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Title 'Give parents a vote on the switchover to academies' Author Material Article External document Islington’s education chief has called on parents to “make their voices heard” and resist government plans to force every school to become a free school or academy.
Chancellor George Osborne said last week that the move towards a system that sees outside sponsors, rather than democratically elected local authorities, manage schools would “set schools free from local education bureaucracy”.
He said every school would become an academy within six years.
But the plans were attacked by Joe Caluori, Islington Council’s executive member for children and young people, who accused the government of putting “ideology above the needs of pupils”.
“There is no evidence that academies are better able to deliver than local authority-maintained schools,” he said.
“Trying to force governing bodies and heads into wasting time and money changing their school status will distract from the core activity of delivering an excellent education.
“In Islington, all of our secondary schools are [rated] ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’, as are the vast majority of our primary schools.
“Our model works because the schools are able to work closely with each other and the local authority.”
Cllr Caluori said it was not inevitable that all schools would become academies. He questioned whether the government would be able to find the money to do it, and the academy chains needed to make it happen.
“This is a half-baked policy,” he added. “We shouldn’t make things easier for them by just giving up. My message to parents is that you should make your voices heard. No school should become an academy without first consulting parents by holding a ballot.”
Barrie O’Shea, head of Duncombe Primary School in Upper Holloway and chairman of the Islington Schools Forum, said the plans could signal the demise of the umbrella body which consults on issues including schools’ finances.
He questioned what body would be able to step in and support a school if it fails, were the Osborne plan to go through. “We are not anti-academies, but we are looking for a mixed group of schools.” he said.
“The new proposals have put a stop to our ideas but we want to continue to work together in partnership. We would like to see multi-academy trusts, groups of around five schools. There will be a way forward but this is making it quite difficult for us.
“There is a concern because with academies it can be very much divide and rule and that’s not the way we work in Islington. But we are trying to be positive because we have no other option.”
The government has signalled that it wants to abolish the role of parent governors, described by Councillor Caluori as “an outrageous attempt to rob parents of having a say in how their children’s schools are run”.
The academy programme was begun under New Labour but was substantially expanded under the previous Coalition government. Supporters of the change say it gives schools more independence from local authorities, allowing them to improve. Notes Islington Tribune filed at A-Z periodicals (Islington Local History Centre) Audio
Keywords Geographical keyword Persons keyword
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