Sunday 22 October 2017

Sink the Ark! Hendon Town Hall October 25th

From Barnet Parents Defending Education


ARK want the old Barnet football ground at Underhill, for a computer-based learning system which reduces the need for teachers so the academy chain makes savings by staffing cuts and supersize classrooms. 

Blended learning technology was commissioned by venture capitalists in the USA who hope to see ARK trial it in a London school. 

Is this what we want for our young people and staff?
  • Residents are seriously concerned about the narrow, bendy, country roads around Barnet Lane and Mays Lane which become congested as it is.
  • Two large secondary schools opposite each other is unwelcome. The Totteridge Academy is rapidly improving and is linked to the community.

Why sell our Greenbelt? 
  • Barnet Council sold our Greenbelt land, to Tony Kleanthous, of Barnet Football Club for the price of a basic car - 14 years ago.
Government Education Dept. paid Tony £14.2 Million to buy it!

  • Why was public money spent before planning permission was granted and at a time when existing schools are suffering cuts and have had cuts year on year, to their education budgets?

  • Now ARK Pioneer propose to change the roads to two lanes which overall is unlikely to help and costs Millions from the Education budget and Barnet Council will have to pay almost half of the costs. Is this what local residents want? Is this best for our Borough?
Come to Hendon Town Hall on Wed. 25th Oct

The ARK PIONEER planning permission meeting is
on: Wednesday 25th Oct. 2017.
Start:7.00pm. But even 8ish will show you care. All Welcome. 

It is your right to attend and hear what is planned.

They Hoped YOU would not find out that this was coming to the Town Hall on Wed.
Even the local Councillors were only informed a few days ago about Wed. 25th Oct

Show you care about a residents voice and education across the whole borough.
500 responses to the consultation on Ark Pioneer only 35 in support.

Contact: Barnet Parents Defending Education at: b.p.d.education@gmail.com

 The Council are proclaiming a need for more school places but this is related to the whole Borough in the future.

There is no need for a new school in Underhill and the seven surrounding Wards.

Over the whole borough, several schools have spare places, including Bishop Douglas and Christ College in Finchley as well as Whitefields and others.
 
Saracens have land and will shortly open through school in Mill Hill/Colindale area.

The Totteridge Academy last year raised exam results by 20% so that 67% of pupils got 5 A - C grades. But this school needs continued support NOT competition from ARK pioneer.

The Borough of Barnet has 10 academy companies currently. Most are small and some have excellent policies. But Ark are so powerful it will greatly distort and damage current and future relationships between schools and the Council.

Let us know if you want info regarding how ARK plough extra private funding currently into some of their Ark schools to raise exam results. Additionally exclusions are higher than usual in Ark schools. 

But Ark Pioneer is not related to extra private funds but starts a trend towards fewer teachers and the disruption of classroom structure..

Surely, Barnet would  be better off without an 11th Academy Company.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Does anyone have the 2017 GCSE 5 A*-C results for Ark Elvin? I note that the Head they were so keen to get in to 'drive up standards and improve results for every child' seems to have been 'disappeared' after signally failing on the second of these aims for the first 2 years of Ark's 'transformative' approach.
I wonder if the new incumbent will have better luck/support/tenure.
S/he may find this from today's Guardian helpful:

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2017/oct/24/disappeared-headteacher-sacked-academy-dismissal

Mike Hine

Martin Francis said...

https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/school/141019

Anonymous said...

Oh dear, those results don't look very good at all. Are they worse than last year's because last year's were worse than the year before's. In fact, they've been worse every year since Ark persuaded everyone that what Copland needed was Ark to improve results. And I see that there was an Ofsted inspection this year and Ark Elvin 'requires improvement'. But wasn't 'improvement' what Ark promised to provide as soon as it had got rid of all those Copland teachers with their stroppy attitudes (and their better results)?
Maybe if Mr Ark and his hedge fund chums asked nicely, some of those stroppy old Copland teachers might drop by to give Ark Elvin a few tips and pointers.
Desperate times call for desperate measures after all. (And even Special Measures sometimes).

Mike Hine

Anonymous said...

Who was one of the main supporters at Brent for handing Copland over to Ark?

And who is the Brent appointee on Ark Elvin's governing body?

None other than the Great (I think not!) Leader.