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Original poster

Academies consultation period?

32 replies

CardyMow · 09/11/2011 22:59

My DD's Secondary school, along with six others in North East Essex, have sent home a single letter telling parents they want to become an Academy, and that they are starting the consultation process tomorrow. Being concerned, I googled a lot little, and by reading the website of one of the other schools, have discovered that all seven schools have ALREADY submitted their applications to the DfE for Academy Status - BEFORE the consultation period has even started.

I stayed in a very small house so that my DD DIDN'T go to an Academy, as she has SN, but not 'severe' enough to get a statement (she is on SA+, despite working on lvl 3/4 in Y9 with lots of extra help...my idea of severe enough for a statement doesn't match Essex LA).

I don't want my DD at an Academy - she is exactly the sort of child that will either lose help, or be 'shuffled' out of the school. But her CURRENT school and the only other feasible option travelling-wise are BOTH in the seven schools that are becoming Academies.

Will there be anywhere I can go to if the school stop giving her the SEN help that she has been getting? Because the current level she is getting is VERY much down to the school being extra helpful - in fact it's WHY she is at this school - they offered more than twice the amount of help to pupils on SA+ as any other local school, but from September this year, I have had no end of problems, including my DD being left with no English teacher for the entire first half term, there being no LSA in a lot of her lessons, school being very evasive, blah blah blah (still ongoing).

Can they put in the application anyway, before they have even started the consultation period? EVERY parent I have spoken to whose dc attend the school do not want the school to become an Academy - it is a fairly well performing school, good results, is apparently the wealthiest comprehensive school in Essex, so doesn't need the extra Academy money IYSWIM.

I chose the school based on the fact that it WASN'T an Academy - now halfway through my DD's time there, they are doing this. And I'm not paying out for a new uniform - if they want to change the bloody uniform, THEY can give me the 3 sets I'll need for FREE. The uniform my DD currently has is in adult sizes and will last until she leaves. I need 3 sets so she has one on, one wet in the machine, and one drying on the airer (no tumbler). I also chose this school in part BECAUSE it has a traditional Blazer / shirt / tie uniform. I don't want a scruffy polo shirt and sweatshirt combo! (Which is what all the other local schools that are already Academies have done).

I'm worried and scared about the school possibly getting rid of all LSA's for dc without statements, about there being no real way to complain to the LEA if the school is doing something wrong, I don't want this, neither do many (any?) of the parents, what can I do to try to stop the school? Which seems a bit fruitless, as IMO they have already made the decision no matter what the objections of the parents are, because they have already submitted the Academy application, with a view to it changing in Spring 2012.

WHAT, if anything can I do? How can I get the other parents that I know are unhappy involved? Is there ANY way to stop this?

OP posts:
prh47bridge · 09/11/2011 23:43

Just to clarify a point having just read your last post again, if you have agreed a level of provision with the school I would expect the LA to enforce that as part of its role in monitoring SEN provision. However, I would not expect the LA to enforce any provision that goes beyond the agreed level.

prh47bridge · 09/11/2011 23:41

They cannot start the consultation process until they have registered interest in converting to academy status and been assigned a contact within the DfE who will support them through the conversion process. They can start the consultation later in the process but it must be completed before the DfE will approve the Funding Agreement.

If the school becomes an academy it will receive some extra funding for your child (and any other children on School Action or School Action Plus) over and above the extra funding they receive for all the children in the school. If the school is already offering a lot of help there is no reason for that to change. That doesn't mean it won't change, of course, and the problems you have been having in the last few weeks are worrying, although they may be unrelated.

It is likely that the school will still have the same management team following conversion and the governing body is also likely to be largely unchanged apart from a reduction in the number of LA appointed governors.

After conversion the LA will remain responsible for monitoring all SEN provision in the academy, not just for children with statements, so you will still be able to complain to them if you are unhappy. From what you say the LA may not force the school to stick with its current level of provision but they should certainly ensure that the school does not fall below acceptable standards.

Statistics are hard to come by but as far as I can tell academies are no more likely to manage out SEN pupils than maintained schools. A pupil with SEN is around eight to nine times as likely to be permanently excluded as a non-SEN pupil. SEN pupils are also more likely to receive fixed term exclusions (legal) and informal or unofficial exclusions (illegal). People get worked up about academy SEN exclusion rates but seem happy to accept this kind of disparity in maintained schools, which I find very odd.

You will still be able to find out the GCSE results for each individual school within the consortium. Your school therefore has a vested interest in ensuring that it is not damaged by its participation in the consortium.

Original poster
CardyMow · 09/11/2011 23:33

Yes, but I am concerned about the fact that the Press release about it is quoting GCSE figures that have been averaged out over the seven schools - thus making the other six school's results seem better than they actually are, and DD's school's results seem worse.

Does this mean that as they are looking to become a Consortium of Academies - we will not be able to find out what the individual school's GSCE results are in future? I am also worried that funds from DD's school will be diverted to some of the other six schools, leaving DD's school with less money to pay for, say, LSA'a for dc that are on SA+ (that should have statements but don't due to Essex LA's illegal 'blanket rule' about how low academic levels have to be before statementing, but that's a whole other thread).

It's practically impossible to get a statement for a dc in Essex that is in Mainstream school and doesn't have Behavioural Difficulties - in fact it's bloody hard even when they DO have behavioural difficulties. So we are already at the mercy of how much help each individual school feels like offering dc that are on SA+. At least at the moment we have the LEA to go to, to complain to if the school doesn't do what it says it will, if the school are failing our dc. What happens if when it becomes an Academy - the Secretary of State cannot possibly deal with all complaints from all Academies in a timely fashion - i.e. before that particular dc's education is ruined. The system works slowly enough with it being run on a local level - can you imagine how bad it will be on a national level?

It's the SEN issue that really worries me - I have read on IPSEA about how dc WITH STATEMENTS will be protected - but there is absolutely NO information out there online about how dc on SA or SA+ will be protected. No information about how you can ensure that the level of help you and the school agreed on before your dc started there over two years ago isn't eroded or taken away completely just because the school has decided to become an Academy. There are already LOTS of people in my town whose dc have had 'managed moves' to the local PRU not because of bad behaviour - but because they are SEN and their school has already become an Academy. I am only so worried because of people I know that have had recent experience of this locally.

OP posts:
bruffin · 09/11/2011 23:25

Dc,s school became an academy in march and there has been no noticeble changes.

mycatsaysach · 09/11/2011 23:18

our school did this too - no change really

TeamEdward · 09/11/2011 23:17

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

EvilTwins · 09/11/2011 23:10

Firstly, calm down. Changing to an academy is unlikely to involve any massive changes. The school I teach in is becoming one in January, and I for one was surprised to discover that we are the 14th out of 15 local schools to do so. The other 13 have changed without any noticeable differences to staff, children or parents.

If you are concerned, then talk to the school- really.

It seems to me that the majority of schools are, or will be academies soon. The government seems to want this and many LAs seem to have little choice. Once the majority of schools in an area have changed, it stops being cost effective for LAs to provide certain services and so schools are "encouraged" to become academies. However, they're so common place now that these changes changes you're concerned about are unlikely to be as negative or as dramatic as you dread.