Academies consultation period?

[CardyMow]

My DD's Secondary school, along with six others in North East Essex, have sent home a single letter telling parents they want to become an Academy, and that they are starting the consultation process tomorrow. Being concerned, I googled a lot little, and by reading the website of one of the other schools, have discovered that all seven schools have ALREADY submitted their applications to the DfE for Academy Status - BEFORE the consultation period has even started.

I stayed in a very small house so that my DD DIDN'T go to an Academy, as she has SN, but not 'severe' enough to get a statement (she is on SA+, despite working on lvl 3/4 in Y9 with lots of extra help...my idea of severe enough for a statement doesn't match Essex LA).

I don't want my DD at an Academy - she is exactly the sort of child that will either lose help, or be 'shuffled' out of the school. But her CURRENT school and the only other feasible option travelling-wise are BOTH in the seven schools that are becoming Academies.

Will there be anywhere I can go to if the school stop giving her the SEN help that she has been getting? Because the current level she is getting is VERY much down to the school being extra helpful - in fact it's WHY she is at this school - they offered more than twice the amount of help to pupils on SA+ as any other local school, but from September this year, I have had no end of problems, including my DD being left with no English teacher for the entire first half term, there being no LSA in a lot of her lessons, school being very evasive, blah blah blah (still ongoing).

Can they put in the application anyway, before they have even started the consultation period? EVERY parent I have spoken to whose dc attend the school do not want the school to become an Academy - it is a fairly well performing school, good results, is apparently the wealthiest comprehensive school in Essex, so doesn't need the extra Academy money IYSWIM.

I chose the school based on the fact that it WASN'T an Academy - now halfway through my DD's time there, they are doing this. And I'm not paying out for a new uniform - if they want to change the bloody uniform, THEY can give me the 3 sets I'll need for FREE. The uniform my DD currently has is in adult sizes and will last until she leaves. I need 3 sets so she has one on, one wet in the machine, and one drying on the airer (no tumbler). I also chose this school in part BECAUSE it has a traditional Blazer / shirt / tie uniform. I don't want a scruffy polo shirt and sweatshirt combo! (Which is what all the other local schools that are already Academies have done).

I'm worried and scared about the school possibly getting rid of all LSA's for dc without statements, about there being no real way to complain to the LEA if the school is doing something wrong, I don't want this, neither do many (any?) of the parents, what can I do to try to stop the school? Which seems a bit fruitless, as IMO they have already made the decision no matter what the objections of the parents are, because they have already submitted the Academy application, with a view to it changing in Spring 2012.

WHAT, if anything can I do? How can I get the other parents that I know are unhappy involved? Is there ANY way to stop this?

I think the timetabling of GCSE subjects actively discriminates against dc that are more practical, in favour of those that are more academic, but that's an entirely different thread!! .

I won't be disappointed in DD, at all, if she doesn't get 'C' grades - but I know that WITH enough help, she can continue to progress at the level she has done over the last 2 years, and I am concerned at the help being taken away from her if the school becomes an Academy. I don't see there being anything wrong with having goals for her to work towards - in fact she is exceeding her teachers predictions for this year in most subjects. In most subjects, she is consistently getting marks for pieces of work that are at least 2 sub-levels hiher than the teachers have predicted for her. As long as DD does her best, that is what matters. I do try my best to help her as much as possible at home. She can confidently have discussions about subjects as diverse as Mugabe's opressive regime to coastal erosion - it is getting things on paper that is her problem, as her reading and writing abilities are so much lower than where her brain is, IYSWIM.

What I am trying to say is that, IMO, almost all dc, even those with SEN, can acheive a 'C' grade GCSE if given the correct help and enough hours help. The problem with the school system is that they DON'T push SEN dc to acheive this goal - because the help those dc would need would cost too much.

The school currently has a 69% 5 A-C grade with Maths and English - which is a drop on the previous 5 years where it has been consistently between 75% and 71% 5 A-C grade with Maths and English. The other 6 schools that would be part of the Academy Federation all have a much lower percentage of their pupils acheiving 5 A-C grades with* Maths and English - between 30% and 51%, depending on the school. Hence this school boosting the figures if they average them out like they are doing in the press release - makes all the other schools look better, but this one look worse!

" IMO, almost all dc, even those with SEN, can acheive a 'C' grade GCSE if given the correct help and enough hours help."

Can I ask why you're so convinced of this? Is it just your experience with your DD? I notice that you say her problem isn't her understanding or her brain, but getting things down on paper. What about those students where their problem isn't getting things down on paper but understanding in the first place? Ones who aren't very bright?

With enough help, and the right sort of TAILORED, INDIVIDUAL help, I still believe that a lot of the dc with SEN, that are currently written off, could acheive a 'C' grade GCSE. Further education may not be possible, but a 'C' grade GCSE? YES for MOST - note I say MOST not all.

Never gonna happen though - it would cost BILLIONS. I'm talking 1-2-1 ABA for all pupils that need it, Voice recognition equipment for dc that can't physically HOLD a pencil etc...a pipe dream, I know - but I feel far too many DC are written off by the education system, that are capable of acheiving so much more, if only they were given the RIGHT help.

I do think it depends on the SEN. Is their SEN preventing them from accessing the curriculum (as in your pencil holding example or something like dyslexia) or is it something like a very poor memory. If you teach a child who can't remember what they've done from one lesson to the next then it is hard to envisage a situation where they can sit in an exam and remember how to calculate percentages and the formula for the area of a circle.

As a maths teacher I'd be interested to know what support was given to your DD in maths which makes you think her potential was unlocked in such a manner that progress to a C is achievable. I teach a handful of students in Y7 who got Ns in their SATs and it would be nice to know anything that could potentially make a difference.

She was in a Focus Group for Y7 and Y8 that took her out of her timetabled MFL lessons, and she worked in a group of 4 with an LSA on understanding basic Mathematical concepts, starting right from the beginning again, with number bonds to ten. She is in Y9 now, and working an High level 3 / Low level 4 maths. And this is someone who was working on 'p' scales at the start of Y7. So in just over two Academic years, she has made 9/10 sublevels progress. I am just peeved that this all seems to have disappeared as soon as the school has decided to become an Academy.

If she continued at that level of progress, I would see no reason why she couldn't get a 'C' grade (just) at GCSE - but the fact is, that help has disappeared, so now she wont.

For anyone fighting for fair consultation on Academy conversion, please see my blog handsoffourschool.wordpress.com/academy-consultation/ I fought conversion at my daughter's school on the basis of demanding full and fair consultation - and won, for the timebeing. It can be done.