Evening News 24 - Parents slam academy decision

Evening News 24 - Parents slam academy decision: "However today Rosalie Monbiot, the council's cabinet member for children's services, said they had noted the petition, but felt that the signatories were mistaken in believing the new academy would be a faith school.

She said: “Whereas before the opinion from consultations had been in favour of the academy, this time we had the reservations expressed by the governors of Heartsease and the local parents. We recognised that to some extent and I think to be fair, the petition was based on a lot of misinformation."

This shows, quite clearly, that the academy programme is not meant to be as responsive to the concerns of parents and local people as it is to those of potential sponsors of schools. The fact that the council member feels free to dismiss legitimate concerns as 'disinformation', whilst pushing through a plan to which there is considerable local opposition.

Central government is being appealed to, to force Heartsease to close, even after academy plans were rejected by the local council. This move shows the venality of the academies programme, the desire, at any cost, to sell our children's education to the highest (or, in some cases, lowest) bidder.