Academies- would you sign this?

[AGrandUsername]

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/124747

All schools are to become academies within the next 6 years.

Obviously do your own research, but I do think this is important to be heard on.

-If your child is in primary the chances are your school is LA controlled, and it's improving

-If your child is in secondary they are probably in an academy, and it's either too new to tell, or not improving

-Qualified teacher status is to go, heads (business leaders themselves) can decide if you can teach. Not a qualification in child development in sight

-Each academy can represent 5 million pounds going from an LA to private business in land deeds. Plus profit.

-Academies don't need to follow the National Curriculum, and why would you when testing is so narrow? Art? Why? And yes, it is already happening in places

-Academies are NOT a proven formula to success, already chains have failed, and good schools have to reason to change

Schools are really heading to a bad place, away from research, child needs etc to a business model. The changes are not bourne from evidence, reasearch, good practise but political agendas. Like most teachers I support change when the goals are clear and it's in the interest of children. Like many I'm not even in a union, so that argument doesn't wash....

All the Academies round here are really good, it's the LA schools that are failing.

But that's fine milk, that's why THEY should be academies, and it is often the right thing for SOME schools. It's not evidence for ALL schools though to change.

Chances are your locals had a shit load of money thrown at them to improve which helped. That won't last...

I'm not sure. I really do need to research it.

I've taught in an independent school for the last 9 years and really do think it's a much better model. On the surface academies seem closer to them so it might be that I think it's a good idea. But I've seen so much negativity around it that I also assume it must be a really bad idea. Will definitely look into it.

Manic, the independent sector deals with funding that is generally set a termly fees that approximate a year of pupil funding in the state (looking at our local cheaper schools).

My local independent are good, but strip two thirds of their fees and selective entry and the they I'm sure would not turn out the same.

Thanks for the link, I have signed.

This is worrying as it seems a short timespan to change all schools even if this was desirable (which I don't think it is). Are they proposing ALL schools change anyway? What about free schools? New ones are still opening up. What about grammars? I presume they are not removing the grammar system from the home counties which is packed with tory voters?

Would you prefer the chief executive of a hospital or the practice manager of a GP surgery, to decide whether or when a doctor was capable of practising?

How about the admin in a garage telling the mechanics when they were competent.

Academies are businesses, run by business people. Lord Harris is a carpet magnate. Have a look at the table that tells you how much the chief execs of the large academy chains earn. I haven't got the link, but it's probably on FB.

Not all academies are bad, not all are good. It's the business element I have trouble with, aside from the huge concern that decisions about the suitability of someone to join a profession? that requires intensive training now, will be subject to the whims of someone whose only experience of education may well be having attended a school.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-35492433

The largest academy chain in England is failing too many pupils according to Ofsted.

www.theguardian.com/education/2014/dec/10/ofsted-sir-michael-wilshaw-struggling-schools-academy-neglect

back in 2014- Ofsted chief stated that struggling schools are no better off as academies

There is another petition with more signatures. I'll see if I can find it.

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/124702
Not sure how to make it clicky on my phone

Not all academies are failing - some are doing very well and have transformed the education they are offering

Not all academies are run by / as businesses - the corollary is that in fact all schools do now have to run as businesses / so do Local Authorities - in fact it is often only in the charity / academy sector or the independent sector where you find schools now running in a less business-like / commercial manner - and in a more overtly charitable manner for the benefit of the children

The question is whether as an underlying concept academies are a better option than LA control - and in concept they are - as long as there is still support / oversight to ensure that those led by weak SMT / governance don't fail

So it is not a question of should we have academies or not - but how are they implemented... The simply reality is that our education system as it is doesn't work as it could - so change is needed... sadly a lot of the 'anti-academy' movement is simply anti-change - and while change for the sake of change is not good, change to provoke / force improvement is - whatever the model, we will undoubtedly have failing and succeeding schools - the quality being a direct corrolation to the quality of those running it... So changing to academies will neither help or hinder that aspect - however it will allow good SMT / Governance setups currently held back by the LA (and there are plenty) to have more freedom to do better

Therefore in concept it is a good thing - in reality it will depend on how it is implemented

I think it's an awful plan, for many reasons. I have signed.

I'm happy to hear arguments against - but imv, it seems like privatisation of schools through the back door, and running schools as businesses. Bad idea.

Yes I have just signed both petitions.

It is absolutely privatisation of schools by the back door.

Anyone in favour of academies better hope that they don't have a child with SEN or behavioural difficulties or any other issues. Academies have no obligation to provide a school place. LEA does.

I'm on the fence on this. There are some terrific academies and many are run as trusts, not businesses. Of course there are some dire ones. I agree about the business element - not appropriate for a public service. I don't understand the whole rush to make every school an academy by 2020

However, one thing I disagree with you about OP, is teacher qualification. I think there are many people without it who would make excellent teachers. And in secondary school, where specialist teachers (particularly in languages and maths) are very thin on the ground, I would prefer my child's teacher to have specialist knowledge rather than a teaching qualification. Sorry, this has been done to death on MN.

Specialist knowledge does not equate to a good teacher.

Signed already.

DD2's old school became an academy, and the experience was not good. She's now doing her A's at another school.

You're more likely to get no specialist knowledge and no ability to teach. Young and cheap.

Not signing.
Academies get their money direct from the government meaning that local authorities can't cream off a proportion of the money to cover their excessive costs.
Until education is run more like a business, is anyone really going to take accountability for all the failing schools in special measures?

Have signed,have dd with a statement of SEN. FWIW ds with a statement did very well in academy but the LA held onto control of the enhanced resource he was a member of.

Have signed both. More than 60k signatures on both.

The rush to change will be the general election in 2020.

yes, have signed. This is so important. I will not let private business ruin my children's education, in the quest for profit, asset stripping, land grab.

I have signed.

The thing that's worrying me most is the scrapping of QTS. What are the entry requirements for such trainees? How are they going to protect them from being taken advantage of and kept as trainees in order to keep costs down? What does it mean for me as an agency supply teacher? As a qualified teacher, I'm worried that I'll be priced out of the market and will either have no work or be forced into a pay cut, doing the same role under a different title for almost half the pay.