Turning all schools into academies

[KathrynL]

I've only just seen online that in today's budget the Tories are due to announce plans to turn all schools into academies. I'm not big on politics and I don't know too much about academy schools and the difference between them and community schools so could anyone fill me in on what it will mean and do I need to worry.

This is privatisation. I was going to add 'pure and simple', but it's not so simple, and certainly isn't pure. Privatisation, though, also involving removing accountability by elected bodies, is what it is.

Look at this for a bit of background (and research further links if you can be bothered):
www.theguardian.com/politics/2012/feb/26/schools-crusade-gove-murdoch

It's not just about profit, of course (though it is about that in part). It's also about control.

That's what I think, anyway. It depresses me, but, hey, people voted for the etonians and little old Rupert to run things, what do they expect?

This is a good article by someone who's done a lot of research into the subject:
www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/mar/16/academies-schools-problems-george-osborne

That Guardian article says nothing bad about academies that doesn't also happen in councils. Budgets are squeezed no matter whether its an academy or a council school. Hiring teachers is hard no matter whether its an academy or a council school. Local councilors did bugger all to intervene when I had a problem in a council school (except saying hire your own lawyer), and I dont remember anyone ever saying they successfully did, except when it came time for elections and then it was beggar your neighbor.

Did dealing with the council ever 'feel' personal? I would say not, so no change there then. Councils also sold services into schools at vastly inflated rates, so no change there then. How many council bureaucrats are paid 6 figure salaries in secure jobs, so no change there then. So I dont see any down side that council schools epitomize already.

The up sides, hopefully parents can vote with their feet and bad schools will face real change. Current bad heads in council schools just continue to ruin children lives ad infinitum. Schools can also buy in cheaper services instead of being tied into expensive council contractors. All in all its definitely worth the risk if we can wrestle these schools out of council shackles.

Its like privatisation but without the selling part. We just give them the land and the buildings

How can parents vote with their feet? We don't have a choice of schools at the moment. That won't change.

Buy an education off amazon?

We just give them the land and the buildings

Yes they get the land and buildings but it is a very limited form of ownership as I set out in my post yesterday afternoon. It would be more accurate to say we lend them the land and buildings.

Well, I think it's bloody ridiculous at a time of austerity, with teacher/headteacher recruitment problems and massive changes to the curriculum, exams, national testing of primary aged children, etc, to add yet more pressure to schools that have deliberately not opted to become academies. Why should schools have to divert time, resources and attention away from teaching and learning at this already overstretched time in education, just because this f*cking government says so?

Bolognese - The up sides, hopefully parents can vote with their feet

Really?

yes really

With regard to land, in the consultation it says that the intention is that all land which is LA owned will on a school converting to an academy transfer to the DfE , who will then administer a long term lease to the academy school.
That is a very large change and one that might be very controversial. I wonder if the LA currently holds the land whether they have that in their books as an asset and at an asset value. If so are the DfE going to pay for all the land that they are suddenly going to own.
The knock on effect from that is that it will become easier for the DfE to get extensions etc built on the land to house extra pupils if they own the land
The other thing that becomes more apparent on reading the consultation is that they are not forcing all schools to be part of a MAT, which has been widely reported but is still going to allow single school academies as long as they are viable.

www.tes.com/news/school-news/breaking-views/universal-academisation-burning-platform-approach-change-management?utm_source=http%3a%2f%2fnahtmail.org.uk%2fedu_nahtlz%2f&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=universal+academies+NAHT+170316&utm_term=Academisation+white+paper%3a+details+and+our+advice&utm_content=1266422&gator_td=ufQvKY8GNv04Y9a02qPeFdsdMm%2bnRtsio0zbPcp%2bKchsF%2b07VD80X554ddQFtcmGSAFmrzFnjHsvf%2fpwmeqwPsCXqXwGqrj%2b56ZHkcDfank43t%2fjHqPEpEgwRK%2bpOZ06New1D%2fMhAzhSXa2hzyI9ssNZPkMDCB5xEbVe4Bt26XLMX6Zt%2fh2zCaMZPNnr5mmLKzqwJih%2bar6JB5BUALjl8QncqTKAAnGaZ7OglFCHO%2ffYRR7cjrX9m23ynRLoDbtWWUjw%2f%2fc6%2bVmOpUykt0Z0zivtaReGv4rmdPtyu587g6E%3d

Church schools can also be turned into academies. We've just found out that our CofE school is going to become an academy. We were outstanding until our last Ofsted, when it was decided that becoming a federation with a couple of other schools had weakened our resources and we were deemed inadequate. All inadequate schools are turned into academies and this includes church schools. Thankfully we can be taken on by the diocese MAT, so being a church school has turned out to be our lifeline. Our smaller former federation partners have not been so lucky. They are not church schools, they are very small, therefore they are not financially viable on their own and they're probably going to close.

All a bit of a moot point since the government has now decided to sell all the schools off anyway.

Does anyone know or have any idea what this means for agency supply teachers, like me?

I'm a qualified supply teacher and am worried about how it will affect me with regards to the amount of work available to me and how much I'll be paid.

Supply teachers on here seem to get a bad press but I am good at my job and enjoy it. The flexibility works for us as a family - my young dd has needed several stays in hospital since a bad chest infection as a baby and still needs lots of days off nursery due to illness. Supply teaching means I'm able to take the time I need to look after her.

Hearing of the changes in school management and in recruitment of teaching staff has made me feel very uneasy for my future career and I'm wondering if anyone can offer any insight?

Oh and to answer your question as far as we know the land and buildings are still owned by the church.

Bolognese - The up sides, hopefully parents can vote with their feet

Really?

Bolognese Thu 17-Mar-16 20:36:37- yes really

Can you explain why you feel that if existing schools became academies parents would be able to walk with their feet (assuming private and HE is not an option)?

MumTryingHerBest
Assuming academies are only in it for the money, and I dont believe it for a second. Concerned parents can and do, move house, manipulate admissions, lie, get on their knees at church, tutor, pay through the nose, home school and pretty much move heaven and earth to try and get DCs into a good school. If an academy starts losing parental support it loses children and it loses funding. The only way to make money in this case is to improve standards, improve results and get parental support back.

Alternatively they could just become a failed school requiring improvement with loads of DCs of parents who dont care. In that case the D for E step in and kick the sponsor out (no profit in that). The only way for academies to make money is to produce results, sorted.

I dont subscribe to that belief system and think most academy trusts actually want to produce a good education and this system gives schools more freedom to produce those results. Unlike the old council system where schools could fail for years and years and no one seemed to care.

Bolognese not sure how your post explains how parents will be able to walk with their feet if all schools become academies. Where exactly are they going to move on to.

For parents to walk with their feet there needs to be a school that can accomodate them. If a school is over subscribed and there is a failing school nearby, be it an academy or otherwise, those who don't get a place at the over subscribed school will simply be allocated the failing one.

As for the money aspect, it would seem that even high performing academies are struggling financially even though parents are fighting tooth and nail to get their DCs in there:

schoolsweek.co.uk/parents-group-says-no-to-cold-call-for-donations/

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

From the DfE data LEA schools continue to outperform academies

Oooh, you should post that for Nicky, mrz:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/guest_posts/2595153-Guest-post-Nicky-Morgan-Why-academisation-is-best-for-our-schools?pg=1&order=

MumTryingHerBest They will move from a failing academy to a successful academy. Its pretty much how evolution works, good schools will be selected and failing ones will die! Don't pretend that a lot of parents cant choose a different school, that's pretty much what half of all Mumsnet education is about.

How is that any different from moving from one school to another now? And what about the children the academies dont want and dont have to take?

Why should successful, outstanding community schools become academies? Why force the one model on everyone? Some academies are successful. Some academies are not. It simply won't be possible for a single primary to go it alone. It just seems as cock eyed as the Free School program.