Cllr Peter Downes will be speaking on behalf of the Liberal Democrats and Cllr Emine Ibrahim for Labour.
Natasha Steel will be speaking from the Hove Park Campaign which successfully defeated academisation plans.
Education and the Election – which way forward for education?
Saturday 11th October 2-4 pm
Open Meeting ALL Welcome
Senate House, Malet St, London WC1E 7HU
Organised by the Anti Academies Alliance
Green Party Education Policy LINK
5 comments:
I'll be interested to see what Natalie on behalf of the Green Party has to say about private education.
Here are some extracts from the GP Education policy. I hope you can make the meeting to put your question to Natalie herself:
ED122 The state currently subsidises independent schools, for example through paying for places for children of parents working in jobs such as diplomats, the British Council, and the military sector. This highlights the need for the state to fully represent the diversity in our education system, for example by increasing the number of state-funded boarding schools.
ED123 State funded schools need sufficient finance to offer the smaller classes and varied curriculum that exist in many private schools.
ED127 Schools which remain in the private sector would be classed as a business and have all charitable status removed; they would pay all relevant taxes such as VAT and Corporation Tax. All state sponsored scholarships would be directed to Local Authorities and remaining private schools would be asked to contribute to a national initial teacher training levy.
ED177 Privately-funded schools run by religious organisations must reflect the inclusive nature of British society and become part of the Local Authority admissions system. This non-discriminatory approach will be extended to staff who must not be discriminated against in faith schools due to their own faith either in seeking employment or during employment.
So the Green Party has no ideological objection to private schools, even on the grounds of the inequality they promote?
Personally, I have an ideological objection to the way state schools are run, on the grounds of the inequality they promote. They are not keeping up with the quality of provision within the private sector and this is the fault of successive governments - from Conservative to Labour to the Coalition. Worse, lots of people who are perfectly able are leaving school without any qualifications or the educational attainment to match their ability. Hence the popularity of Access Courses where people are able to return to study as an adult and go onto university.
When at a place in time where the state sector is failing children, due to under-investment etc who can blame parents for putting their children into a private school. I also can't blame parents for moving to areas where state schools have good reputations.
Once state schools get the investment offered by the Green Party, the standards would invariably rise and there would be less subsequent demand for private schools. There would also be less pressure on the price of housing in the catchment area of well thought of state schools as people should be able to get a decent education for their children in whatever area.
Scott Bartle.
'...the standards would invariably rise and there would be less subsequent demand for private schools.'
Only if private schools' only function in our society was an educational one. It isn't.
Is this country run by Etonians because Eton provides the best education for running a country? I think not. (And if it is, we're really stuffed!).
Mike Hine
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