Acadamy school status : For or against?

[DrNortherner]

I am totally against. I think they will do nothing to close the gap between good schools and bad schools and the community as a whole will lose out.

This could totally have a negative impact on teachers, parents (as Acadamey schools acn set their own term times etc) and kids alike. I have my doubts that teh SEN intake will dwindle too putting extra pressure on the state non academy schools in the area.

2 State school in my town are seeking Academy status and it is making my blood boil.

Thoughts?

I'm really happy with the school, thanks. Not sure about the class-sizes but he's used to being in a class of 30 at the moment so anything there or thereabouts should be fine.

Back to the academy status and what it means. According to one article I read recently

"The list of freedoms gained through academy status includes: freedom to adapt the national curriculum, to vary teachers' pay and conditions, and to vary the length of the school day/week/year. And?.well, that's about it."

So I think the initial reaction by the OP of boiling blood and being dead set against the idea is probably misplaced. It's more 'evolution' than 'revolution'.

I think those freedoms sound great, in theory, but worry about them being abused by business/religious groups and about teachers' rights, conditions and pay being protected.

I have never liked the one-size fits all idea, but there has always been a huge variety of provision, even within the comprehensive system. In fact that has been both a strength and a weakness.

I sympathise with DrN's boiling blood. I feel the same way every time the government tries to bring in measures that could harm the most vulnerable in society. We've got to protect them. Academies are unlikely to do that, imo.

Agree with you, Jackstarb, about Finland!

Well, I find it interesting that the biggest apparent gripe people have is that state education is currently a big postcode lottery, yet I don't see how academy schools are going to change this one iota. They could, of course, make this a million times worse, as good and outstanding schools that are currently the focus for conversion to academy status, become academies and the less good schools in areas where the local population are less inspired by the thought of losing LA control (and protection) do not. And I worry that once the LA has lost a few schools from its "books," it's bulk purchasing power will be reduced and its standard of service for those schools left will be reduced as it takes advantage of its reduced responsiblities and finances to effect redundancies and cost cutting measures.

I also worry that when the heads of the outstanding and good schools that have converted to academy status move on/lose their oomph as they get older, the schools may find their popularity waning, lose pupil numbers and thus funding and suddenly realise that they are now responsible for paying redundancy costs, deciding staff pay and conditions,dealing with legal messes etc, and the head and governors no longer have any safety net to fall back on. Not an enticing prospect for unpaid school governors, any potential new head thinking of taking over a failing academy and any teachers considering whether or not to work at the school, and not something you can be confident will never happen, given the undersupply of head teachers of all calibres.

I also worry that academy schools will effectively be replicating a lot of the work currently done by the LA that is not a school's main business - eg sorting out payroll and pensions, legal services, electricity and other service suppliers, buildings maintenance, insurances etc. It will take up an awful lot of time to look into all of this and find the best, most cost-effective providers, etc, and bulk purchasing power will be lost, unless all the schools in the area work together on it and act like a mini-LA (I can already see the arguments over who's not pulling their weight or contributing enough), or unless the school just buys these services from the LA, assuming they will be widely offered by the LA any more (somehow I doubt it), once half the schools in the area have become academies.

I also worry that the academy concept and the apparent joy of competition in the schools sector is failing to recognise that schools are not any old business. You can't really have schools constantly failing and being swallowed up by other schools that become ever more big and powerful when you are to a large extent constrained by physical space and location, school populations that require some kind of consistency and certainty in provision, and can't really sack half the staff and replace them with a call centre in India.

Interesting post, Rabbitstew - loads of problems that had never occurred to me.

In a way you have vindicated my response to the idea of academies, which was more instinctive than informed. I had never thought of the possibility of one religious group/business consortium taking over several schools, for example. Would the local councils allow that? I suppose if they didn't they organisation would simply buy schools in different LEAs.

I really hope the things you write about don't happen, though, as it would be awful for the kids especially.

Academies have been around for a good few years now. Does anyone know of any thorough evaluations of how they are doing?

We group schools together via councils - where they are accountable to the people.

Academy status is allowing the private sector to group schools together under their control - where they are now no longer accountable to the people - but to the directors of the private companies

"The Harris Federation of South London Schools is a single charitable legal entity to which all of the Harris Academies belong.

The Harris Federation comprises 9 open Academies, with more planned in the future, eventually growing to 20 or more Academies

Additionally there are 7 Harris Specialist Schools, and 4 pilot specialist primary schools, a total of around 20,000 pupils in South London."

The Director is Lord Harris of Peckham and the the chairman of Carpetright

Britain's high street has suffered its latest blow after Carpetright said it planned to close stores after pre-tax profits slumped 70pc.

"Harris made donations to David Cameron as leader of the Conservative Party. He is considered to be one of his personal friends."

So Harris makes donations to Cameron and Cameron introduces legislation that allows Harris to take control of Education and billions of pounds of our education budget - who elected Harris?

I guess Academy schools are about the private sector losing money so private sector directors need something else to mismanage - and what better that giving these directors control of our education budget.

This all stinks - and I look forward to the private sector being kicked out of our schools and then being returned to control of the councils and the people

" I look forward to the private sector being kicked out of our schools and then being returned to control of the councils and the people"

What is so great about council-run schools that you're so anxious to defend? Everyone has a failing school in their area. If the state system was so universally successful there wouldn't be a failing school in the country... they'd all be of an equally high standards and it wouldn't matter where you lived. As privately run independent schools seem to have a fairly good track-record, why not bring some of that investment and philosophy in where the state system has resoundingly failed? Why keep flogging a dead horse?

council run comprehensives were so successful record numbers of pupils from these schools were attending university and gaining degrees and the children gaining professional status and being highly successful in professional jobs.

I have two nephews who lived in the poorest area of Scotland, with the highest unemployment rate. They went to a council run school.

One is a senior economist (who manages many oxbridge educated people) and the other a highly successful prosecutor for the crown office.

(As a product of the same school I am an analyst programmer ...and I could go on and on.

The majority of graduates in this country come from council run schools - where we achieve a high standard of education - and morals and ethics

That's why I am happy to defend council run schools

And successful children from council run schools are the delight of the proof that you are successful because of what you know and what you do rather than who you know

ah, but you see, that was at a scottish school. The scottish education system is far less screwed up than the english (and doesn't do 'academies')

The majority of graduates come from state schools because the majority of children go to state schools... you'd appreciate the correlation being an analyst programmer and all. However, a higher % of privately educated children get to the good universities than state-educated. Our children, tragically, do not get a high standard of state education on a universal basis. The service is unacceptably patchy. Success in the state system today may not depend on 'who you know' but it does depend entirely on being either lucky enough or wealthy enough to live in the right catchment area.... not exactly egalitarian. We need more good schools and, if the current model isn't working, we need to think more creatively. Who provides good schools is not the central issue

Non-selective state schools have to take the pupils they're given and overall they do a fantastic job. There is no way they can be compared to schools that cherry pick. Even independents that don't select on ability can say no to anyone they want and get rid of later if they don't like them.

All our local secondaries are applying for academy status. I'm on the fence. More of the staff budget will obviously go on admin. What will they squeeze if they need to? Experienced teachers in exchange for a higher proportion of NQTs? Less support staff? I would be worried if there were no unions. Staff need some sort of protection from false accusations. I can't think of any real benefits at the moment so will have to wait and see.

For, anything that gives teachers greater autonomy is a good thing in my opinion.

I think Lord Hill mentioned that schools converting to academy status made it clear that there was no requirement to enter into any recognition agreement with education unions...any agreement would be a significant factor in the assessment of the secretary of state will make before deciding or not to enter into a funding agreement....that a key academy freedom was to be able to set its own pay and conditions....and that its the responsibility of the governing body to consult with whoever they think appropriate...

Macaroona, I'm not sure that any union is big enough to collapse educational standards, the biggest "union" is the government and it can do what it wants whether the unions are for or against the policy.

The governors are appointed not elected. It's just unfortunate that the people appointed are business oriented not child oriented
www.anorak.co.uk/286642/news/rebekah-brooks-looks-after-the-kids-of-fulwood-academy.html/#more-286642
and some of the other governors seem to be linked either to an auditing company, KPMG, or other academies, so it is just business clearly.
IMHO - if a school want to go it alone, do it! but do it alone, there are many independent schools around the country which work quite well, but I really dont want to have to contribute to something (as a taxpayer), that I can't have a say in, (not that we can anyway I suppose!)

The curriculum argument doesn't seem to hold water as the white paper will change the curriculum across the board and all schools already have some freedoms, the only reason for following the curriculum is for league table purposes.

Janewa - I'm not clear on how an academy gives a classroom teacher greater autonomy, please could you share your opinion/facts?

I'm for if the children do not have to follow the national curriculum and are taught more British history say, I'm against it if children have to stay in school from 8am till 6pm, as I think the school day is long enough. I think there are some positives and some negatives, but would have to look into it more carefully. I'm sending my children to independant schools, but would be very interested in the academies if they say ran them on public school lines.

www.isc.co.uk/publication_4_0_0_26_498.htm

"....Becoming an academy is not an obvious option for most independent schools because the associated conditions greatly reduce the independence valued by parents, teachers and Heads."
Although the statement relates to speculation that independent schools could turn to academies, it seems to confirm that an academy/free school wont be truly independent. Lets face it, it wont be with Michael's henchmen/women breathing down their neck :)
Those that want academy status, please find a nice job in the independent sector instead, it's wonderful!

Elfhire. I'm sorry if I confused you. I would not send my children to an independant school if it turned into an academy.If academies were more like independant schools I would consider it very carefully before sending my children there. At present I'm very happy with the teaching and curriculum of independant/public schools I'm applying for. Why would anyone want to spend say £20.000 a year on their children's education for the school to be told what to do by the government? No thanks..... I wonder if Eton will become an academy LOL! Thanks for the link to ISC, I'll tell them if you have anything to do with the government I'm out!
My ds goes to a state school at present which is 'outstanding' and has great teachers, I'm sure many of them could get jobs in the independant sector.

But your school has to follow the EYFS, do you mind that?

Your independent school that is

www.educationengland.org.uk/history/timeline.html

Is the education system is only a political football, its aim, for the government to change our thinking process and give some control. It started of basically as a charity based affair, the church, developed into small independents run by local charities / communities/authorities, these were enveloped into the LA with the 1944 education act, (1946 where they discussed how the independent schools could be incorporated into the new state system), then this system is "broken up" back into small entities, run from a central location, which won?t be able to cope and consequently dish out responsibilities to local councils, which in turn will be swallowed up by local authorities, and around we go again. It's nothing new really let?s be honest; it?s just a way of simulating "progress". (change).
It appears that lots of folk are revelling in academies as a new idea and it?s simply not when we look at history; it?s only a new name. From what I understand the only benefit of an academy is the ?power? it gives to HT?s over staff and to adjust everyone?s salary (and some governors, who might not realise what they?re getting into in terms of extra work). All the other arguments don?t seem to hold water, the most recent government inishitive, the white paper will change the system across the board
At the moment staff are protected by employment laws, etc, until the government decides that these are impeding and revokes them too!

Will staff still be public sector employees? I'm a TA and thinking about my pension (paltry though it is).

The staff become employees of the private company, (charity), so no they will no longer be public employees. The terms and conditions are likely to ?TUPE? across, and initially very little will change. What has happened at some academies, (after about 12 months or so) , is this, the employer introduces an "incentive" scheme, such as UPS4 for teachers or maybe...HLTA 2, for support staff, and staff see "more money", however, once the staff sign up for these sorts of "incentives", they relinquish their own existing terms and conditions (selling their soul :)), after that they are on the company's T&C and a contract of employment, which might involve support staff preparing and delivering lessons, (well they would be being paid and extra £350/yr to do it so it's only fair :)) another good one is compulsory dinner-time duties, (again, there's some extra cash involved, how much is that worth?) and anything else the employer sees fit to throw in, to keep business running costs down.
Academies are required to offer the Teachers? Pension Scheme to all teachers and the Local Government Pension Scheme to support staff. Existing support staff should 'TUPE' across to the academy on their existing terms and conditions. This means the Green Book will still apply, except in the handful of LAs who have previously opted out. If the school chooses to move away from the Green Book, you should ensure, with the recognised support staff unions, that a forum is established to negotiate replacement policies with staff immediately. Clear policies and structures should be in place before any new staff can be appointed.
The move to academy status means that staff will no longer have the automatic right to continuity of service for the purpose of redundancy payments and some other contractual benefits, such as annual leave and occupational sick pay, when moving between schools. Raise the issue with both the old and new employer during the TUPE discussions, to ensure that teachers and support staff can move between an academy and a maintained school (and vice versa) without any loss of rights.
Pensions are not covered by TUPE transfers, but all academies must provide membership of the Teachers' Pension Scheme (TPS) or Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) to all eligible staff.