Academies a one-way street

Published: 1 July, 2010

• I UNDERSTAND there is a rush, so far only one known in Camden but a great many in rural areas, for schools to convert to academies.

The government has made much of public consultation, austerity measures and reducing the gap between rich and poor.

An outstanding school can automatically become an academy on application.

This means that the head and governors can apply to the government, present a business plan, and have the school instantly named an academy.

Only then do they have to inform parents and teachers what they have done.

If parents and teachers disapprove the school cannot reverse its decision and cease to be an academy.

It is a one-way movement.

The head will probably have a 30 per cent rise in salary to cover the extra work, or even a 50 per cent rise.

There is no necessity for the staff’s pay and conditions to be maintained and, over time, these will probably vary according to supply and demand.

Maths teachers can expect more, modern languages less, all teachers less if the school has an expensive project.

These measures seem to be the exact opposite of the idealistic, declared aim of four weeks ago to bring transparency and democratic consultation on the one hand and to reduce the inequalities of unfair pay rises and secret bribes to top executives on the other.

SARA WOOD
South Hill Park Gardens, NW3