OPT OUT SCHOOLS FACE LEGAL THREAT

Published: 17th June, 2011
by ANDREW JOHNSON

FURIOUS union officials are taking legal advice after two primary schools agreed to opt out of Town Hall control, despite concerns that they failed to consult parents properly.

One school – William Tyndale, in Upper Street, St Mary’s – went ahead even though more than 200 parents supported a petition in one day of collecting signatures last week. 

The other primary to go it alone is New North Community School in Popham Road, St Peter’s. A third school, Pooles Park in Lennox Road, Finsbury Park, decided not to opt out after governors voiced fears about the future of funding and the loss of free school meals. 

Ken Muller, assistant secretary of Islington branch of the National Union of Teachers (NUT), said that the consultation process had been flawed from the start, with many parents feeling disenfranchised, particularly as leaflets on the subject had not been translated for the many parents who do not speak English.

“We’re really pleased that Pooles Park has decided not to go ahead,” he said. “But we’re very unhappy about New North and William Tyndale going ahead. William Tyndale’s governors voted in favour despite 206 parents signing a petition opposing it.

Somali parents at New North are unhappy because the decision was taken on Friday, which is a Muslim holy day so they couldn’t be present. We are taking legal advice to see if we can challenge the consultations.”

The decision at William Tyndale – which has a school roll of 446 pupils – was taken on Tuesday, just three days after a public meeting on the academy issue at the Town Hall, which saw deep divisions between parents and at which Labour council leader Catherine West called for a ballot of parents.

One parent complained that they were being “pushed around”.

“The majority of people are totally against it,” she said. “There have been two meetings which have not been impartial. We haven’t heard from the local authority or the anti-academy alliance, or anyone who could give a strong argument against it. 

“Why can’t we have a meeting where we hear from all sides and have a proper debate? What are they scared of?”

Cllr West added that she would be writing to headteacher Tanya Watson to express concerns about the meeting.

Supporters say the “independent” schools would receive more money and be easier to run. But critics argue that the schools will operate as businesses and that, without Town Hall support, benefits such as free school meals and help in an emergency – if the school burned down, for example – would be lost.

There has also been concern over consultation with parents. The NUT has objected to the private company running the consultation – Strictly Education – on the grounds that it would provide services to any new academy.

Yesterday (Thurs) education secretary Michael Gove announced that 200 of England’s “worst performing” primary schools will be shut and reopened as academies next year. 

The government wants all schools to be academies. At the moment only those schools classed as “good” or “excellent” by Ofsted are allowed to go it alone voluntarily.

Governors at Pooles Park School voted unanimously to reject the plans last Thursday. They said there were no guarantees that the extra cash the school would receive in the first year as an academy would continue. It is understood that the council’s threat to withdraw funding for free school meals – drawn from an entirely separate budget – was of great concern.

Vice-chair of governors, Camilla West, said governors had made their decision after listening to parents, teachers and the community.

“On balance, most parents were in favour of the academy, but at the same time we hadn’t had the number of replies we would have liked,” she added. “The final view was that we weren’t in a place to change in this period of time in terms of what’s best for the children and the community.”

She added: “At no point was anybody’s mind made up at the beginning of this process. 

“We looked at all the arguments in a great deal of detail. The governors’ body was in full agreement that we shouldn’t go ahead.”

Ms West was not able to guarantee the school would drop the academy plans completely, however, in view of Mr Gove’s stated aim of making all schools academies. 

“In 12 months’ time it may not be an option to look at or not look at,” she said.

Islington’s education chief Councillor Richard Watts added that reports yesterday (Thurs) illustrated the dangers of opting out. The Financial Times revealed that some academies had been given £300 per pupil too much and faced having to repay the money. The government and local authorities were at loggerheads over whose fault this was.

“Opting out of the council and becoming an academy is risky – it can leave a school isolated and vulnerable when government cuts their funding, which it has said it will, or should anything go wrong,” he said.

“I welcome the decision by governors at Pooles Park not to opt out of the local authority and we look forward to working with them to give children in Finsbury Park the best possible start in life.

“Clearly, governors at New North and William Tyndale feel they can succeed as an academy. We will continue to work with these schools to ensure standards remain high and children don’t lose out because the schools have become academies.”