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Scrap plans to force state schools to become academies

For news of events, petitions and campaigns that may be of interest to humanists and secularists.
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Alan H
Posts: 24067
Joined: July 3rd, 2007, 10:26 pm

Scrap plans to force state schools to become academies

#1 Post by Alan H » March 17th, 2016, 8:43 pm

Government petition: already has over 50,000 signatures. Scrap plans to force state schools to become academies.
State schools are accountable to parents, the local community and to local authorities. By forcing schools to become academies the accountability will be to a trust and to accountants. Her Majesty Chief Inspector of schools has concerns over education provided in academies and so should you.

Government is choosing to ignore the evidence from the HMCI, the Education Select Committee and the Sutton Trust’s own Chain Effects report, which clearly demonstrates that academy status not only does not result in higher attainment but that many chains are badly failing their pupils, particularly their disadvantaged pupils.
Alan Henness

There are three fundamental questions for anyone advocating Brexit:

1. What, precisely, are the significant and tangible benefits of leaving the EU?
2. What damage to the UK and its citizens is an acceptable price to pay for those benefits?
3. Which ruling of the ECJ is most persuasive of the need to leave its jurisdiction?

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Dave B
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Joined: May 17th, 2010, 9:15 pm

Re: Scrap plans to force state schools to become academies

#2 Post by Dave B » March 17th, 2016, 8:57 pm

Signed.

Happy for any measure that will improve education, even the academy syetem if it works, but not that happy forcing it on schools will.

Governments should govern, not dictate or micromanage.
"Look forward; yesterday was a lesson, if you did not learn from it you wasted it."
Me, 2015

Nick
Posts: 11027
Joined: July 4th, 2007, 10:10 am

Re: Scrap plans to force state schools to become academies

#3 Post by Nick » March 18th, 2016, 12:54 am

Alan H wrote:Government petition: already has over 50,000 signatures.
Some people will sign anything.
Scrap plans to force state schools to become academies.
State schools are accountable to parents, the local community and to local authorities.
A moment's thought. If education is compulsory, and local authorities have a stranglehold on education, then accountability to parents is effectively lost. Accountability to "the local community" is a meaningless phrase, and accountability to local authorities suffers from the fatal defect that the more the authority finds wrong, the more they are therefore obliged to do to rectify the situation. The incentive to be lax has been all too obvious in times past. So the whole basis of the petition is a joke.
By forcing schools to become academies the accountability will be to a trust and to accountants.
Dog-whistle politics. There are accountants in the public sector too. And academies, because of the greater freedom under the academies system, parents have far more leverage than if all schools are run by the same bureaucrats (I can do dog-whistle too!) The trust is the provider, not the commissioner. That's the whole point.
Her Majesty Chief Inspector of schools has concerns over education provided in academies
... as well as concerns over education provided by local authorities. That's their job, after all.
and so should you.
I have concern over the educational attainment of the petitioner!
Government is choosing to ignore the evidence from the HMCI, the Education Select Committee and the Sutton Trust’s own Chain Effects report, which clearly demonstrates that academy status not only does not result in higher attainment but that many chains are badly failing their pupils, particularly their disadvantaged pupils.
No it doesn't. It demonstrates that academies do not necessarily result in higher attainment, but nor does the old system, either, where whole swathes of youngsters have been failed.

I am not claiming that all schools should therefore become academies, just that the justification offered in this petition is extremely poor.

And nor is this much of an example of humanism, either, but sadly, this seems to be increasingly the case in this forum......

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Alan H
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Re: Scrap plans to force state schools to become academies

#4 Post by Alan H » March 18th, 2016, 1:22 am

Nick wrote:
Alan H wrote:Government petition: already has over 50,000 signatures.
Some people will sign anything.
:)
No it doesn't. It demonstrates that academies do not necessarily result in higher attainment, but nor does the old system, either, where whole swathes of youngsters have been failed.
And 'swathes' are failing in academies, aren't they?
I am not claiming that all schools should therefore become academies, just that the justification offered in this petition is extremely poor.
Why the rush to change, Nick? Are you agreeing that schools should not be forced to become academies? Did you hear Nicky Morgan's risible defence of her policy on BBC Question Time?
And nor is this much of an example of humanism, either, but sadly, this seems to be increasingly the case in this forum......
What? Education isn't a humanist issue? What we're talking about here is whether children - the next generation - are being given the best education they can be given. As you have admitted - and as the data show - there is no good evidence that academies change attainment overall. So, what is about to happen is a huge top-down reorganisation of our education system when, as usual, the Government have provided not a jot of evidence that it will improve anything whatsoever (ring any bells?). Why is that not a humanist issue (not that it has to be to be a topic for discussion between humanists on this or any other forum).
Alan Henness

There are three fundamental questions for anyone advocating Brexit:

1. What, precisely, are the significant and tangible benefits of leaving the EU?
2. What damage to the UK and its citizens is an acceptable price to pay for those benefits?
3. Which ruling of the ECJ is most persuasive of the need to leave its jurisdiction?

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Alan H
Posts: 24067
Joined: July 3rd, 2007, 10:26 pm

Re: Scrap plans to force state schools to become academies

#5 Post by Alan H » March 18th, 2016, 10:35 am

An obituary: farewell to your Local Education Authority
Putting these laments for the demise of the LEA aside, the evidence that academies are the best model for school improvement is severely lacking, especially for the poorest students. Research suggests that underperforming schools actually improve much faster under local authority supervision.
Alan Henness

There are three fundamental questions for anyone advocating Brexit:

1. What, precisely, are the significant and tangible benefits of leaving the EU?
2. What damage to the UK and its citizens is an acceptable price to pay for those benefits?
3. Which ruling of the ECJ is most persuasive of the need to leave its jurisdiction?

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Tetenterre
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Re: Scrap plans to force state schools to become academies

#6 Post by Tetenterre » March 18th, 2016, 11:00 am

As a former teacher ('Appeal to False Authority' fallacy? :D ), I offer the following:

Government, both local and central, have largely ballsed up education by making it a political football. Both interfere, interferences usually result in some sort of disadvantage to some pupils (aka "failing schools"), and the "failure" is used as an excuse for the next kick of the political football. This is not unique to any political party or any species of government. It's usually the result of, or an excuse for, underfunding.

Whilst I agree that all education, but particularly state education, should follow some basic principles, the responsibility for attaining those, and liability for not attaining them, should be in the hands of professional educators, not politicians. A major role of politicians should be to ensure adequate funding. It's an old adage, but to provide every pupil with an excellent education is extremely expensive, but not to do so is even more expensive in the long term.
Steve

Quantum Theory: The branch of science with which people who know absolutely sod all about quantum theory can explain anything.

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Alan H
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Joined: July 3rd, 2007, 10:26 pm

Re: Scrap plans to force state schools to become academies

#7 Post by Alan H » March 18th, 2016, 11:18 am

Perhaps parent governors are perfectly placed to ensure schools are run for the benefit of children rather than the business interests of the academies/MATs?

No! Wait!

Parents' role in governing bodies at schools to be scrapped
Alan Henness

There are three fundamental questions for anyone advocating Brexit:

1. What, precisely, are the significant and tangible benefits of leaving the EU?
2. What damage to the UK and its citizens is an acceptable price to pay for those benefits?
3. Which ruling of the ECJ is most persuasive of the need to leave its jurisdiction?

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Tetenterre
Posts: 3244
Joined: March 13th, 2011, 11:36 am

Re: Scrap plans to force state schools to become academies

#8 Post by Tetenterre » March 18th, 2016, 2:56 pm

Nicky Morgan, the Education Secretary, said such roles were only providing a voice to “informed parents”
So much less of a hassle to have uninformed parents....
Steve

Quantum Theory: The branch of science with which people who know absolutely sod all about quantum theory can explain anything.

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Alan H
Posts: 24067
Joined: July 3rd, 2007, 10:26 pm

Re: Scrap plans to force state schools to become academies

#9 Post by Alan H » March 19th, 2016, 2:05 pm

Alan Henness

There are three fundamental questions for anyone advocating Brexit:

1. What, precisely, are the significant and tangible benefits of leaving the EU?
2. What damage to the UK and its citizens is an acceptable price to pay for those benefits?
3. Which ruling of the ECJ is most persuasive of the need to leave its jurisdiction?

User avatar
Alan H
Posts: 24067
Joined: July 3rd, 2007, 10:26 pm

Re: Scrap plans to force state schools to become academies

#10 Post by Alan H » July 7th, 2016, 12:42 am

Nicky Morgan's pathetic response to the petition: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/124702
Alan Henness

There are three fundamental questions for anyone advocating Brexit:

1. What, precisely, are the significant and tangible benefits of leaving the EU?
2. What damage to the UK and its citizens is an acceptable price to pay for those benefits?
3. Which ruling of the ECJ is most persuasive of the need to leave its jurisdiction?

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