While I have been away from Wembley Matters in Australia, staff and parents of Byron Court Primary School have moved with impressive speed to resist being forced into becoming a Harris Academy after a poor Ofsted report. Harris itself ha a poor reputation for its treatment of staff and the enormous salary of its boss. Removing the school from the oversight of the local authority (Brent Council) removes democratic accountability. With support from Brent Education Department the school is already making great progress to address the issues highlighted by Ofsted and the process of academisation would in itself be disruptive to those efforts.
The community is mobilising to save its community school.
Joint Secretary of Brent National Education Union, Jenny Cooper, said:
Our position is that the workforce, as major stakeholders in our schools, should be part of the decision making about their future; as things stand, we see our members once again suffering with work-related stress and anxiety as a direct result of the damaging process we call 'Ofsted'. One-word judgements do nothing to support or help improve our schools; all they do is help steer our school staff on a fast-track to mental breakdown.
This is the wording of the petition you can sign at
https://www.megaphone.org.uk/petitions/save-byron-court-primary-school-stop-the-academisation
To: Gillan Barnard, Chair of Governors; Richard Sternberg, Acting Headteacher; Cllr Muhammed Butt, Brent Council Leader; Gillian Keegan MP, Secretary of State for Education; Damian Hinds MP, Minister of State for Schools
Save Byron Court Primary School - Stop the Forced Academisation
⮞ JOINT PETITION BY 'SAVE BYRON COURT' PARENT CAMPAIGN GROUP AND BRENT NEU ⮜
Our school is being forced into becoming an Academy and join a Multi-Academy Trust, following a poor Ofsted rating. If this goes ahead:
🢜 everything that has made Byron Court an outstanding school before and a special place within the heart of our community will be lost;
🢜 there is no guarantee that any of the improvements or stability needed will be made; on the contrary, academisation could well bring plenty of new problems, particularly the loss of well-loved and valued teaching & support staff who could be forced out;
🢜 and yet Byron would never return to being a community school for all
Our own surveys have revealed that almost two-thirds of parents want Byron to remain a community school; the overwhelming majority of the staff want this too. Yet, we are currently locked out of any discussions and do not have a vote on the school's future.
How can it be fair or right that those who will be most affected - the staff, the families, the local community - are ignored?
We also recognise:
🢜 the significant failings with the Ofsted inspection itself;
🢜 recent changes introduced by Ofsted to make the inspection regime more supportive but which were brought in weeks after Byron's inspection;
🢜 Ofsted's 'Big Listen' consultation, which includes looking into the "impact of inspections on children, professionals, institutions and parent choices", implying an acceptance by themselves that significant change is needed;
🢜 and the school's progress, both already made and planned, under a Rapid Improvement Plan being closely monitored by Brent Council
The Secretary of State for Education has imposed an Academy Order on our school by force - this means that government officials will be making decisions behind closed doors about the future of our school. This is not fair, transparent, nor democratic.
BUT IT'S NOT TOO LATE!!!! Together we can fight to make things different
WE CALL ON GILLAN BARNARD, RICHARD STERNBERG & CLLR MUHAMMED BUTT TO:
🢜 Listen to parents, staff and the community
🢜 Fight against plans to academise the school without the consent or properly considering the views of parents, governors or the Council
🢜 Push for a delay in the transfer to any Multi-Academy Trust, to give sufficient time for improvements to be made in the school
🢜 Challenge Ofsted - express parent and staff concerns around the previous inspection; fight for re-inspection after sufficient time to review improvements, and under any new framework that comes out of the 'Big Listen' consultation
🢜 Give us the chance to remain a community school
WE CALL ON GILLIAN KEEGAN & DAMIAN HINDS TO:
🢜 Withdraw the Academy Order imposed on Byron Court Primary School
Why is this important?
🢜 Ensure an equal, non-selective environment with a focus on the whole child, an approach that doesn't achieve academic excellence or good behaviour by excluding children or making them scared to be in school
🢜 Give a say to those that it will impact most - the staff, the families, the local community
🢜 Stop the privatisation of our children's education
HOW ELSE CAN YOU HELP?
Write to your local councillors: https://bit.ly/BrentCounc
Write to Barry Gardiner MP: barry.gardiner.mp@parliament.uk
Follow us: https://twitter.com/savebyroncourt
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/savebyroncourt
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/savebyroncourt
Donate to our Campaign fundraising page: https://gofund.me/c696a920
1 comment:
Martine Clarke and her mates that made this happen should be .........
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