were told the bailiffs would arrive to evict them at 10.30am on Wednesday 24 June. However, they had other plans. The morning saw a big police presence at the school, including a helicopter buzzing overhead for intimidation. But the hundred people who gathered to resist the eviction mean the police and bailiffs were unable to act. The bailiffs entered the school, but made no attempt to gain access to the roof. The police left around 12.30pm, with most of the...

Lewisham Bridge school: resist eviction!

From the Hands Off Lewisham Bridge campaign An eviction notice has been served on the occupation at Lewisham Bridge. Bailiffs are arriving at 10.30 on Wednesday morning. Hands Off Lewisham Bridge are asking for your support in resisting the eviction. We need as many people as possible to stay overnight on Tuesday. If you can't stay overnight then please come down as early as possible on Wednesday morning to support the occupation. We want to let Lewisham Council know that they are evicting people who have been peacefully protesting over the destruction of community education at our school...

Students strike against school sell-off

On Monday 1 June, the first day back after half-term, hundreds of students at Parkview School in Barrow-in-Furness walked out of their school hall to stage a protest on the school sports fields. The head teacher, who had previously licensed students expressing opposition to the school being closed to make way for an Academy, told the Year 7 to 10 students in assembly that the protest must not go ahead. But, as year 10 student Megan Rose said, “They tried to talk us down to stop us from protesting. If we didn’t come out it would have shown we had lost, but we are going to win”. Phil Solloway...

Parents occupy Greenwich school!

Parents at Charlotte Turner School, Benbow Street, Greenwich, SE8 3DH, have occupied their school to oppose its planned closure in September by the council. They released this statement on 7 May: “Following a false consultation parents at Charlotte Turner have occupied their school. We have protested outside the town hall, put questions at a cabinet and council meeting but we were fobbed off. 297 parents replied to a consultation on the council’s plan. 296 were against and only 1 parent in agreement. Yet the council have decided to listen to the 1 not the 296 and plan to close the school in...

Parents occupy roof of Lewisham Bridge primary school: a report

Today (23 April) I visited the occupation of Lewisham Bridge Primary School by parents protesting against its closure. Parents and teachers are occupying the roof of this primary school threatened with closure, in order for the building to be demolished and replaced with a privately run mega-school accomodating 3-16 year olds. The decision to close Lewisham Bridge was made some time ago without consultation with parents who today expressed their anger at that the decision to give up on Lewisham Bridge was made at a meeting they were unaware of, yet their lack of attendance has been used as...

Short industrial reports

Glasgow school closures; Unison health conference; Trinity Mirror journalists' dispute; London Overground workers win 22% pay rise. GLASGOW SCHOOLS : On 23 April a meeting of Glasgow City Council will vote on whether to go ahead with a sweeping programme of closures of primary schools and nurseries throughout the city. The original proposals envisaged the closure of 13 primary schools and 11 nurseries, attended by some 2,000 children. The Council, especially the Labour Group, have been on the defensive ever since. This is because their arguments in favour of closure do not stack up. One...

Glasgow parents occupy

The occupation by parents of the Wyndford Primary School and St. Gregory’s Primary School in Glasgow which began on Friday 3 April is part of a Glasgow-wide campaign (Save Our Schools) triggered by proposals for a city-wide cull of primary schools and nurseries. In January a meeting of the Glasgow City Council Executive Committee agreed in principle to shut down 13 primary schools and 12 nurseries, attended in total by more than 2,000 children. Later a full meeting of the City Council endorsed the proposals. In previous rounds the Council has defended school closures on the basis that old...

Parents occupy Glasgow primary schools to stop closure

The occupation of the Wyndford Primary School and St. Gregory’s Primary School in Glasgow which began on Friday 3 April is part of a Glasgow-wide campaign (Save Our Schools) triggered by proposals for a city-wide cull of primary schools and nurseries. In January a meeting of the Glasgow City Council Executive Committee agreed in principle to shut down 13 primary schools and 12 nurseries, attended in total by more than 2,000 children. Later a full meeting of the City Council endorsed the proposals. In previous rounds of school closures the City Council has defended closures on the basis that...

A challenge to the tyranny of testing

If it wins the next election, New Labour proposes to reshape primary education. Pat Yarker reports on a challenge to the Government’s line of march. In January 2008 Ed Balls appointed Sir Jim Rose to review the current Primary curriculum and recommend changes for implementation from September 2011. Jim Rose, a distinguished professor of education, had already conducted a review of the teaching of reading (in 2006); that was seized on by education ministers to justify imposing on teachers, despite much opposition, a single method (phonics) to teach children to read. As we go to press his report...

Primary education: a better way

In January 2008 Ed Balls appointed Sir Jim Rose to review the current Primary curriculum and recommend changes for implementation from September 2011. Jim Rose, a distinguished professor of education, has reported for this government before. In 2006 his review of the teaching of reading was seized on by education ministers to justify imposing on teachers despite much opposition a single method to teach children to read. A decade and a half earlier, Rose was one of the ‘Three Wise Men’ tasked by the Tories with reporting on the state of England’s Primary schools. The report which Rose together...

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