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.

FanSpam th say would certainly be an interesting development. As far as I know unions want LA involvement and support. It would also be a conflict of interests to be representing teachers and running schools.

Labour invented the academy programme, and introduced PFI 25 year contracts for their cronies in schools. I dont think politicians of any stripe are guiltfree on this one.
All the politicians I know educate privately, not just Conservative ones.

I volunteer as a mentor in a secondary school academy in a deprived area in a large city. I only see a snapshot of course but it seems academies aren't all evil from my observations.

This one run by a Christian charity (despite 99% of children being Muslim) and they have improved both GCSE and A-level grades, attainment in general and become a more sort after school. The charity give scholarships and burseries to some students starting university and try to raise students ambitions.

They have lengthened the school day and become more business orientated. I have no idea what it is like as a teacher, the head of department I deal with seems fairly happy with her role/ school.

I'm generally not in favour of anything the tories promote but not all academies are greedy businesses from my limited experience.

I am quite surprised that none of the unions have considered setting up their own MAT and making it a requirement of their MAT that all teachers are qualified. It could also set its own curriculum and set pay and conditions.

But how would they compete in a market where everyone else is doing it on the cheap? I'm sure that over time central government with substantially cut any central funding making it even harder.

Schools should not need to make money for those that own them.

Put it this way...I'm not holding my breath that I will still have a TA job in a couple of years. We'll be first out the door, I'm sure!

Privatisation of education. Corruption on a grand scale. I've taught for 15 years and I'm delighted to be escaping!

What else is going in the budget that this is hiding?

Can the House of Lords over rule this?

Back to my last post when a council signs the physical property over of an academised school, who owns the property worth on average 5 million?

Good questions Hop It

I expect it is to divert us from some horror related to child benefit cuts and pensions/care for the elderly.

Littlequestion: I heard they want all converted by 2022. Guess once it's started it can't be stopped either.

OddBoots

• don't move to Scotland until you've looked at the 'Curriculum for Excellence (excrement)' and the Named Persons scheme). Look at the statistics for Primary childrens achievement over the term of the last Govt (where you can find them). Look at the nightmare that is the Highers system under CforE.

The grass is not greener here, sadly.

So if the govt. have the title deeds for schools, and some of those schools have to close because they're not viable as academies, presumably the govt can do what they wish with the land and sell them to their chums property developers? Is that right?

I'm not a teacher or TA. My children are at private school. Even I can see this is awful. It is just horrifying. Money will be made by the academy chains with highly paid 'executives' and national assets will be given or sold on the cheap to these businesses.

And aren't lots of these chains religious too? What checks are there in terms of curriculum or extremism? Can an academy teach creationism for instance?

Where is the accountability of these chains? If a council run schools badly or results bad people can vote to change councillors. How could a community get rid of a chain? Would a school have to buy itself out??

The same will happen to healthcare. Foundation trusts can set own contracts and can join together to form groups. Failing ones will be given / sold on cheap to Virgin etc.

Lots of greedy city types will be rubbing their hands over this.

Convenient eh Jelly

I find this horrendously depressing. It is stealth privatisation. It sickens me to my stomach what is happening to state education, to the NHS, to us as a country. Encouraged to belittle and despise those who are less well off in so many ways.

It is revolting and we should be revolting.

justthetickets It doesn't make a difference at the moment because the vast majority of schools aren't academies and do use teachers pay and conditions so academies do too in order to compete with LA schools for staff. If no schools have to use TP&C then it'll be a free for all.

I agree, this will be the long- term situation :(

Isn't this a version of what was the old grant maintained system where schools were independent of LEAs. I think that many were successful. Not sure about academies as the term seems to have been tarnished somewhat by financial scandals

I'm just horrified by this. No public health system, no public education system. It will lead to no overall standards, separated paths from birth for the very rich and the poor.

I very much fear it is the end of free education as well. I wonder how long it will be, once all schools are privatised, before they are allowed or 'forced' to start charging fees, as has happened at University level? I also wonder just what is the point of local councils and any pretence at local democracy any more when all the services they provide are forced out of their hands directly or by cuts and all the decisions they make can be overturned at will by central government in favour of their rich friends (look at the situation with fracking in Lancashire).

This is the end of any possibility of poorer people making something of themselves. This is the end of modern Britain. This is a return to the Victorian period, with every social advance destroyed. I agree with CobblerBob, we should indeed be revolting. We cannot take another 4 years of these scum in charge.

We're at our wit's end

Not impressive grammar, EvilTwins

I work for a teaching union, used to be a teacher for many years. I take calls every day from teachers being denied pay progression, maternity rights, bullying etc. Being taken to dismissal for being ill for a few weeks. The majority of these work in academies.

Academies don't need to employ qualified teachers- there are lots of these. Teachers are leaving in droves, I know so many. Academies don't have to grant PPA time, they can make teachers work longer hours, alongside other crap working conditions.

Fanny, what you describe is absolutely rife all over teaching and where you work (as in the type of school) makes very little difference.

If a Head in an LA maintained school wants to get rid of a child or a teacher, they will, just as they will in an academy. It may be more 'straightforward' in an academy, but the end result is identical.

It's exactly what happened with the NHS, when they moved to Trusts those organisations that stood firm eventually were forced into it. Beginning of privatisation.

Fannyglum our school is applying to be part of a MAT anyway and we have been assured that our contracts (and therefore our P and Cs ) are subject to TUPE. Is this a lie or not as safe as our SMT are making it sound?

bsmirched I have been out of education a while but from what I can remember your existing conditions are safe for the job you have. However if they restructure or people apply for a new post in the school they will have a new contract under the conditions of the academy.

If schools are no longer under LA I am not sure how teachers build up maternity rights. Will they have to build rights up with each academy chain?

This is the end of any possibility of poorer people making something of themselves. This is the end of modern Britain. This is a return to the Victorian period, with every social advance destroyed

My very first
FFS
There's been lots of comment here about executive pay, doing things on the cheap, closing schools, selling off land etcetc - all very political (small p) with absolutely no evidence to back it up, then you get comments like ^ that it's the beginning of the end of the world as we know it. You can't have a reasoned debate if we get to that level. I've seen very little evidence that on a practical level (as opposed to objections of principle) that this will adversely affect the education of our children.

No government is going to end the compulsory education for all children. No government will make compulsory education payable. No government will award contracts to Academy businesses that don't ensure there are enough places for all children within each locality. It's laughable to think otherwise.

Labour needs to do a "mea culpa" over this - yes, they introduced academies and yes, it was a shit idea but they never envisaged at the time that it would lead to the effective privatisation of the education system, which is what's happening. But nevertheless, it was their shit idea and they should acknowledge that and address it. And I say this as a longstanding Labour member and activist.