Education, Education, Privatisation?
Reading over @SE11_lurker’s post on the confusion created by @cllr_robbins new education policy for New Labour in Lambeth, and my mind went racing back to that @LambethLabour manifesto. The merry month of May threw up many odd moments within the Rotten Borough, but I could have sworn that our red flag flying friends had endorsed the building of new academies within the borough.
Looking back, and yep - here we have it:
Hang on - a new academy? Isn’t this the exact same style of educational institution that the new @LambethLabour cabinet member for Children and Young People’s Services is now so adamantly against?
The latest missive from @LambethLabour proudly declares:
Councillor Pete Robbins has asked schools not to join the coalition government’s offer to become academies.
Labour Councillor Pete Robbins, said “if schools break away from LEA control there will be a real danger of a two tier education system and academies could cherry pick pupils by implementing through the backdoor selective admissions policies. As Labour led council that’s not what we want – we believe in equal opportunities for all.”
Equal opportunities for all is a fine educational target to aspire to. But where does that leave the young people in the borough who can’t get a place at the proposed Tulse Hill academy?
If I was an academy supporting type of citizen, I may well have voted for @cllr_robbins and his pals, knowing that the @LambethLabour policy is to build a brand new academy in the borough.
Not so now it seems. Ah yes, events dear boy, events. That nasty ConDem coalition has come into power nationally, with the vision to, um, build more academies. It’s no coincidence that a right of centre local authority had the exact same policy as a right of centre national government.
It’s all about the kids, isn’t it? Playing ping-pong with a particular education policy, just to score poxy political points to suit the current mood of the nation, isn’t going to continue to keep education improving in the borough.
The irony is that education under the @LambethLabour watch has actually been rather good. GCSE results continue to improve, with students now obtaining grades higher than the national average. Sending out confused manifesto and policy decisions isn’t going to help students, teachers or even parents.
And so the question for @cllr_robbins and @LambethLabour is: academies - good or bad? If it is the latter, then please explain how you managed such a massive U-turn in just over a month, from the policy you went to the polls with on May 6th.
Of course I can pre-empt the professional politician’s back track argument of “we plan to *create* an academy, rather than force current state schools to become academies.”
But either way - it’s still the privatisation of education through the back door. And that’s something that most certainly wasn’t mentioned in that @LambethLabour local election manifesto.
07/06/2010 at 3:20 pm Permalink
Hi Jason,
You’re halfway there with my predicted ‘politicians’ answer - I do think there is a a clear difference between a) taking up the option to build academies, as the only way to plug the gap in local demand for secondary places, and b) my hope that existing local schools don’t take up Michael Gove’s invitation to go it alone and become free standing academies.
The fact is we are still in need of a new secondary school in Lambeth because we are still somewhat short of places despite successfully delivering two new secondary schools (one academy, and one parent promoted school - the UK’s first). So we rightly made a manifesto commitment to provide a third. Providing academies were the only options we had to deliver the extra schools we need, and we were absolutely right to do so.
However the big difference is indeed that they are new schools - not existing ones - and that the local authority was a key partner in their formation. Lambeth schools are indeed excellent - a very high proportion are rated as outstanding - and this is mainly thanks to the hard work of heads, teachers, pupils and staff. But it is also thanks to a supportive and committed local authority, that plays an active role in ensuring standards are maintained, and intervenes early to offer assistance where it is needed. Lambeth also works to ensure schools work together to raise each other’s standards, and to secure financial savings by pursuing joint procurement etc. This has been very effective in improving the quality of education offfered to local children of all backgrounds - and in a large number of schools in Lambeth being rated as outstanding.
The main danger of Gove’s plan to offer all schools academy status - without any say for local councils, parents, or teachers - and force them to compete for pupils and funding, is that there will be no-one to intervene or offer support when a school starts to fail. Lambeth children only get one education, and I personally don’t think the market is the best way to ensure they get it.
I think that the vast majority of heads and governing bodies in Lambeth recognise that, and will choose not to become academies, but instead to continue their close and mutually beneficial relationship with the local authority. There is certainly not a groundswell of support from parents as far as I can see.
As ever, I am always happy to discuss further Jason - by Twitter/phone/email or indeed for one of your famous audioBoos. I will be taking you to task over your implication that I am playing ‘ping pong’ with local education to score political points - nothing could be further from the truth, and I thought you would know that.
Keep up the good work etc,
Cllr Pete Robbins
Lambeth Cabinet Member for Children & Young People