Here is a snippet that mirrors the problems that local communities all over the country are having because of Gove the Minister of Education who wants to free schools from local authorities, turn them into Academies, which are pseudo independent but in reality get their direct funding from central government. He also wants to encourage Free Schools on an American model, schools that are also outside local authority control but set up by parents. Both schemes are in fact potentially open doors to the involvement of private companies, either in the form of sponsorship, or with the direct participation of private education providers. Every initiative of this government (The Wrecking Crew) can be directly related to an ideology that extols the virtues (and profitability ) of the private sector, You name it, health, education, local services etc. Anyway the following is a letter sent to the local paper for )Crediton.
The Governors of Queen Elizabeth Community College (QE)in Crediton, Devon are being asked to decide whether to apply for Academy status. There are a number of reasons why the move to academy status would be detrimental to the community of Crediton and surrounding areas.
Unfortunately the consultation is being conducted in haste, and although on the QE website there is some information for parents this only supports the case for Academy status, and there is no mention of opposing arguments.
The governors can decide to apply for academy status by a simple majority vote, irrespective of the wishes of the local community. As an Academy QE will be independent of Devon County Council, which plays a key role in the strategic, planning and management of education provision across the county.
It is understood that the prime reason given for moving to Academy status is that the College for 2011/12 may have a deficit, and that this would be resolved by a one-off financial inducement for moving to Academy status.
However, the financial argument doesn’t hold up because funding for each pupil in Devon has now been increased by nearly £600, which means the College is projected to receive additional funds. These are double the possible deficit and substantially more than the Government’s one-off financial inducement,
As an Academy there are no firm guarantees of future levels of funding. Neither is there any provision in law for returning to Local Authority control should the governing body have a change of heart, or, for example, the proposed academy became bankrupt. The matter would rest entirely with the government.
As an independent Academy QE would be funded directly by the Department for Education meaning direct Government control of QE, or indirectly through a new quango. As such QE would not be accountable to parents and the community through the elected county council.
Academy status for QE would have a detrimental impact on other schools in the area. Devon County Council has a key role in identifying Special Educational Needs and coordinating provision, and crucially ensuring equitable funding for all schools. It is entirely possible that other schools may lose funding. Families would no longer have the local authority to turn to if they are dissatisfied with the schooling their child is receiving. There is no evidence that Academies have higher levels of pupil attainment. The evidence is that, as with schools as a whole, some Academies are doing well while others are struggling.
There are high exclusion rates in current Academies, which raises concerns over whether they are discriminating against some disadvantaged groups of children and whether some Academies are using exclusion to remove young people who might depress exam results.
The QE
Furthermore If QE becomes an Academy its assets, including all its land, building and contents transfer from the local authority to an Academy Trust or other independent body under a leasehold arrangement, usually for 125 years. Academies can also set their own pay, conditions and working time arrangements for new teachers, support and admin staff.
The Governing Body of QE should agree to a full consultation, which would include publishing as much information as possible regarding the arguments for and against Academy status, ensuring the opinion of the people of Crediton is fully and publicly taken into account. This is too important a decision to be taken by a small minority behind closed doors without the support of the wider community.
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