Barnet Anti Academies Alliance launched 15 July 2010

Last Thursday I attended the launch of the Barnet Anti Academies Alliance. Guest speaker Alisdair Smith (from Anti-Academy Alliance) spoke passionately about the need to organise in those schools looking to become Academies next term.

It was clear from the discussion in the meeting that staff have not been consulted. It was agreed that we need to build a campaign to have an open and transparent debate before any decisions are made.

Staff, parents, governors all need to take part in the debate.

Barnet Council are promoting Academies and Free schools without any reference to any evidence and without an educational impact assessment having been published.

Two Community Schools East Barnet and Ravenscroft School are looking to become Academies.

I attended a Joint Trade Union meeting at Ravenscroft with the Head and later the staff. It was clear from the questions being asked by staff that they had not understood the implications fo becoming an Academy.

There are still many  unanswered questions.

We asked the Head to recommend that no decisions are made until the new term begins. However the Head was clear that it will be the Governors decision on Thursday 22 July.

One of the Governors is Cabinet member Cllr Brian Coleman. The Council passed a motion supporting the move to Academies.

If Ravenscroft decides to go ahead and become an Academy whilst the staff are away on leave the Trade Unions may have to look at declare a dispute.

No school should make a decision of this importance without having the facts before them. Even the financial gains must be clear before the School make sthe decision. Once a school becomes aan Academy there is not going back that is in the Bill.

“Would you buy a house, car without having the details in black and white?”