Would-be academies warned off negotiating with unions

Much of the rhetoric around the government's (thus far not tremendously successful) drive to get schools to opt out of local authority control and become academies, has been the new freedom schools will enjoy if they convert.

Just before Christmas one of the big teachers' unions, the NASUWT, was shown a letter sent by Lord Hill, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools in the Department for Education, that threatened would-be academies their application would be viewed unfavourably if they entered into any agreement with the NASUWT.

Some freedom that is! In fact, many of the existing academies have not, as the government would like, ended agreements with trade unions representing staff. There are clear advantages to schools' governing bodies in keeping to nationally agreements on matters such as pay, as well as to staff.

The NASUWT has written to Lord Hill pointing out the many inaccuracies in his letter to schools, as well as objecting to the political drift of the letter.

Barnet Anti Academies Alliance meeting this Monday

Barnet Anti Academies Alliance organising meeting on Monday 11th October from 6pm to 7pm at St Pauls Church, Long Lane, Finchley. Email barnet@antiacademies.org.uk for more details.

Putting the case against academies in Barnet

A circular from Barnet Anti Academies Alliance outlining their plans for informing parents about the implications of going for academy status. If you can help with any of these activities or you would like more information, email barnet@antiacademies.org.uk.

At our meeting this evening, we planned a number of activities. We will be focussing on the schools next in line to become Academies. Trade Unionists in those schools will be meeting to consider motions opposing Academy status, and we will be leafletting parents at events such as open evenings.

We would like to leaflet at the following times, please let me know if you can help:

East Barnet - 6.30pm, Monday 20th September

Ravenscroft - 6pm, Tuesday 21st September

Ashmole - 6pm, Thursday 23rd September (leaflet for 30-40 minutes before going to the Public Meeting, see below)

Compton - Tuesday 28th September (probably 6pm)

We also discussed holding a Conference in January, any ideas you have would be welcome.

And don't forget the public meeting, Thursday 23rd September, 7pm, Emerald Suite, NLBP with a speaker from the National Anti Academies Alliance.

Barnet Anti Academies Alliance newsletter hits the streets

A pdf version of the Barnet Anti Academies Alliance newsletter is viewable here. 6,000 copies of this newsletter have been produced by Barnet Anti Academies Alliance for distribution around Barnet at the start of the new school year.

Council trade unions in Barnet, whose members will be affected by change to academy status, are posting copies of the newsletter to their members this week. Groups of supporters will also hand out copies at schools that are considering academy status.

Barnet Anti Academies Alliance has a blog http://barnetantiacademiesalliance.wordpress.com where extended versions of some of the articles are being published, along with news about academies and free schools as it affects Barnet.

If you would like any more information, please contact the campaign: barnet@antiacademies.org.uk.

One more school in Barnet - Queen Elizabeth's School - opened as an academy this week. About five more would like to move quickly to becoming an academy and a dozen or so more are contemplating the move. I believe that the more information people have about academies the less keen people will be to rush into them. That's what the newsletter is all about; the council is busily telling schools that it's a good idea, BAAA is telling people to look at the other sides of the argument.

All in this together? Then support your LEA!

A prospective Ravenscroft parent has written to its headmaster, explaining why he opposes the school going for academy status.

You can read the letter here on the website of Barnet Anti Academies Alliance.

Barnet Anti Academies Alliance launched into the blogosphere

The website for the new campaign Barnet Anti Academies Alliance is up and running. New content added daily, hopefully.

To contact the camapign, please email barnet@antiacademies.org.uk.

The website is here. The lead article says:

We are a group of parents, trade unionists, school students, and residents of Barnet. We want to stop Barnet schools becoming academies. To any school wishing to become an academy we are issuing this challenge:

- organise an open debate on the pros and cons of becoming an academy. The more people who know what it involves, we believe, the fewer schools will want to go down this road.

- before applying to become an academy, hold a ballot of parents and staff – and agree to respect the result.

The great Barnet schools sell-off?

I went to the teaching unions' lobby of Parliament today. Originally called to protest at the axing of the Building Schools for the Future scheme, there were also plenty of people asking their MPs questions about the Tories' plans to push schools into becoming academies.

The implications of our own Barnet council's enthusiasm for academies become clearer in this paper - "Conversion of schools to Academy status – transfer of land" - prepared for the Cabinet Resources Commmittee tonight.

All new academy schools will have to be leased to their Academy Trust for 125 years. There is a risk, as the paper acknowledges, that a Trust might try to vary the use of the school land - build some flats? - in which case the council would have to take them to court.

The staff are effectively sold to the new Trust; in theory, under TUPE legislation, the new employer has to keep them on the same terms, conditions, pay, etc, but once a transfer has taken place, there is little to stop the new employer finding a pretext for tearing up the old contract and offering a new, worse, one. This is what happened to the Fremantle care workers.

There are other worrying aspects of academies (to put it mildly). There is no requirement to consult staff, Local Authority or even parents when a school applies to become an academy; an academy trust can ignore the National Curriculum; once a school becomes an academy, governors are usually appointed by the sponsor; with the academies gone, it will be much harder to plan for the needs of non-academy schools and to plan education in the borough generally... I could go on and on.

The Cabinet Resources paper mentions a couple more:

...The grant of 125 year leases to schools adopting Academy status will mean that the Council will have less flexibility in managing its school property portfolio. The Council will only retain a reversionary interest in the school. The Council would no longer have the ability to make changes to schools such as increasing or decreasing the size to meet pupil demand, setting up specialist units in schools or closure.

...The Council is likely to incur significant legal costs in negotiating and granting leases for Academies, if a number of schools choose to convert. The Department for Education (DfE) has indicated that a standard lease template will be produced, which would reduce costs to an extent although resource pressures are likely. Each school converting to Academy status will receive £25,000 from the DfE towards expenditure related to conversion. The Council will seek to recover legal costs from schools where appropriate.

For ideological reasons, Barnet council can't wait to wash its hands of its schools. But the mass conversion to academies sure as hell doesn't look like saving the council any money!

Barnet Anti Academies Alliance was set up at a meeting last week to inform schools, parents, staff and Barnet residents generally about the implications of academies for Barnet education, and to resist the policy. For more information email barnet@antiacademies.org.uk.

The campaign will be producing a newspaper over the summer which will be available for the start of next term, and they are setting up a website with local information. Until those are ready, to find out more about academies, visit the website of the Anti Academies Alliance.