Free Schools - Lies, Statistics and Selection

Today, I was asked to contribute on behalf of the NUT to a feature being broadcast tonight by BBC London News on 'Free Schools' - the label given by the Government to a particular type of academy, one that is opening as completely new provision. 

I was happy to contribute to explain that there is no evidence to back up the Government's claim that their ideologically-driven plans for forced academies and new 'free schools' will improve education. On the contrary, they will destabilise and damage education. 

As I explained in the few seconds that I was given by the BBC, the Tories' privatisation plans will fragment schooling, with different academy chains working in competition instead of co-operating together. Yet, school partnership, fostered by the 'London Challenge', is felt to be the secret to much of London's educational success over recent years.

Free Schools - the facts
I also explained that Free Schools will operate in isolation with no Local Authority to back them up when things go wrong - as they will. As the NUT edufacts page explains:

• There is no evidence that free schools improve standards. The DfE has claimed that free schools are more likely to be rated outstanding by Ofsted than other state-funded schools. However, in its 2015 report Ofsted itself concluded: "we have inspected 158 free schools and inspection outcomes are broadly in line with those for all schools".
•  Problems in ten free schools have led to closure, partial closure or takeover by another academy sponsor. Two free schools were closed completely due to serious issues with performance and management while one free school was told to stop taking in secondary age pupils after it was criticised for failing to safeguard its children. A further two free schools have closed because of problems in recruiting pupils. At least five free schools have been transferred to the control of other academy sponsors because of concerns about performance or lack of demand for places.
•  Like academies, free schools can employ unqualified teachers. In fact, they employ three times as many teachers without qualified teacher status (QTS) in proportion to their full time equivalent (FTE) staff than state funded schools as a whole.
•  Free schools are also less accountable. They currently make up six per cent of all academies but account for ten per cent of the 58 allegations of “financial irregularity” made against academies and free schools in the three years to September 2015.

Academies - the facts
The real facts about academies are summarised in a recent post by the Local Schools Network .Their statistics show that schools are far more likely to remain 'inadequate' (in Ofsted terms) if they become sponsored academies and that sponsored academies' results increase at a slower rate than maintained schools. To quote just one of their statistics: "of the top 20 Multi-Academy Trusts, only 3 achieve value-added for their pupils that are above the average; 17 of the 20 achieve below average value added".
 

Sponsored academies are much more likely to remain 'inadequate'

The official data analysed by the LSN "points to one clear conclusion, that conversion to become a sponsored academy, on average, slows the progress of a school". The post concludes that "the central challenge for English schools is now arguably the poor performance of sponsored academies, when compared to similar local authority schools. While government policy is based on an ideological objection to local authorities, the data is clear. Indeed it is hard to think of any educational policy in living memory more likely to lead directly to worse performance for schools".

 

Watch the feature from tonight's BBC London news

Selective facts - and selective education
With consistent agreement across a range of researchers about the lack of educational evidence in favour of academies, I was surprised at what I was told when I reached the BBC today. The reporter explained that I would be taking part in a feature discussing how data from the pro-academy New Schools Network purported to show that Free Schools outperformed other schools in London at post-16 qualifications.

It seems an unlikely claim, particularly given the difficulties at the 'Tech City' 16-19 Free School in Islington, where NUT members recently took strike action as I explained on this blog back in November. It would certainly have to be a conclusion based on a very small sample of schools as there is little existing 16-19 Free School provision in London.

Having now seen the bulletin broadcast on BBC London News tonight, it seems the claims are mainly being based on the success of the King's College London Maths School in Lambeth, the Free School featured in the programme. Yes, the exam results of the KCLMS are very good but is that any surprise when you consider its intake?

To be accepted at KCLMS you need at least an A or A* in GCSE Maths and Science/Physics, then to attain the 'threshold mark' in the KCLMS' own admission test and then be selected at interview. In short, this is a highly selective 16-19 institution, making any comparisons with comprehensive maintained schools completely misleading.

Far from justifying the Conservatives' academy plans, the New Schools Network's spurious claims really serve to highlight another dangerous aspect of this divisive policy - it will mean an acceleration in pupil selection. The academy chains, who would have almost total control over school admissions nationally, will compete with each other to enrol the children that will boost league table scores at a low cost - and undoubtedly find ways to exclude those who don't

It is for good reason that the NUT has condemned the Tories' plans as "undoing over 50 years of comprehensive public education at a stroke". They must be defeated.

Come to the demonstration on Wednesday at 5pm - now with a post-demo indoor rally too

Public Meeting - Is Lewisham Education about to be torn apart?

Download flyer via http://goo.gl/vcsE9A

Lewisham has largely resisted the spread of academies and free schools that has divided education in many other boroughs - until now.

In the last few months, plans for two new ‘free schools’ have been announced in the local press. Governors at Bonus Pastor school are definitely discussing becoming an academy. But that could be just the start. The NUT understands that Governors of several other secondary schools are being asked to discuss plans to become academies too.

The National Union of Teachers is not going to stand back and see Lewisham education torn apart. We are calling this public meeting to bring together parents, staff and students to discuss why we must oppose these plans - and what we can do to defend education in Lewisham:

WEDNESDAY 12 NOVEMBER, 7pm - 9pm in ‘The Barn’ at THE GREEN MAN, 355 Bromley Road, London SE6 2RP
Speakers from Lewisham NUT, the ‘Anti-Academies Alliance’ and the ‘Hands Off Hove Park’ Campaign who have just stopped their school becoming an Academy

When they were first introduced, some parents may have believed the politicians who claimed that academies were the answer. Now, experience confirms that breaking-up Local Authority schooling does not improve education. Instead, it creates a fragmented system where schools are run by unaccountable businesses and individuals, making things even harder for parents, students and staff.

The NUT thinks that the expansion of academies and free schools is part of a wider political agenda to privatise our public services - just like the Health Service. Lewisham residents have successfully rallied to defend our NHS. Now we are going to have to organise to defend education in Lewisham too.

Government cuts mean that Councils are getting rid of many of their services. That could include schools. Growing pupil numbers mean that there is an urgent need to open new schools. But, to force through its privatising plans, this Government says that new schools have to be academies or free schools, run independently of the Local Authority.

The NUT says that Councils should be given the power to open new community schools. They also need the funds and support to make sure that every child has a high quality education in a good local school.
In a few months time, there will be a General Election. The NUT has launched a manifesto for education calling on the next Government - whoever it might be - to think again on plans to rely on academies and free schools.

Now is certainly not the time to be turning more of our schools into academies - now is the time to be stepping up our campaign to stop privatisation and to make sure that parents, teachers and communities are working together to best support our youngsters. Together, we can make a difference. The campaign at Hove Park in Brighton has just stopped plans to turn their school into an academy.

Please:
* Share this information through your networks and/or to your family and friends
* Come to the meeting and discuss how we can defend education in Lewisham
* Get in touch if you would like to know more about the campaign and why we are so opposed to academisation of Lewisham schools

Defend Education in Lewisham - NUT to host Public Meeting

Download via http://goo.gl/mqcCdYd

Lewisham NUT have called a Public Meeting on Wednesday 12 November, 7 pm - 9 pm in ‘The Barn’ at the Green Man, 355 Bromley Road, London SE6 2RP. Here's why:

LEWISHAM SCHOOLS AT RISK
Lewisham has largely resisted the spread of academies and free schools that has divided education in some boroughs - until now. 

In the last few months, governors at Bonus Pastor school have started to consult over converting to an academy. Plans for two new ‘free schools’ have been announced in the local press. The NUT understands that other schools might be under threat of take-over  from Government-backed academy sponsors. 

EDUCATION, NOT PRIVATISATION
Some parents may once have believed that academies were the way forward. But the facts now confirm that breaking-up Local Authority schooling does not improve education. It creates a fragmented system where schools are run by unaccountable businesses and individuals, making it even harder for parents.

The National Union of Teachers thinks that the expansion of academies and free schools is part of a wider political agenda to privatise our public services - just like the Health Service. Lewisham residents have successfully rallied to defend our NHS. Now we must organise to defend education in Lewisham too.

LET COUNCILS OPEN NEW SCHOOLS
London Councils are being held to to ransom. Growing pupil numbers mean that there is an urgent need to open new schools. But, to force through its privatising plans, the Government says that new schools have to be academies or free schools, not Local Authority schools.

The NUT says that Councils should be given the power to open new community schools - and the funds to make sure that every child has a high quality education in a good local school.

ORGANISE TO DEFEND EDUCATION
In a few months time, there will be a General Election. The NUT has launched a manifesto for education calling on the next Government - whoever it might be - to think again on academies and free schools. Now is certainly not the time to be accepting new academies in Lewisham - now is the time to be stepping up our campaign to reverse this privatisation!

Together, parents, teachers and trade unions can persuade Governors to think again. The campaign at Hove Park in Brighton has just stopped plans to turn their school into an academy. Please come to the meeting and discuss how we can defend education too.

Gove's Free Schools fiasco exposes Tory free-market failure

Tory Education Secretary Michael Gove is an easy target for comedians. A tweet from David Schneider, “Free Schools to be renamed £400m From Budget For Other Kids Schools”, succinctly summed up the latest news. Unfortunately, Gove’s policies are no laughing matter.

Reports suggest that these millions are being diverted from the Basic Need budget, urgently needed by Local Authorities to provide additional school places, into his pet Free Schools project instead. 

‘Free Schools’ are newly-opened privatised academies ‘free’ of those cumbersome regulations like having to staff classes with qualified teachers and having to use recognised school buildings.

They are a key part of Gove’s ideological mission is to accelerate the break-up of state education, replacing locally accountable Local Authority schooling with privatised academies. As with the rest of the public sector, education can then also become another avenue for big business to make money, especially if staff pay and pensions can be cut.

Gove appears to have an ideological belief that ‘the market works’. The history of privatised services, and the recent history of free schools, tells a different story. Several free schools have been hit by high-profile scandals over financial mismanagement and poor educational provision. One of the first to open, Discovery New School in Crawley, has already been forced to close. Yet £3 million was spent on this failed project. In Sweden, the policy has proved disastrous.

Altogether, 174 free schools have opened so far but many in areas where there is no pressing need for additional places left unfilled. However, in areas like London, where the place shortage is becoming critical, councils aren’t being allocated the ‘basic need’ funding they urgently require. £400m could help fund about 30,000 much needed places. 

Even if funding is allocated to Local Authorities, Gove has changed legislation to prevent them opening new community schools where they are needed. Instead, new places have to be provided by Free Schools.

Even the cross-party Public Accounts Committee has started to question Gove’s profligacy and both Labour and the LibDems have used the issue as an opportunity to knock Government policy. Unfortunately, while both parties might want to show their opposition as we approach a General Election, their education policies suggest that, if in office, they will follow a very similar path.

Instead of leaving school provision to a chaotic and inefficient free-for-all of private providers, elected Local Authorities should be given the job of planning and providing well-resourced and built new schools - and be given the investment needed so that they can do so.

The Free Schools fiasco exposes the madness of the free-market ideology that has taken over all our main political parties. Trade unions have a responsibility to lead a community struggle to defend public services and to win the resources needed to meet public needs.

Education not for Sale - Fighting against Academies and Free Schools

This afternoon's AGM of the Anti Academies Alliance brought together trade unionists and campaigners - including from successful campaigns like that at Snaresbrook School - to discuss the ongoing battle against the marketisation and privatisation of education in England. 

Dominic Byrne from Barking and Dagenham NUT reported on the ongoing campaign to prevent the forced academisation of Warren School. They have been boosted by their recent court victory, granting an injunction against the imposition of an Academy Order, for now blocking Gove's plans. Mr Justice Collins even declared that it "seems from reports that the present Secretary of State thinks academies are the cats whiskers - we know of course some of them are not" !

Ken Muller from Islington NUT reported on the strike action that will be starting next week at the STEM 6 Free School, in pursuit of the right to trade union recognition. This, and other campaigns, are reported on the Anti Academies Alliance website: http://antiacademies.org.uk/

One of the main contributors to the discussion was Martin Johnson who, along with Warwick Mansell, is writing a report,  'Education Not For Sale', soon to be launched by the TUC, with accompanying leaflets to publicise the key arguments.

Martin - who I used to work alongside on the Joint Union Side Committee in Lewisham some years ago - pointed how edu-business giant Pearson had declared a profits warning as state budgets were being squeezed in the US. Pearson will be trying to cut costs further and shift their investment to emerging economies where they hope they can find parents willing to spend their incomes on their education schemes.

This was just one example of how education has become a global business, bolstered by the ideology of the GERM, the Global Education Reform Movement. As Martin pointed out, that ideology in favour of marketisation has been consistently backed by over twenty years of successive UK governments. They have focused on funding according to pupil numbers, data and league tables, supposedly to allow 'choice' and to feed the myth of 'differentiation between products'. 

To help artificially boost the market, Gove has now allowed Free Schools to expand, regardless of local need, to the increasing opposition of the Treasury. They are questioning the funding spent on the academies programme - particularly with no real evidence of their impact on educational quality - and now the money squandered on the opening of free schools in places where they are not needed. 

Martin pointed out that, while Gove may be pulling back from openly supporting direct  'for-profit' schools, there are plenty of opportunities for indirect profiteering such as through outsourcing, and by paying massive salaries to the Executives of the supposed 'charities' in charge of Academy chains.

The lessons from the US and Sweden are that marketisation does not improve education. However, it has certainly increased educational segregation and reduced the collaboration between schools that can help share good classroom practice and initiatives. Overall, in Martin's words, it has led to an 'impoverished view of education' where the narrow pursuit of league table position dominates over the genuine pursuit of a broad and balanced education that meets the needs of every child.

Everyone present will have left with ideas to develop their campaigns locally and, as I and others called for, to also develop a broader national campaign for education. I believe that a national demonstration, alongside trade union action, could play an important role in building that struggle to defend education from the hands of the privatisers and marketisers. The TUC materials being developed by Martin Johnson and Warwick Mansell should also help to explain to trade unionists and parents why this damaging 'GERM' has to be stopped.

Academies and Free Schools - Privatisation Update

The Eye reported how “sharp-eyed parents” noticed the team that inspected Wanstead High School included Moazam Parvez, a head of a neighbouring school. Ofsted judged the school as “requires improvement” – a drop from a previous judgement of “good”.
Ofsted also judged the London Nautical School as “requires improvement”. The Eye found the  inspection team included Sir Daniel Moynihan, CEO of the Harris Federation academy chain which sponsors academies in London and has taken over a number of “failing” schools including Downhills.
In 2011, the Eye had received assurance from Ofsted that if any inspectors were “involved in an organisation in competition with the school under inspection” then Ofsted would regard it as “a conflict of interest to be avoided”.
The Eye asked Ofsted whether the inclusion of Parvez and Moynihan in inspection teams was a breach of that protocol. Ofsted promised an explanation but “answer came there none”
- See more at: http://www.localschoolsnetwork.org.uk/2013/11/private-eye-queries-conflict-of-interest-in-ofsted-inspections-answer-came-there-none/#sthash.7I2K4KI5.dpuf

Earlier last week, I attended the NUT's Academies Working Group to discuss our ongoing campaigning work to try and resist the education privatisation agenda.

There are some success stories to report, like the successful campaign against academisation at Snaresbrook school in Redbridge http://antiacademies.org.uk/2013/10/victory-at-snaresbrook-primary-schoo/

However, there were other frankly outrageous reports, not least the report in a recent issue of Private Eye pointing out the dubious conflicts of interest when Ofsted inspection teams include individuals who stand to benefit directly out of making a critical judgement of the schools they are visiting:

"The Eye reported how “sharp-eyed parents” noticed the team that inspected Wanstead High School included a head of a neighbouring school. Ofsted judged the school as “requires improvement” – a drop from a previous judgement of “good” ... Ofsted also judged the London Nautical School as “requires improvement”. The Eye found the inspection team included Sir Daniel Moynihan, CEO of the Harris Federation academy chain which sponsors academies in London and has taken over a number of “failing” schools including Downhills". http://www.localschoolsnetwork.org.uk/2013/11/private-eye-queries-conflict-of-interest-in-ofsted-inspections-answer-came-there-none

The latest monthly "Privatisation Update',  posted on the NUT national website, includes these and other stories: http://www.teachers.org.uk/node/19564 and http://www.teachers.org.uk/node/19816

Here are just a few snippets to highlight:

Academies increase social divisions 
Academies are creating greater segregation between pupils from rich and poor homes than community schools, according to research, led by Professor Stephen Gorard from the University of Durham. “Segregation by poverty is highest in areas with fewest ‘bog standard’ schools and lowest in areas with few independent, selective, faith-based, foundation, city technology colleges or academy schools,” the paper says.

Unqualified free school head quits after six months in post 
The 27 year old Head Teacher of Pimlico Primary free school who was controversially appointed despite holding no teaching qualification, has left her job just over a month into the school’s first term. 

Gove advisor quits to work with free schools 
Dominic Cummings, Education Secretary Michael Gove’s most influential adviser, will leave his job at the end of the year. Shortly after the announcement, a 250-page ‘private thesis’ on education by Cummings was published in which he maintained that genetics was more important than teaching in defining a pupil’s success.
 
Three free schools, over £11 million and just 82 pupils  
The Leeds Jewish Free School, a secondary school which has received over £3 million of taxpayers’ funding, opened last month with just eight pupils, despite having capacity for 25. Critics of the scheme question the spending of a new secondary school when the city is facing a severe shortage of school places in the primary phase. Supporters say that it was needed because Jewish children had previously had to travel to Manchester if they wanted to attend a faith-based state secondary school. (Yorkshire Post, 19.09.13). In neighbouring Humberside, the Boulevard academy, a new secondary free school in Hull which is being built at a cost of £8 million, opened this September with just 43 pupils, making it almost a third undersubscribed. The school is supposed to have an eventual capacity of 600 pupils, with 120 in each year group, but it has opened in an area with a massive surplus of secondary places. (BBC News Humberside, 09.09.13). A secondary free school in Durham which employs nine teachers has opened with just 31 pupils, just half of its 60 available Y7 places. Despite being situated in an area with a large surplus of secondary places, Durham Free School plans to expand its Y7 intake to 90 from 2015.

US Charter group sued over alleged fraud 
US officials have filed a lawsuit against a charter school provider over accusations that the group misappropriated millions of dollars of US taxpayers’ money. Three former officials at Options Public Charter School Board, including the chief executive officer and chief operating officer, are accused by the Washington DC school district of extracting at least $3 million of funds from the school through extravagant salaries and sweetheart contracts with companies they controlled. 

Ministers rejected measures to reduce costs of forced academies
A leaked document from the DfE shows that civil servants’ suggestions that the forced academies programme could be scaled back as part of a cost saving agenda were rejected by Ministers early this year. The briefing document, entitled “What Stops at the DfE?”, outlines possible areas of expenditure on academies and free schools to cut back in order to meet departmental cuts ... The document states that cutting the resources devoted to these projects could be considered, "leading to a reduction in forced conversion activity and in some cases choosing not to pursue some schools in areas of strong opposition, where success in securing an academy comes at disproportionate cost". However, the suggestion was strongly rejected by education secretary Michael Gove and schools minister, David Laws whose comments in the document read: "No – totally wrong. Really important area."

Support for free schools is collapsing
Public support for free schools has reached an all-time low according to a YouGov poll commissioned for the Times. Just 27 per cent back free schools, down from 36 per cent in mid-September, with 47 per cent opposed. The poll also shows that 66 per cent believe that the schools should only be able to employ qualified teachers and 56 per cent believe the national curriculum should be compulsory for all schools. (New Statesman, 24.10.13)

Private Eye, No 1352, 1-14 November 2013
The Eye reported how “sharp-eyed parents” noticed the team that inspected Wanstead High School included Moazam Parvez, a head of a neighbouring school. Ofsted judged the school as “requires improvement” – a drop from a previous judgement of “good”.
Ofsted also judged the London Nautical School as “requires improvement”. The Eye found the  inspection team included Sir Daniel Moynihan, CEO of the Harris Federation academy chain which sponsors academies in London and has taken over a number of “failing” schools including Downhills.
In 2011, the Eye had received assurance from Ofsted that if any inspectors were “involved in an organisation in competition with the school under inspection” then Ofsted would regard it as “a conflict of interest to be avoided”.
The Eye asked Ofsted whether the inclusion of Parvez and Moynihan in inspection teams was a breach of that protocol. Ofsted promised an explanation but “answer came there none”.
- See more at: http://www.localschoolsnetwork.org.uk/2013/11/private-eye-queries-conflict-of-interest-in-ofsted-inspections-answer-came-there-none/#sthash.yebyMLPZ.dpuf

Private Eye, No 1352, 1-14 November 2013
The Eye reported how “sharp-eyed parents” noticed the team that inspected Wanstead High School included Moazam Parvez, a head of a neighbouring school. Ofsted judged the school as “requires improvement” – a drop from a previous judgement of “good”.
Ofsted also judged the London Nautical School as “requires improvement”. The Eye found the  inspection team included Sir Daniel Moynihan, CEO of the Harris Federation academy chain which sponsors academies in London and has taken over a number of “failing” schools including Downhills.
In 2011, the Eye had received assurance from Ofsted that if any inspectors were “involved in an organisation in competition with the school under inspection” then Ofsted would regard it as “a conflict of interest to be avoided”.
The Eye asked Ofsted whether the inclusion of Parvez and Moynihan in inspection teams was a breach of that protocol. Ofsted promised an explanation but “answer came there none”.
- See more at: http://www.localschoolsnetwork.org.uk/2013/11/private-eye-queries-conflict-of-interest-in-ofsted-inspections-answer-came-there-none/#sthash.yebyMLPZ.dpuf

Private Eye, No 1352, 1-14 November 2013
The Eye reported how “sharp-eyed parents” noticed the team that inspected Wanstead High School included Moazam Parvez, a head of a neighbouring school. Ofsted judged the school as “requires improvement” – a drop from a previous judgement of “good”.
Ofsted also judged the London Nautical School as “requires improvement”. The Eye found the  inspection team included Sir Daniel Moynihan, CEO of the Harris Federation academy chain which sponsors academies in London and has taken over a number of “failing” schools including Downhills.
In 2011, the Eye had received assurance from Ofsted that if any inspectors were “involved in an organisation in competition with the school under inspection” then Ofsted would regard it as “a conflict of interest to be avoided”.
The Eye asked Ofsted whether the inclusion of Parvez and Moynihan in inspection teams was a breach of that protocol. Ofsted promised an explanation but “answer came there none”.
- See more at: http://www.localschoolsnetwork.org.uk/2013/11/private-eye-queries-conflict-of-interest-in-ofsted-inspections-answer-came-there-none/#sthash.yebyMLPZ.dpuf

Private Eye, No 1352, 1-14 November 2013
The Eye reported how “sharp-eyed parents” noticed the team that inspected Wanstead High School included Moazam Parvez, a head of a neighbouring school. Ofsted judged the school as “requires improvement” – a drop from a previous judgement of “good”.
Ofsted also judged the London Nautical School as “requires improvement”. The Eye found the  inspection team included Sir Daniel Moynihan, CEO of the Harris Federation academy chain which sponsors academies in London and has taken over a number of “failing” schools including Downhills.
In 2011, the Eye had received assurance from Ofsted that if any inspectors were “involved in an organisation in competition with the school under inspection” then Ofsted would regard it as “a conflict of interest to be avoided”.
The Eye asked Ofsted whether the inclusion of Parvez and Moynihan in inspection teams was a breach of that protocol. Ofsted promised an explanation but “answer came there none”.
- See more at: http://www.localschoolsnetwork.org.uk/2013/11/private-eye-queries-conflict-of-interest-in-ofsted-inspections-answer-came-there-none/#sthash.yebyMLPZ.dpuf

London rallies for education - and for the pupil places our pupils need

On Saturday, 500 people gathered at the Queen Elizabeth Conference Centre in Westminster for a joint Rally for Education. Christine Blower (NUT) and Patrick Roach (NASUWT) were the main speakers.

The rally clearly had a good impact on reps that attended from Lewisham as I've already received several reports in my inbox this morning, such as this one: " Good rally with many interesting speakers and some outrageous facts that I wish the union would publicise more - such as the time bomb in Barking and Dagenham etc. re school places. It really stuck in my mind the point that Barking's population is now 31% under 20, with all the consequences that has for education, training and employment "

The pupil places crisis, spelt out by a councillor from Barking and Dagenham at the rally, is a damning indictment of Gove's failure to act on what should be his real priorities. Instead, he is concentrating on his ideological obsession with privatisation and free schools and his damaging assault on teachers' pensions, pay and conditions.

Just as the Lewisham rep requested, the NUT fully intends to publicise these facts and has followed the rally with a press release this morning launching a School Places Crisis campaign.

It points out that "London is heading for a full scale crisis in education provision unless urgent action is taken. The School Places Crisis campaign warns that by 2016 some London boroughs could see a shortfall in places of up to 40%. For example, projections show that Croydon will have a shortfall of 39% of primary places by 2016. Waltham Forest will have a shortfall of 30%".

The Campaign is calling on the Government to ensure that the extra places are provided - and that they are quality places with a qualified teacher in an appropriate environment, not relying on just cramming more children into overcrowded classrooms. A key demand is that Local Authorities are given the power to open new schools, not having to rely on academies and free schools to provide additional provision. Of course, those Authorities will also have to be provided with the necessary capital funding as well. For further information, visit http://www.theschoolplacescrisis.com/

An advertisment being launched outside the Liberal Democrat Conference today

Free Schools: this is 'what's not to like' Boris

Boris Johnson, writing in today's London Evening Standard, attempts to portray opposition to Free Schools as some kind of 'left-wing conspiracy'. No, it's Mayor Johnson and his Government colleagues who are the ones putting ideology before needs. They are the ones insisting that the critical lack of school places in London has to be addressed through a patchwork of privatised Free Schools instead of through urgent investment in well-constructed and democratically-planned Local Authority community schools.

The Mayor, betraying the same lack of understanding of Victorian history as his Education Secretary shows over 'payment-by-results', claims that the Tories' plans to meet the estimated shortfall of 118,000 pupil places in London through 'Free Schools' compares to the school-building program in the capital at the end of the late nineteenth-century. 

Yes, the late-Victorian era saw major investment in school buildings, and other public services, not least the School Board buildings that still stand the test of time today. However, their politicians understood the benefit of investment in infrastructure and schools. Under pressure from a movement that first saw Labour and Socialist candidates winning election victories to School Boards, they also recognised the benefit of elected Local Authorities being able to control and plan those resources. 

Gove's 'Free Schools' come from a very different tradition. They stem from the neo-liberal politics of the end of the twentieth-century, when public services became just another source of rich-pickings for big business. These short-sighted bourgeois, represented sadly by both Tory and New Labour politicians, were driven just by a desire to make a quick return. Instead of reinvesting profits in production and services, they helped to create the speculative bubble whose implosion has led to the present continuing economic crisis.

In Sweden, one of the first countries to experiment with the 'Free School model', it has been shown to have had a detrimental effect on education and equality. [ See for example: http://electmartin1.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/sweden-market-leads-to-poorer-education.html ].

Johnson asks in the Standard "what is not to like? " about Free Schools. For starters, as in Sweden, they are schools where their owners will be allowed to declare a profit, so that education businesses can cut costs to make money out of children's education.  Instead of democratically-controlled planning of school places, Free Schools will create a chaotic and inefficient free-for-all of private providers. Instead of Government having to properly invest in the schools that our children deserve, Free Schools will also be allowed to open in empty offices and other inappropriate provision. If Boris Johnson really wants to follow the traditions of his Victorian forebears, he should join the NUT in insisting on proper investment in high-quality schools, not blaming Councils for 'red-tape' when they rightly question the appropriateness of some of the plans proposed by prospective Free School providers.

The Mayor tries to hide the truth of Tory cuts and penny-pinching by pointing to the extra £982 million in 'targeted basic need' funds being provided to help boroughs set up new schools. Yet, he knows full well that London Councils have written to Michael Gove explaining that the allocation is totally inadequate and based on a funding formula that ignores the high cost of land and building in the capital. 

London Councils estimate that they require an additional £1.04 billion if they are to provide the places needed by 2015/6. Against the background of huge cuts to Council budgets, this is a figure which simply cannot be found - unless the Government provides the necessary investment from central funds. Of course, instead of just complaining about the cuts, councillors should be joining trade unions and communities in a mass campaign to win the resources needed to protect and provide public services.

So, yes, 'Boris', it is high time to 'put aside politics and open the schools we need', as the Standard headline proclaims.  Instead of your ideological insistence on privatised Free Schools, London Councils need the funding - just a small fraction of the billions swilling around the City of London every day - to plan and build the schools we urgently need.

As Christine Blower said in today's press release from the NUT, “In many areas parents are facing rising class sizes and schools are seeing a return to portacabins in their playgrounds to cope with the unmet demand for primary places.  It is time for the Government to change tack and allow local authorities to open new schools in areas where there is a genuine need for new places with adequate funding from central Government.”  

Boris Johnson's article can be read on: http://www.standard.co.uk/comment/comment/boris-johnson-put-aside-politics-and-open-the-schools-we-need-8625570.html

London Councils must oppose Mayor's Free School plans!

BORIS JOHNSON THREATENS TO MASSIVELY EXTEND FREE SCHOOLS IN LONDON

London NUT Executive members met last week to discuss the dangers facing education in the capital from the Mayor’s “Going for Gold” recommendations into the future of London schools. They would mark another move towards the break- up of Local Authorities and the expansion of privately-run ‘free schools’.

It’s certainly clear that London desperately needs more school places. It's estimated that over 90,000 new places are needed by 2015/16. But what we need are properly funded and staffed schools, accountable to elected local authorities, not ‘free schools’ crammed into any available space and building.

Johnson wants to lead on setting up “a new generation of free schools” through a “New Schools for London” agency. His support for free schools isn’t restricted to meeting the demand for more pupil places. He also trots out the Tory mantra that “free schools can help drive up standards and stimulate new thinking”. How does that drive for ‘standards’ sit with Gove’s decision to remove the requirement for free schools and Academies to employ qualified teachers ?!

Regrettably, instead of clearly rejecting the Mayor’s plans and campaigning for properly-funded democratically accountable schooling, the ‘London Councils’ body has responded that it will help in “identifying and promoting innovative practice in using space for learning” and will help by "offering advice and support to broker relationships with new Academies and Free School applicants” and by “mapping empty buildings that have the potential to be transformed into schools”.

In short, it seems Council leaders just want to share in the work of overseeing the privatisation of London’s education and the cramming of our youngsters into unsuitable accommodation - instead of demanding the resources needed to build and open the quality schools that London’s children need and deserve.

If the main political parties lack the political will to fight these plans, than a huge responsibility falls on the NUT, as by far the biggest teaching Union in the capital, to campaign against them.

March to defend education on October 20

Stop the onward march of academies and free schools

 

It’s rumoured that Michael Gove has ‘war charts’ on the walls of his office plotting the onward march of academy schools.  

If true, then Gove must already feel able to label some parts of the country as ‘conquered territory’. Around half of state-funded secondary schools have now broken from their elected Local Authorities to become privatised Academies.  

In areas like Bromley, Bexley, Swindon and Darlington, virtually all secondary schools are now academies. While far fewer primary schools have academised, their future will also be in doubt once a Local Authority decides it can’t afford to run education if it has lost most of its secondaries. 

Some schools have chosen to become academies, bribed by dubious promises of better funding and the chance to use their semi-independent status to boost their position in the local pecking order of schools. Others have been forced out for failing to meet the harsh exam targets imposed by Gove. Yet there is no evidence that academies perform any better than community schools. Is that any surprise? Since when did privatisation improve public services?

Where some Academies have improved results, they have done so by using their control over admissions and exclusions to ‘improve’ their intake. Who will be left to look after the pupils with the greatest needs in Gove’s free-for-all education marketplace?

Of course, like in the NHS, privatisation helps those who help themselves. Academies are being mopped up by growing ‘chains’ of education businesses like ARK, Harris and AET. They can’t legally make a profit out of school budgets (yet!), but there are already plenty of lucrative contracts and management salaries to be secured. 

While many academy chains have adopted national pay and conditions, some already impose longer working hours. But if Gove succeeds with his plans to atomise national conditions, many Academies will then feel free to do as they please.

Gove also wants to set up thousands of privatised ‘free schools’ too. The Tories’ vision is a future without elected councils running services like schools and housing. Unfortunately, too many Labour councils seem to be following the same path.

It’s going to be up to the trade union movement and local communities to defend education from cuts and privatisation. That will certainly need determined strike action but requires a political battle too - to elect local councillors that are prepared to fight for public services.