Every school to be an academy?

[CamboricumMinor]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-35814215

Apparently this is expected in tomorrow's budget. I'm sure this isn't going to be a good move for school staff but what about the children? I'm not convinced at all.

I know, Feenie, for staff absence in the short term, in theory.

Personally - and as I have said, I am willing to be corrected - I have never encountered a school employing a cover supervisor instead of a teacher.

The only school I have known use an unqualified member of staff to cover classes was an LA school

This incenses me on pretty much every level imaginable

I seriously think parents and teachers need to unite on this one and stage some mass action.

Who voted for this?

At my school, at the moment, we have 4 totally unqualified teachers - two are cover supervisors, two are agency supply staff. The two agency supply staff are teaching GCSE English. One is also teaching 6th form.

That relates back to the teacher shortage then, doesn't it, if supply teaching agencies are taking on people without a teaching qualification and schools are employing them :)

Any idea of the time scale for this? When do we expect all schools to have converted by?

Jellycat you are right that the lea keep a close eye on lea schools with regard to Sen pupils. We have audits and visits to ensure that pupil provision is correct.

Think they said within 5 to 6 years.

No, justthetickets, it doesn't. If I taught at a LA school not an academy, w wouldn't be able to put an unqualified supply "teacher" in front of a GCSE English class.

Timescale is by 2022

Oh no. After spending a day in an 'outstanding' school where children were so unbelievably disruptive - I am actually scared about the education my children will receive.

Not because of the teachers and lsa's slogging their guts but because of overpaid, ineffective senior management that hide in their office pretending the issues aren't happening and backing up their staff. Can you tell it's been a bad day?

Except LA schools do, EvilTwins

Schools have always done exactly as they liked. Academisation will make little difference to that: hoops that had to be jumped through may be removed, but the hoops were meaningless anyway!

justtheticket that's not true. You're clearly not involved in education.

Perhaps you can explain why you do think this is a good move? How do you think it will benefit children?

Of course I'm involved in education! Otherwise, why would I be talking about my involvement in schools? :)

In 2014, when working as a HOD in an LA maintained school, the HT had a teaching assistant teach a GCSE English class.

I don't think it is a good move or a bad one. I think it will in practice make very little difference to the 'state of the nation' if you like. I also don't personally believe a teaching qualification is some sort of Holy Ordef automatically meaning the person holding it can effectively teach, but that's a side issue.

The biggest problem as far as I can see just at the moment is teacher shortages leading to agency staff - whether with or without a teaching qualification - and therefore lack of consistency and continuity for children, but that's just as true in academies as LA schools. It isn't the case that academy = awful place to work and LA school = fabulous.

Order - not sure what an Ordef is!

I apologise if this point was raised already I saw a link on here at the weekend which quite frankly if it's true is bloody alarming. michaelrosenblog.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/gove-nicked-our-schools-and-handed-them.html?m=1

Perhaps not, but at least with LA schools there was some element of consistency. I, for one, am not happy to see the P&C document go out of the window. I don't want my directed time played with, I don't want to be spending hours doing displays or photocopying.

A TA from the school teaching a class is not the same as an unknown unqualified and untrained agency supply being given sole responsibility for a group. The reason for it is the money - they are cheap, and too much of our budget is going on the executive head teacher.

The particular MAT that runs my school is awful. Seriously awful. Yet they run tens of schools in the UK.

At least with LAs, no one was taking £225,000 of tax payers money as their own salary. Too much of my school funding doesn't come anywhere near my school. That is the biggest issue. Academy trusts are run as businesses. I think that is morally wrong.

Sunnyday - where would your SLT and staff go though? Every other school would also be an academy....
What will happen, I wonder, to the schools that, to avoid becoming academies became cooperatives? Our school (I'm an ex-governor) considered that, but it didn't suit us. Neither did academisation, so we were sticking with the LA when I left...

The only oversight in place of LEA was originally the Secretary of State. They worked out that was unmanageable.
I think there are regional commissioners who have been appointed, covering much larger areas than the LEA

They may well bring in foreign teachers and pay a lower rate and they won't care that were leaving in our droves.

Bloody hell! I just saw this, and thought at first it was some sort of joke/dystopian vison of the future. I kind of saw it coming, but even in my most cynical moments I never really believed it would happen.

Has anyone mentioned that they don't have to follow the curriculum? What do you think will happen in the academies in shitty areas with disadvantaged pupils?

What odds will you give me on similar being announced for the NHS.

Some issues with academies:
www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/teacher-blog/2013/jan/24/academy-school-system-heading-rocks
www.teachers.org.uk/campaigns/academies
www.parliament.uk/business/publications/research/key-issues-parliament-2015/education/academies-and-free-schools/

Evil twins wonder if you work at my academy -- exactly the same!!

National Curriculum will go.

When and where do we march in the streets over this? I will stand up and be counted.

1) why teachers will leave in droves
Teachers will have all pay and conditions removed. Academy chains can insist on longer hours etc.
2) why small schools will close
Because no academy chain will want to take them on. No money to be made.
3) what is meant by "privatisation" in this context
The academy chains are private companies. So your child's school could end up being run by Coca-Cola or Microsoft.
Who is going to want to take on the schools in the problem areas?

I think this would have happened regardless of the party in charge tbh

thisismypassword... Hmm... Give me a clue.