WSAW press release of 22nd April 2013 - Woodard Academies and the Durand Academy Fiasco

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West Sussex Academy Watch

Monday 22nd April

Woodards Academies and the Durand Academy Fiasco

West Sussex Academy Watch condemns in the strongest terms the racist language used by Conservative county councillor John Cherry regarding the proposed boarding school in West Sussex for under-privileged London children. These remarks – bizarrely depicting a national hierarchy of potential achievement, and a “sexual volcano” to be unleashed by ‘escaped’ black school children - were a throwback to the biological racism of the colonial era and have no place in modern society. A spokesperson for the group said: “These disgusting comments are a distraction from the real issue. It is current education policy that has led to a shortage of school places and to the plans for this expensive boarding school in West Sussex. It would be far better if this money was invested in good new state schools in London and West Sussex so that families are not broken up for children to receive a decent education.”

Tim Loughton, MP for East Worthing and Shoreham, has heaped praise on Sir Robert Woodard Academy in Lancing for appointing its third head in as many years. This school was placed in special measures by Ofsted last year. In a recent Ofsted parents survey 33% of parents think the school is not well led compared to 62% who think their child is taught well at the school. Despite the adverse effects on the children, Tim Loughton continues to praise the instability that academy status has brought to this school.

In a bad week for the Woodard academy schools, teachers have been on strike at Littlehampton Academy. In a joint statement by NUT and NASUWT, they cited “the oppressive management policies at the school which is part of the Woodard Academy chain” as the reason for the action. West Sussex Academy Watch calls for Woodard Schools to review their leadership and management practices to ensure their staff are not subject to onerous micro-management, and so that pupils at their schools are able to learn in a stable, well led environment.

A spokesperson for West Sussex Academy Watch said: “These developments show once again that education is delivered best in a free, democratically accountable state system. Local Tories are hopelessly out of touch and West Sussex Academy Watch once again calls on West Sussex County Council to abandon its policy of encouraging all schools to convert to academy status.”

For comment or clarification please contact: 

WSAcademyWatch@hotmail.co.uk

Notes to Editors

·       For more information on the Ofsted Parent View results for Sir Robert Woodard, please see the following link:

http://parentview.ofsted.gov.uk/parent-view-results/survey/result/23039/current

·       For more information about our group please see the following links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WSAcademyWatch

Twitter: https://twitter.com/WSAcademyWatch

Blog: http://whaag.blogspot.co.uk/

Schools in well-off areas 'are failing' poorer pupils - who get better exam results in deprived areas

The Independent, Andrew Grice, 23rd April 2013

Minister says schools with more affluent pupils have disgraceful record for helping disadvantaged children

Read the article

Littlehampton Gazette coverage of LTA teachers' strike

Littlehampton teachers strike over ‘Big Brother’ fears

Littlehampton strike staff ‘optimistic’... but more protests planned

Update as of 24th April 2013:

Littlehampton academy strike action ‘suspended’

Another Head teacher appointed at Sir Robert Woodard Academy, Lancing

MP praises appointment of new Sir Robert Woodard Academy principal

Read Worthing Herald article here

Tim Loughton MP praises appointment of the new Head at Robert Woodard Academy in Lancing. This is the third Headteacher since becoming an academy. How can so much upheaval be a good thing for the school, its students or staff?

Calling all parents

If you would like to add your support to the document and letter below, please go to http://www.thinking-about-education.co.uk/parents-petition/

Dear Mr. Gove,

OUR CHILDREN ARE NOT POLITICAL FOOTBALLS

We, as concerned parents, carers and citizens with an interest in young people, call upon the Secretary of State for Education to consider and respond to the following issues:-

1. We urge the Secretary of State to stop using inflammatory and derogatory language to describe children, parents and teachers, encouraging mistrust between people who should be working together to ensure a consistently good education for our young.

2. To listen to experts who have given their entire careers over to exploring and researching the best ways to teach young people. These cognitive psychologists, neuroscientists and educational experts are not enemies of promise. We are dismayed that of the entire original panel asked to advise you on the structure of the new curriculum, only one remains. The experts in education all resigned as you both ignored and misrepresented their concerns. The only remaining panelist has no experience in the education of young children at all. The Cambridge Review of the Primary Curriculum; the most comprehensive and independent review of education for 60 years has been entirely ignored by your own and the previous government because of the critical stance it has taken.

Continue reading....

The Littlehampton Academy teachers' strike

Teachers at the Littlehampton Academy will be on strike on Weds 17^th April. 

The strike has been called by both the National Union of Teachers (NUT) and the NASUWT, unions that together represent the overwhelming majority of teachers.

In a ballot teachers in both unions voted by a big majority to start an ongoing campaign of strike action and protests against the oppressive management policies at the school which is part of the Woodard Academy chain.

Teachers say that The Littlehampton Academy management have refused to move an inch from its regime of bullying micro-management of teaching staff. If management refuse to listen to the majority of teachers at the school, the strike will be followed by a two day strike and then further strikes adding up to 6 days in total.

This is a sad and alarming situation for both the teachers and the students, who will be losing out on valuable school time. Unfortunately, we may see more of this kind of action, as the number of academies - out of Local Authority oversight - grow. 

An Academic Debate?

"Great documentary exposing the fault lines running through Coalition's flagship academies programme" - Anti Academies Alliance 

Nearly three thousand schools have taken up the government’s offer to become academies – but were they tempted by more than the simple promise of freedom? This documentary explores how financial equations have played their part in the success of the coalition’s flagship schools policy. As academy funding is overhauled, the programme estimates the final cost of a grant which should have meant academies got exactly the same budget after they converted as they did before – and asks why funding equality ended up costing hundreds of millions of pounds.

In a wide-ranging examination of the academies programme, reporter Paul Faulkner also talks to schools and local authorities about the changing education landscape. Are academy freedoms as significant as they are portrayed? And what future for the local authority as its traditional role in education is marginalised? One council leader has a tough message for Whitehall – “Leave us alone!”

Listen...http://www.britishpublicradio.com/2013/03/an-academic-debate/