Listen to Sedgehill students - does this look like a 'failing' school?

Lewisham Council are trying to impose their Academy plans on Sedgehill School, supposedly 'for the good of the children'. But, if it's young people that they really care about, then they should listen to what students have to say for themselves!

Below are extracts from just two of the letters that have been sent to the Council in protest - plus a youtube link to the latest example of the talent that has been nurtured by Sedgehill:

Dear Frankie Sulke,

I have recently learned about your current plans to ‘transform’ Sedgehill School into another academy, which deeply saddens and infuriates me. Your anti-Sedgehill agenda is one that is unfair, unnecessary and immoral. Our school needs not to be turned around, but supported. I had been a student of Sedgehill for seven years and in those seven years, I must say that Sedgehill has given me more than an education: it has given me the virtue of courage, the skills of a leader and the understanding of individualism. It has in fact given me a life. I now attend the Russell Group University of Manchester, which has now been ranked as 30th in the world by QS higher education specialists; a dream that might have never happened had it not been for the teaching staff at Sedgehill.

... This year we have had our highest number of sixth form students be accepted in some of the most competitive institutions in the UK and in the world, and yet you’re adamant to rip out the heart out of our school. Does this not show increasing achievement and raising aspirations? Does this not suggest that we have been given a leadership team who encourage and push us in order for us to excel and be the best we can be? Clearly, to you Frankie, it does not.

... We are a strong and thriving community and will not let any other school make us feel lesser than what we are. I cannot stress enough how unfair and unnecessary your decision is. Your role as Director of Education should enable you to support us rather than completely turn against us. Furthermore, you seem to be undermining all of what it means to be a young person in Lewisham; as a Lewisham Pupil Ambassador I know what it means and how it feels to be part of a positive community, which is built on every participating individual’s own merits and struggles, one that is allowed to develop on that basis and one that is supported and encouraged by those who preside above; NOT undermined and destroyed.

... Furthermore, you have shown nothing but disrespect towards our staff and governors, totally ignoring what they do and have done for many of us Sedgehill students. Assigning your own group of interim governors just because our governing body will not succumb to your orders is quite disgusting and suggests that you are running more of a dictatorship as opposed to a democracy.

... The actions of the Sedgehill community over the past few days must exhibit the strength of the Sedgehill spirit – the fact that we are not prepared to silently accept these imposed plans and go down without a fight show how much we appreciate our school; a school which pupils are very proud of.

Damali Eastmond-Scott 
Sedgehill prefect, Sedgehill sixth form ambassador, Lewisham pupil ambassador.

In the summer of 2014 I graduated from Sedgehill Sixth Form with two A*s and an A in my A Levels. I am currently a student at the University of Sheffield, achieving First-Class marks, and preparing to study abroad on two different continents in the next twelve months. Do I sound like a student whose school has failed them?

Between September 2007 and August 2014, Sedgehill School was my home. I call it this, not because of the amount of time I spent there (although I would not trade those days for anything), but because it was where I felt I belonged. It was where I felt safe. It was where I felt part of a community, a community that I have witnessed grow stronger and stronger, year after year.

Sedgehill is a school where growth is encouraged, not just growth of statistics and percentages, but growth of people, whether that be staff or students. This is why I managed to achieve the grades I did, because the focus at Sedgehill is not only on students as numbers, but students as people, and this is just one reason why it would be absolutely devastating to turn this flourishing community-based school into an academy.

The diverse, overwhelmingly positive community at Sedgehill is its greatest asset and the biggest contributor to the success of its students. It is something that could not be replaced by anything else, especially not a forced academisation. The reason Sedgehill students are able to improve so easily, inside and outside of the classroom, is because this community atmosphere allows students to build great friendships with like-minded, enthusiastic individuals, and develop outstanding professional relationships with teachers who are willing to help at every stage. ... As an academy, Sedgehill would lose valuable members of its community, and would only be able to achieve strong results through the manipulation of staff, students, and data. Surely this cannot be viewed as progress or improvement.

It must be asked why it is being suggested that Sedgehill needs this ‘improvement’ in the first place. As I stated above, I have personally witnessed Sedgehill grow in strength each year. The outrage from staff, students, parents, and many others at the proposed plans for Sedgehill School prove that all concerned with the school believe that an academy is most definitely not a step forward, and would in fact destroy our school.

If the proposals are not going to help those at the school, then what and whom are they really for? Statistics and figures are being prioritised over real pupils, and it is sickening. Sedgehill is already a fantastic school, with fantastic students. It must remain that way, and be allowed to continue its journey to great successes, without being cut short and exploited by these outrageous academisation plans.

Michael Powell-Davies
Sedgehill student, 2007-2014.

Finally, Vocalize, Sedgehill's student choir, has just released the video from its project with the Royal Albert Hall. Coldplay lent their support to the video, which sees Vocalize present their version of the group's Christmas Lights. You can view the video here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KhF-0Vr54M

As Michael asks above, does this look like a failing school to you?

Parents and students speak up for Sedgehill

Hundreds of parents and school students packed in to the Main Hall of Sedgehill School tonight to give their views on the Council's proposal to replace the current Governing Body with an Interim Executive Board. Unless the Council can be persuaded to think again, this would be the first step towards Sedgehill being forced unwillingly into becoming an Academy.

The Chair of Governors introduced the meeting and invited people to give their views. Many powerful and moving speeches were made. Yet, in an hour and a half of discussion, not a single parent or student agreed with the imposition of the IEB! Instead, the school community applauded contribution after contribution made in support of the School - and in opposition to becoming an Academy.

Parents called for Sedgehill to "continue as it is, doing an amazing job for our children" and that "the Local Authority should be supporting the School, not attacking it".

One father asked why politicians seemed to be giving away responsibility for schools to individuals and questioned in whose interest these deals were being made.

A number of telling contributions were made from parents and students who had experienced an Academy education. One parent who had moved their children to Sedgehill from an Academy complained how they felt "kids had been treated like robots" and "not given room to breathe", unlike at Sedgehill. 

A mother explained how her nephew had been one of many pushed out of an Academy because they weren't on track to reach their predicted grades. Another explained how he was starting to enjoy his evenings at home again now that he had moved his child from a Harris Academy to Sedgehill and seen their stress levels fall.

Parents who had looked at the Bethnal Green Academy website - the school in the Trust that is being lined up to take over Sedgehill - pointed out that it suggested that perhaps 40% of its teachers were new inexperienced staff. They asked what kind of support and continuity would be provided for our students if such an apparent high rate of staff turnover was repliacted at Sedgehill.

A student who had moved to Sedgehill from a Harris Academy explained how academisation of her school had set things back. She had experienced a "conveyor belt of teachers" that had led to a "culture of students who couldn't trust adults". Several parents praised the pastoral support at Sedgehill and questioned what would happen to the SEN support and Deaf Education Centre under an Academy regime.

There were many other eloquent and impassioned contributions from students, which in themselves were clear evidence of the skills and confidence that a caring community school like Sedgehill had nurtured. Fighting back her tears, one student explained how Sedgehill had "taken time to look after me, when others had turned me away".

Parents and students alike, however, were also clear that Sedgehill was a school where they could achieve academically. One father said it was a 'mockery' for the Council to suggest that the school was failing its pupils and that "this school doesn't deserve to be mocked". One student explained that "if you are confident, then you can get good grades" and that Sedgehill gave children that confidence and support. Another explained how she had been rejected by academies in Southwark where she lives but was now on track to achieve 7 A/ A*'s at GCSE this summer.

A parent also asked the Council to step back and think about how the imposition of an IEB would really affect the School, saying it would "destabilise the progress being made by the school and knock things back". In any case, asked another parent, "we don't need an IEB, we're not investigating fraud and we're not in special measures, unlike some academies!"

Any school would have been proud to have received the level of support that was so evident tonight. Yet the Local Authority says its a 'failing school'.  However, as I pointed out, the excuse for supposed 'failure' was a dip in GCSE results that many Lewisham schools experienced as a result of changes to exam structures in 2014. If the Council was so sure of its arguments then, I asked, instead of bulldozing through an IEB, why not give parents the right to vote in an open ballot about they think is best for the future for their School? Why would parents vote in support of maintaining arrangements that they genuinely thought were 'failing' its children?

Of course, tonight's meeting showed that this was far from what parents think. If such a ballot were taken, most parents would vote against the imposition of the IEB. However, in the absence of any real 'consultation', the meeting also showed what a fundamentally undemocratic process was being followed by the Authority. Nobody from the Council was present to hear these impassioned speeches. As one parent said "this isn't a consultation when all the Council do is tell us what they are going to do!"

A mother of a Year 12 student received some of the strongest applause when she complained about the Council's "bullying tactics" and that labelling Sedgehill a 'failing' school was "a fallacy". "A-level results continue to rise, the school has warmth, we know our children will be engaged and supported".

She concluded that we have to show that "Sedgehill is a force to be reckoned with" and called on everyone present to send in their letters and emails of protest and to join the Lobby of the Town Hall on Friday at 4pm.

Councillors may not have been there tonight to hear parents and students for themselves but they should ignore this report at their peril. The real voice of the Sedgehill community made its views clear - and its anger at the damaging plans being imposed by the Authority. There is still time for the Council to step back and think again.

Sedgehill: Listen to the voice of parents, staff and students

. .
Just a few hours ago, a group of Sedgehill students posted an online petition on: https://www.change.org/p/mayor-of-lewisham-save-sedgehill-school 

As I write, it has already received approaching 600 signatories underneath its clear demands to the Mayor of Lewisham:

Sedgehill School is a well-loved community school in Lewisham. Recent plans by Lewisham Local Authority to dismiss the Head and Governors and to academise Sedgehill threaten students' education, staff wellbeing and its close-knit community.

We reject the unfair suggestion that Sedgehill is a failing school. We say:

• No to the academisation of Sedgehill School

• No to the loss of staff

• No to the removal of the school's Governing body

Regrettably, as explained below on this blog, the Local Authority seems intent on trying to bulldoze through plans to rush in an Interim Executive Board in a manner which surely cannot constitute the 'fair consultation' required.

Instead of trying to besmirch the good reputation of Sedgehill School in its local community, the Local Authority could do well to heed the comments written this evening by those signing the petition.

Here are just a few of them:

“It's wrong, undemocratic, unnecessary and unwanted. Sedgehill is a thriving community school because of the care and commitment of the head teacher and his incredible teaching and support staff”

“The unfair takeover of the school is unjustified and puts students at risk of being treated as statistics rather than young learners”.

“My daughter fell in love with this school and the people in it before she could even come here. Now she is a pupil she is thriving and loves the sense of ambition, warmth and aspiration it has”

“My children go the school. It was their choice to go to this school. We did not choose an academy. We have been extremely happy with the quality of teaching and care given. An academy was not what I wanted for my children”

“This is an extremely well-run school with enthusiastic staff. Failing school? Not on your life”.

“I and my husband are both ex students of Sedgehill and we have both done well. Sedgehill has helped us grown into the successful people we are today and gave us real life skills as Sedgehill holds such a diverse and wonderful community. The staff were supportive and encouraging and picked out skills individuals excelled in. By that I mean not only did the 'academic' student get support but so did those who were good at practical things”.

“I'm happy my school is not an academy and I would be more happy if it didn't turn into an academy. I love my head teacher Mr. Mckenzie and the school is perfect, some students are already deciding to move school because of this stupid chaos also my parents are not happy with the idea of Sedgehill becoming an academy”

“My child left primary school with no banding and now is in year 10 and is heading towards A in her GCSE. This school and the teachers have made remarkable progress with my daughter. She loves going to school and loves all her teachers. Without them she would never be able to achieve the high grades that she is going to achieve. I am a very proud mum. I want to continue to be”.

“My daughter is studying for her GCSEs. She has worked so hard for the best level of results. The hearing unit has provided an interpreter for me and her teachers to communicate and understand to help her needs. I OBJECT to Lewisham Council changing this school into academy. I vow that I will not vote for Labour next year”

“As an ex Sedgehill teacher I can say that you will never get more hardworking or dedicated teachers as the ones working at Sedgehill. Academies often raise standards by changing the demographic of the students. If you change the demographic of school, who would take the children Sedgehill have removed to improve their exam grades? The staff don't want to teach different children, so why force the change?”

“Teachers have done an amazing job over the years and students love that school, turning into an academy will lose great teachers and pupils alike, big mistake !!!”

“Marketisation of education is wrong. I worked as a teacher at Sedgehill for 12 years. Sedgehill is a diverse and caring school that serves the needs of the community. The wealth of opportunities that Sedgehill provides students is truly inspiring”.

“I'm signing because I believe that Sedgehill should stay as it is, a change would only cause major disruption towards the children's education and the exams taking place later next year”

“If it wasn't for Sedgehill I don't know where I'd be today. I was very rebellious in school but the teachers there gave me the help and support I needed to finish school with GCSE's. I now work in a nursery and I plan to do youth work with children that are as vulnerable as I was”

“Sedgehill is my old school and should resume as a community school like it always has done. It has changed some many children's lives and is not a business!!!!!”

“Sedgehill is a good school and it is being academised purely for political gain”.  

"Sedgehill is a local school, popular with children and parents. My daughter will be transferring to secondary in the near future and it is a school we are considering applying for. I wholeheartedly disagree with the academy system. It is unnecessary, against the ethos of the education system and is being proved to be a failure as an initiative. It will have nothing but a negative impact on Sedgehill, just like all the other schools I know that have been turned into academies".

"My 3 kids are thriving at the school in a very short time.
A hostile academy takeover will not serve my kids education!!"  

"This decision seems to make no sense. LBL either come clean about your motives or back down". 

"I went to Sedgehill and was surrounded by teachers and staff who supported my learning but also my personal growth!

"Because its my school, and I want it to stay that way"

A similar petition has also been launched by students at Prendergast School. It can be found on https://www.change.org/p/the-school-governors-save-prendergast-from-becoming-an-academy

NUT to carry out indicative strike ballot at five Lewisham schools

Between now and the end of term, the NUT will be conducting an indicative strike ballot of members in five Lewisham schools where the Union fears that a change of employer will be imposed through a change to Academy status.

As the covering letter  to NUT members explains, "if the outcome of the ballot is successful and the dispute remains unresolved (i.e. we are not given a guarantee that the school will not be converting to an Academy), a formal ballot of members may then be necessary early in the New Year".

The schools where the ballot will be conducted are:

• Bonus Pastor, 
• Prendergast Hilly Fields, 
• Prendergast Ladywell Fields, 
• Prendergast Vale,
• Sedgehill.

Save Sedgehill - 7 days to persuade the Council to think again

Parents and Students to Deliver Petitions to mass Lobby of Lewisham Town Hall on Friday, 12 December at 4pm

A group of parents of Sedgehill School students met tonight to organise a last-ditch campaign to persuade Lewisham Council to back down from their threat to dismiss the Governing Body and impose an Interim Executive Board.

As explained in my earlier post (http://electmartin1.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/stop-smash-and-grab-at-sedgehill-school.html) and a News Shopper local press article (http://www.newsshopper.co.uk), imposing an IEB will not only cause immediate turmoil for staff and students, it will also open the door to the forced academisation of the School. 

If anyone wants to question that a forced Academy is the likely result from a decision to impose an IEB, then the DfE's IEB "application form" leaves little room for doubt. It states bluntly that: "We expect the IEB to actively consider a sponsored academy solution". 

This is a drastic step for any Local Authority to take, not least Lewisham Labour Council who must surely be beginning to realise that its grounds for serving the earlier 'warning notice' are already being widely questioned by parents, students and staff from across the Borough. Yet Lewisham Council has given Sedgehill Governors just one more week - until Friday December 12th -  to put forward reasons why they should not be summarily disbanded.

There was real anger expressed by fellow parents at the meeting tonight. We all know Sedgehill to be a warm, caring community school, valued by parents and students for its support for our youngsters, not just a cold 'exam factory'. 

Yet that doesn't mean that Sedgehill doesn't care about exam results either. As the Council website was happy to explain this summer, "Sedgehill School student, Michael Powell-Davies – who is also a pupil ambassador – will be heading to Sheffield University to read English Literature after achieving 2A*s and 1A and fellow Sedgehill student Anton Blades will be studying history at Exeter University after gaining 1A* and 2As". So much for "unacceptably low standards".

Sedgehill School is also the kind of school whose students can produce this kind of performance at the Royal Albert Hall: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYpOfV8PCO0. It's a school where Grayson Perry can visit to discuss issues of identity: http://www.channel4.com/programmes/grayson-perry-who-are-you. 

Sedgehill is NOT a failing school.

We're not going to let this community school be destroyed without a fight - and we've got a week to put up a fight to stop the IEB. 

That's why:

• This weekend parents and students will be writing letters, emails and video messages to the Mayor of Lewisham Steve Bullock, the Director of Education Frankie Sulke, as well as MPs and councillors.
• School students - who have already signed a 1000-plus petition today - have taken on the task of using social media to spread the campaign (https://www.facebook.com/savesedgehill)
• On Monday, some of us will join parents and staff from other schools at the next meeting of Stop Academies In Lewisham in the Railway Telegraph Pub SE23 at 5.30 pm (See:https://www.facebook.com/StopAcademiesinLewisham)
• On Tuesday, we hope as many parents as possible will be attending the consultation meeting called by the existing Governors at the School from 6pm
• On Friday at 4pm, just before the deadline for the governors to respond to the Council's IEB threat, students, staff and parents will be bringing their letters and petitions to a mass lobby of the Town Hall at 4pm. We hope we will be joined by SAIL supporters and by many more who want to join us in exposing - and stopping - this injustice. Please come and join us!

UPDATE: Report from Sydenham Ward Assembly, Saturday December 6th:
Thanks to Cllr Best who chaired this afternoon's Sydenham Assembly, I was given a chance to speak briefly at the end of the meeting to explain the threats facing Sedgehill School. I was able to discuss with a lot of local residents afterwards, who were very supportive and surprised (if not a little confused) about what the Council was doing. Then, on the way out, I met the Mayor.

Unfortunately, our conversation only confirmed how far apart his views appear to be from the views of the Sedgehill (and other) parents that I have been speaking to. I hope that the Mayor will agree this is a factual report of our discussion which I report here as a parent and resident attending his local ward assembly:

The Mayor argued that he didn't understand the 'prejudice' against Academies. I tried to explain that Academies were, at best, no solution to educational issues but, at worst, would lead to the complete break-up of Local Authority schooling, replacing community schools with academy chains. I also explained that families valued community schools where individual children mattered; that we didn't want the harsh 'exam factory' ethos that many reported from Academy schools.

The Mayor argued that, at Sedgehill specifically, the Authority had to intervene for the good of the children at the School, particularly looking at this summer's GCSE results. I asked why the same action wasn't being taken at all the other schools where there was a dip in exam results too - because this was a national issue over changing exam structures, not a Sedgehill issue. I argued that the action being proposed would damage education, causing disruption and demoralisation - particularly as, by acting as they were, the message being sent to families was that Sedgehill was some kind of 'failing' school. I explained that Sedgehill was not a failing school, that most parents were pleased their children were at Sedgehill and felt they were being well-taught and well-supported by the School. I warned the Mayor that he had misjudged how much support the School had amongst parents and students and that, at the very least, he should delay rushing any decision over the IEB until there had been a full and open consultation with parents and the school community.

Unfortunately, I was left fearing that, in order to justify their proposals, the Council will have to rely on attempts to undermine Sedgehill's real achievements - to the detriment of the pupils and staff that the Council says it wants to support. In turn, we have to take every opportunity to show how strongly the school is supported by the school community - culminating in a really big Lobby on Friday.

Stop the Smash-and-Grab at Sedgehill School

News is now breaking about how, over the last few weeks, a series of steps has been carried out by Lewisham Local Authority, which seem designed to engineer a forced academy conversion at Sedgehill School in Bellingham, SE6. However, parents, staff and students are not going to sit back quietly and let children's education be damaged by such a hostile takeover.

Sedgehill is not a failing school but a vibrant South London comprehensive. It has good parental support and a fantastic tradition in, for example, the performing arts. Its new Sixth Form is performing well, with students leaving with A* and A grades at A-level. Its roll is expanding at both Year 7 and Year 12. Yet this is a school that the Local Authority unjustifiably deemed to be worthy of being sent an official '"warning notice" a few weeks ago, a process which has now opened the door to the forced academisation of the School. 

Of course, Sedgehill School  is also precisely the kind of school that an expanding academy sponsor would want to take over. It's a school that's already improving and expecting 65% of the present Year 11 cohort to obtain 5 or more A*-C GCSEs with English and Maths (5A*CEM) in 2015 . 

However, what better for a prospective sponsor than to take advantage of a quick 'smash-and-grab' in the spring and then declare the new 'Academy' a success in the summer, when all the hard work had been done by the previous school? Would anyone operate that cynically? In a Labour Local Authority? I can only present the facts and allow people to draw conclusions. 

Lewisham Authority has taken full advantage of the Coalition's pro-Academy legislation.  At its last Ofsted inspection in October 2013, Sedgehill school was judged as 'Requires Improvement' overall (although both Behaviour and Safety of Pupils and Leadership and Management were judged as Good). However, that overall 'RI' judgement alone is not sufficient to allow the Secretary of State to force a school to become an academy. No, that could only happen if the school was issued a "warning notice". Of course, that's just what Lewisham LA did at the end of October 2014.

Was the "warning notice" justified? Legislation states that a  LA is only allowed to issue such a notice if "the standards of performance of pupils at the school are unacceptably low". That's not a description that parents (including myself) would recognise as applying to Sedgehill School.

Yes, this summer's GCSE results disappointed the school, as they dipped to 44% 5A*CEM. However, this 9% drop was replicated nationally, as changes to examinations led to a drop of 7% on average overall. Several other Lewisham schools showed similar or greater 'dips' with the Council's own Select Committee paper explaining that "schools have been responding to a conflation of a series of changes to exam structure and content" and that "there was much volatility in the system this year and this did impact on many of our secondary schools". However, when it came to Sedgehill School, a warning notice was unfairly served.

The school appealed against the notice, but the arbiter of the appeal in law is Ofsted! Perhaps unsurprisingly, they have rejected the appeal and upheld the warning notice.

Now the full force of the undemocratic legislation can be applied. Staff have been told that the Authority is in the process of rapidly 'consulting' over disbanding the existing Governing Body and replacing it with an 'Interim Executive Board' appointed by the Authority. Of course, these are likely to be individuals chosen to carry out the Authority's wishes.

As David Wolfe QC explains on his blog http://davidwolfe.org.uk/wordpress/archives/1253 "In my experience, when governing bodies are ... told that the Secretary of State wants to turn their school into an academy ... there is a strong sense of “jump or you’ll be pushed” ... Where they don’t jump, the local authority or Secretary of State imposes an Interim Executive Board which then acts on their behalf in going through the motions of a consultation etc. with a view to initiating the academy conversion process as if they were a normal governing body - except that, instead of the process being initiated by a governing body which comprises parents, staff, community governors, etc, it is then initiated by a body of people put in place to bring about the forced change to being an academy.

I'll add just one more fact to help you draw your conclusions. Before being 'pushed', Local Authority Officers had already told Sedgehill Governors that they wanted them to agree to the Principal of Bethnal Green Academy becoming the school's new Executive Headteacher. However, the Sedgehill governing body voted against this recommendation. So, the very next day, the LA issued their warning notice - now leading to the imposition of an IEB. Coincidentally or not, the Bethnal Green and Shoreditch Education Trust, which governs this Academy, has recently become a DfE ‘approved sponsor’ to take over other schools, allowing it to expand its academy network. David Wolfe's words may prove to be remarkably accurate.

Far from supporting children as the Authority may claim, their actions will damage education. Staff and students are facing disruption instead of support. Parents are already discussing whether their children will be happy staying at an Academy, instead of at a community school like the existing Sedgehill. An imposed change to school senior management is expected - which could then soon be followed by an attempted Academy conversion. Yet, as research has consistently shown, there is absolutely no evidence that academy conversion provides any educational benefits - and why should it?

Events of the last few days and weeks have shocked staff and parents, who are only just now finding out the full story. However, the Sedgehill community isn't going to just allow these undemocratic and unjustified manoeuvres to succeed. Parents and staff meetings are already being called and campaigning actions, including strike ballots, planned. Along with the wider support of parents and staff in SAIL (Stop Academies In Lewisham), we will be organising to expose what is taking place and to oppose the damaging imposition of an IEB and Academy at Sedgehill School.

An open letter - please reconsider pursuing academy status

The Headteacher of my local community school, a Lewisham comprehensive that all my children have attended, has regrettably written to parents to say that they are exploring becoming an academy.

This is our reply:

As parents of four children who have been so well supported by the School, we were extremely disappointed to read the letter you sent to parents and carers last weekend. In reply, we are writing this response to some of the key points in your letter. So that other parents can also read our views, we will also be sharing our reply with other parents via SAIL (Stop Academies in Lewisham).

“Like all schools, [the School] has been considering its status as a maintained, local authority school”.

Your letter seems to suggest that all schools are considering becoming academies. However, that suggestion is not supported by the DfE’s own figures. These show that the rate at which secondary schools are becoming academies has slowed dramatically. Nationally, only 117 secondaries became academies over the last twelve months. In Lewisham, no secondary school has become an academy since St Matthew’s Academy replaced St Joseph’s in 2007. Why should the School convert at all?

“The government’s view is very clear and there is an expectation that all remaining maintained schools consider academy status”

The Government’s view may be clear but do any of the Governors or members of the leadership team at the School share this Government’s vision for education? We hope not. Yes, Michael Gove made very clear that he wanted to divide education by forcing every school to become an academy, replacing accountable community schools with a free market in education dominated by education businesses like Harris. However, Mr Gove’s policies have proved so unpopular that he has been replaced!

In a few months, a General Election will be held that may elect a new Government with new education policies. So why go along with Government views now? At the very least, Governors should wait to see what May 2015 brings before exploring pursuing Academy status any further.

“As part of strengthening this existing partnership governors have also been exploring the option of becoming an academy in partnership with ... Challenge Partners”.

Instead of behind-the-scenes exploration of such an option, a plan that concerns ourselves and other parents we have talked to, the school should be openly and fully consulting with parents about the pressures it is under – and about its response to those pressures. Your letter refers to a ‘disappointing dip in GCSE results last summer’. Of course, the School was not alone in seeing a drop in some results, linked to imposed changes to exam structure. For example, we understand that the academy schools in Lewisham saw similar dips in results as well. If these results are being used to bully the school into considering Academy status, then Governors should fully inform parents so that we are able to support the school and its staff.

Many parents support and value the community ethos and excellent support that the School provides for its students. We are just one family that know how our children have been helped to succeed in so many ways by the School. However, if your response to any pressures to become an Academy is simply to pursue your own alternative plans to convert to an Academy, then you will lose any chance of building on that parental support to defend the school from such a damaging proposal. Instead, many, including ourselves, will feel that Governors have pursued an unacceptable policy. It may suit Challenge Partners Academies*, but it is the wrong choice for the School.

“I would like to re-assure parents that no decision will be made this academic year and that if the school did become an academy it would only do so in order to strengthen its capacity to support our students to achieve their full potential. There would be no change to the identity or the ethos of the school as a community comprehensive”

It is some reassurance that no decision is imminent but this conclusion still sends a worrying signal to parents, staff and the school community that the school leadership sees Academy conversion as a possible way forward. After years of Government experimentation with academisation of schools, there is absolutely no educational evidence that it improves educational outcomes. It is also inevitable, whatever school management may intend, that becoming an Academy, probably as part of a wider chain, would inevitably change the school’s identity, as well as its employment relationship with staff.

We hope you will take on board our concerns and that Governors will reconsider pursuing any option to become an Academy. However, as it regrettably appears that this is a route that is being explored, then I would ask that a meeting of parents is urgently organised where Governors can fully explain why, and how, they are pursuing this option. At the same time, this meeting should also allow parents, such as ourselves, the opportunity to offer an opposing view, in order to explain to Governors why we think such an option would be mistaken. We would also want to make the case that, before any such decision is considered by the Governors, the whole school community, parents and staff, should be given the opportunity to take part in an independently overseen secret ballot to take place once there has been sufficient time for both sides fully to put their case for and against any plan for Academy conversion.

* The Challenge Partners website indicates that it has set up a new academy trust http://challengepartners.org/Academies

Challenge Partners' Managing Director is Mark Goodchild. According to the website, "Prior to Challenge Partners, Mark spent 6 years with Accenture in management consultancy and outsourcing sales in Financial Services. In education, Mark is the co-founder of New Schools Ventures, supporting the creation of new primary schools in low-income areas through the replication and expansion of some of the best schools in the country, and founding governor of the Southwark Free School". Members of the Leadership Team include Adrian Percival, the CEO of the Haberdashers Aske's Academies Federation.