Wednesday, October 31, 2007

"Eradicating Failure..."

SFS Group

Someone might want to point out to the Prime Minister that independent schools have not yet managed to 'eradicate failure' within their own walls, never mind in anyone else's. Certainly at the one I went to, there were all sorts of students who failed terribly. Some were not allowed to come back to the school for sixth form.

Think of it: a school that educates children so badly that it does not consider them of a high-enough standard to attend the school any more... Mr Brown seems to be confusing the notion of 'fee-paying' with that of excellence.

Oh, and he's dropping the requirement for an academy sponsor to make any financial commitment to a school at all - so now you can take over a school, change the curriculum in ways that you want, be exempted from following employment law, pursue your own weird educational theories for free! As long as you belong to a suitable organisation (ie - you are a fundamentalist Christian used car salesman from the North East).

Friday, October 26, 2007

Pimlico School

SFS Group

Now, there's a surprise. Conservative councillors in Westminster are trying to hand our schools over to Conservative donors like John Nash. Not that this is a party political point, but when, with the decision-making in the hands of local government, was it not going to be partisan?

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Academies in crisis - News - Oldham Advertiser

Academies in crisis - News - Oldham Advertiser

Here's a story about Edutrust, who want to open lots of lovely, new multi-faith academy schools. They went to a number of meetings with Bradford council, at which they were asked many questions they failed to answer, or answered unsatisfactorily, according to one Lib Dem councillor, David Ward.

Towards the end of the consultation they withdrew, their Chief Executive having decided that the expense of the 18-month long involvement was: 'unlikely to deliver the desired academy.' So, now they're focussing their efforts on Oldham. A spokesman for Oldham Council said its experience with Edutrust had been 'extremely positive.'

Fortunately, the local MP has said that: 'Nothing is more important than our children's future.' So that's all right, then.