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All schools being privatised under Tories



BigGully

Well-known member
Sep 8, 2006
7,139
As a Parent Governor of a local primary school, recently rated as Good by Ofsted, we are now faced with either converting now with other like minded schools into a multi school trust, or wait for the Tories to force us unwillingly into a ******* marriage with any crappy old school who will suck our resources and give nothing in return. In addition, to those who don't voluntarily go, they will be open to takeover by an established academy trust, some of which promote Creationism. Thanks, Tories. We are at least trying to be proactive and doing our best to dodge this bullet.

Just as an aside and as someone that shows some commitment to your child's school, if what you are saying is you would prefer the continuation of what has gone on before, I just wondered what you might wish to happen to the 'crappy school' you are keen not to be associated with ??
 






Igzilla

Well-known member
Sep 27, 2012
1,647
Worthing
Just as an aside and as someone that shows some commitment to your child's school, if what you are saying is you would prefer the continuation of what has gone on before, I just wondered what you might wish to happen to the 'crappy school' you are keen not to be associated with ??

Unfortunately, that's not possible. The local LEA has been starved of funds by central Government over the past five years or so. As a result, they've had to cut their services to the schools, possibly unnoticed by the wider population as more visible services have been spared. The LEA is now adrift, unable to provide any direction. There is no choice, except jump or be pushed.
 
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Chicken Run

Member Since Jul 2003
NSC Patron
Jul 17, 2003
18,495
Valley of Hangleton
Just as an aside and as someone that shows some commitment to your child's school, if what you are saying is you would prefer the continuation of what has gone on before, I just wondered what you might wish to happen to the 'crappy school' you are keen not to be associated with ??

Good luck in getting an answer from on that, typical nimby snobby governor.
 


Igzilla

Well-known member
Sep 27, 2012
1,647
Worthing
Good luck in getting an answer from on that, typical nimby snobby governor.
Actually, the longer term plan is to take on failing schools, up to three maybe, but we want to establish a secure foundation from which to start.
 




Biscuit

Native Creative
Jul 8, 2003
22,220
Brighton
Why not go the whole hog and offer sponsorship out to corporations?

Your childs education, brought to you by Weetabix.
 




GT49er

Well-known member
Feb 1, 2009
46,797
Gloucester
What it does is remove the teachers out of a national pay scale and into a "privatised" pay regime, so they will be employed by the Academy trusts, not the LEA or the DfE. As a side effect, and I'm sure the Tories haven't thought of this, it effectively neutralises the teachers unions, as a national strike would become impossible, and effectively illegal.

I'm pretty sure the Tories WILL have thought of it!
 




Berty23

Well-known member
Jun 26, 2012
3,210
So much ill informed nonsense on this thread. You can criticise the process for many things but privatisation this is not. I am staggered how many people fall for this crap. Tony Blair was not against letting schools make profit but he knew, just as every government will, that the public won't tolerate it. Anyone who is a governor knows money is tight so I don't quite see how people think loads of profit can be made.

As for that chap who is a governor of a school that has a "we're alright jack" attitude not wanting to help other "crappy schools" well that is the whole point of a school led system with collaboration between good and weaker schools. Schools where heads work closely with poor schools actually say that they also benefit. The successful chains make it their business to help failing schools. The fewer governors about saying derogatory stuff about schools the better.
 


Berty23

Well-known member
Jun 26, 2012
3,210
Just seen the last post by the person my crappy governor comment is aimed at. I take back some of it.
 






glasfryn

cleaning up cat sick
Nov 29, 2005
20,261
somewhere in Eastbourne
Ahh shit, good point. Maybe they should hold a big vote and let the public decide who they want In charge.

tory bothering moron.

changed for you
why oh why are you tory people so rude ...................worrying realy to leave the world to idiots like you

I have just noticed you avatar .......................and you call me a moron ..................................just how old are you 10
 


Stato

Well-known member
Dec 21, 2011
6,599
Some food for thought:

No parental choice in this which has been the mantra of successive governments for the last three decades. Schools in Brighton & Hove that have considered Academy status have found parents to be not in favour. This choice is being removed by this policy.

Local authorities don't actually run schools. They are run by governing bodies and head teachers with the support of the LA.

If your child's school is community run and you don't like something you have recourse through the governing body and/or your local councillor. However under this proposal your elected councillor would have no say and Academy chains can scrap governing bodies should they choose too (and they have chosen too): http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-35531827. This removes a parent's recourse to any kind of accountable elected body.

Turning a school into an academy requires that the government take the land and buildings from the current owners and hand them over to the academy chain without charge. Many schools' land and buildings are not owned by local authorities but by a church diocese. This policy may involve the government seeking to take church land and hand it free of charge to private organisations in perpetuity. The government has already introduced a bill that allows this in failing schools: http://www.theguardian.com/education/2015/nov/17/nicky-morgan-steal-schools-church-conservative-law

This policy has already involved the government handing over government assets to private organisations and apparently paying approx. half a billion in legal fees to do so. Former Children's laureate Michael Rosen wrote to the secretary of state to ask what happens to the assets if the academy chains fail. http://michaelrosenblog.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/who-owns-academies-have-we-been-robbed.html. No reply seems to have been forthcoming. Some of our schools now seem to be owned by companies registered in the Cayman Islands.

Some of the school property is already leased to private companies through PFI arrangements. These leases are decades long and the policy will require that the contracts currently in place between local authorities and private investors are unpicked and re-established with individual schools or an academy chain. The resulting large legal costs will have to picked up by the tax payer.

An Education Select Committee report last year found that there is no clear evidence that academies raise standards: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-30983081

The last time this policy was tried we had 'Grant Maintained Schools.' The removal of the checks and balances from local authorities allowed the opportunity for this kind of thing to happen: http://www.theguardian.com/education/2003/sep/16/schools.uk2. They did not see a rise in standards despite being given extra money not available to those that remained with the LAs: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...-has-led-to-improved-funding-and-1500964.html

My personal experience has seen the type of excellent headteacher that this policy banks upon to succeed choose to leave my child's school because it became an academy. Exam results have dropped significantly. I know this because I have spoken to someone in the know. I couldn't find details online, because unlike LA & Diocese schools, academies are not required to publish their exam results. They are also not required to employ qualified teachers: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-19017544, they are also not required to meet the same standards set for LA schools regarding the size and standard of playing fields (and not selling them) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/educatio...g-fields-can-be-sold-off-ministers-admit.html

I would far rather be given a referendum vote on this proposal than on our membership of the EU, but instead this policy is to be pushed through without having appeared in the manifesto of any party standing for office at the general election.
 


D

Deleted member 22389

Guest
Academies are not the problem, many schools have been modernised, rebuilt because of it. It's been positive in this respect. The issue is this whole Free Schools business where there seems to be absolutely zero control, and the constant messing from the government on what and how things should be taught, as always whether it is Labour or the Tories. Leave to teachers to teach.
 




Diego Napier

Well-known member
Mar 27, 2010
4,416
And in other news:

The prime minister said his “complete vision " was to place health, social security, housing, defence, environment, transport, business, local government & education into the hands of private enterprise rather than “bureaucrats”.
 






Aug 11, 2003
2,728
The Open Market
Absolutely. but whatever happens, we must not let common sense get in the way of dogma.

It's dogma that is driving this policy.

Under these proposals, all academies will end up in the hands of 'chain' by 2020, despite there being zero evidence that this will improve education standards. Additionally, there will be no accountability in the running of the schools, no obligation to set standards, employ qualified teachers, nor to tell people what standards have been achieved.

If the goals of improving education are not being sought, why are the doing this?

If that's not dogmatic, I don't know what it.

Common sense is to allow those who know what they're doing to continue with what is best, and not put it in the hands of those with a vested interest which doesn't include better education.
 






glasfryn

cleaning up cat sick
Nov 29, 2005
20,261
somewhere in Eastbourne
And in other news:

The prime minister said his “complete vision " was to place health, social security, housing, defence, environment, transport, business, local government & education into the hands of private enterprise rather than “bureaucrats”.

I wonder how many people are waking up to those statements and thinking to themselves I put the cross in the wrong box.
by "bureucrats" does he mean European bureucrats has he joined Brexit
 


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