Voters urged to ask GE2017 candidates to pledge opposition to school cuts

Fill in the above to find the cuts faced by your local school and to see which candidates have signed the pledge to oppose the cuts

From Brent NUT

At the last General Election, the Conservatives promised to protect the money ‘following your child into school’. This promise was broken and we are now seeing the worst cuts to school budgets in a generation, with schools facing cuts of up to £3 billion a year by 2020.

Brent faces larger than average cuts. The table below shows how the cuts affect local constituencies:

The NUT, ATL and NAHT have updated the Schools Cuts website – www.schoolcuts.org.uk – so voters can email each Parliamentary candidate asking them to oppose funding cuts. By putting a postcode into the website, candidates in your area will appear and you can send an email to each one, asking them to oppose the real terms funding cuts for schools.

Lesley Gouldbourne, Brent Secretary said:

Already head teachers are saying that they cannot cope with the current levels of funding. This is a situation that will only get worse if the previous Government’s National Funding Formula is implemented.

It is vital that all candidates standing in the General Election for Brent promise to increase school funding. Failure to do so will see our schools continue to be desperately under resourced, teacher posts cut and drastic measures, such as closing schools earlier, may be considered.

Parents and children in Brent deserve better and our politicians should be standing with us in demanding investment in our schools.

You can see the funding reduction in each school by following these links: (you will need to open the file in Excel)

Brent Central

Brent North

Hampstead and Kilburn

Additional comment by Martin Francis:

It has emerged that in addition to these cuts Brent schools will also be hit by increases in employer contributions to the Brent Council Pension Fund over the next 3 years. This is to ensure the Fund is solvent and raises questions about the management of the Fund compared with other local authorities. Schools will need to find the money to pay increased contributions for support staff including teaching assistants and adminstrative staff. Source LINK

Oakington Manor proposal to become an academy - parents' view sought by teacher unions

COME TO THE MEETING ON MONDAY 7TH DECEMBER

The Governors of Furness and Oakington Manor are looking at becoming a multi academy trust. The Unions have sent in a response stating why there should not be an academy trust and asking for an extension to the consultation. We are particularly concerned about this as the Oakington Brent Audit Report of June 2015 said, ‘weaknesses in the system of internal controls’ … ‘put the client’s (school’s) objectives at risk’. It goes further; ‘The key areas of weaknesses related to high value expenditure, income administration, stock management and pension administration’.

Brent insisted on a proper bidding procedure and due diligence regarding ‘high value expenditure’. This is entirely proper. For the Governors to say this as a reason for NOT wanting to stay with the LA is entirely inappropriate. Staff in both schools have asked lots of questions and are waiting for answers. Oakington staff were told to be quiet by the Chair of Governors at their meeting to discuss the proposal. Parents were not happy with the proposal at the parents meeting. Will it help or hinder your child’s education? Analysis of primary school results indicates that academy conversion actually slows progress.                                 

Open Meeting for staff, parents, governors, councillors and community to discuss

What is going on and why?

Monday 7^th December at 6.15 pm

Tokyngton Community Centre

St Michael’s Avenue, Wembley, Middlesex, HA9 6SA

Let parents and staff have their say on whether the school should become an academy. A full debate to hear both sides of the argument and then a secret ballot for staff and parents.

There should be an opportunity for a proper debate with both sides of the argument for and against an academy being equally presented to staff and parents. This should be followed by a properly conducted independently overseen secret ballot, with the same information included. This is the only way that parents and staff’ views can definitely be known.

All welcome. Bring other parents. Ask your councillors to come. You can bring your children

Hank Roberts, ATL National Past President and Brent Branch Secretary Email: hankr@hotmail.com Mobile for Jean: 07843282450

Lesley Gouldbourne, Brent Teachers Association (NUT) Secretary Email: lesley18g@gmail.com

WE SAY NO ACADEMY AT OAKINGTON. WHAT IS YOUR VIEW?

COME TO THE MEETING ON MONDAY 7^TH DECEMBER at 6.15pm

A fun day with a serious message for the Coalition

 

My home-made placard for today's National Strike disappeared at Lincoln's Inn Field today only for me to spot it later being sported by a young student. She was disarmingly unapologetic so I decided the fact that my efforts had been taken up so enthusiastically by the next generation  was a tribute to my artistic expertise!

The earlier rally at the Torch in Wembley had standing room only and with more than 50 Brent schools closed there was a great spirit of solidarity and some fantastic speeches. Labour councillors Janice Long and Mary Arnold were in the audience. The march itself was high-spirited, comradely and lots of fun with women in the majority.

Parents Demand a Voice in Claremont's Future

Despite short notice and a clash with a school production, concerned parents  of Claremont High School students attended a meeting tonight at Kenton Methodist Church Hall about the possible conversion of the school to an Academy.

Parents reported that they had heard little about the proposals and were surprised to hear that a decision may be made tomorrow. One parent reported that he had e-mailed the school with six questions on the issue but had received no response. He had rejected sending his child to Wembley ARK Academy because he had reservations about the academies programme only to hear that the school where he had eventually sent her may itself become an academy.  Another parent commented that 'surgeries'  with senior staff and governors on the issue had been held when other meetings were taking place. There were also complaints about the difficulty of accessing the academy documents on the school's website. One document had a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) with no answers. A letter that had been sent to parents on February 1st had not reached all the parents present and was not seen as even handed in its presentation of the case.

An exchange of opinion and information took place during the meeting and Hank Roberts of the NUT and ATL, two of the unions that had called the meeting, said this was precisely what the education unions wanted.  All they were asking was that parents should have the same opportunity as staff:  to hear both sides of the debate, time to make up their own minds, and then have the chance to express their views in a ballot. A teacher remarked that if the school leadership was so proud of what they were doing in seeking academy conversion why had they not proclaimed it, rather than be secretive. A parent asked why the school hadn't used recent parent meetings to inform them about the issue.

There was general agreement that parents should contact the school by e-mail to say they had not been properly consulted and asking for a delay in the decision so that parents could research the issue, attend a debate representing the case For and Against the proposal, and then cast a ballot. Some parents would attempt to speak to governors before the meeting.

Hank Roberts said that if there was a fair debate and a ballot that went against the unions' point of view they would accept that was the view of parents. The governing body would have to weigh up the views of staff and parents in considering whether to convert. He emphasised that it was all about democracy and that there was the possibility of legal action to ensure the fairness of the process.

Claremont Well On the Way to Academy Conversion

It appears that the governing body of Claremont High School has moved further along the academy road than I had realised. The Additional Governing Body meeting of February 9th heard representations from the education unions, which mainly focused on changes in pay and conditions and school governance.  The issue of the impact on other schools and the Brent education budget as a whole does not appear to have been addressed

After the union representatives left the governing body went on to discuss conversion to an academy in more detail.  The governors decided not to enter into an open debate between the school leadership and the leadership, in front of staff,  with both taking questions from the staff, as this would give the impression that 'the staff would be voting for or against the conversion and effectively making the decision'.

On salaries and conditions of service,  governors were told that there was no intention to move away from national agreements but no 100% guarantee could be given that this would not happen in the future. It was pointed out that the school had already lost staff to a local academy because they were offered better salaries and conditions: 'the market force is already in evidence and teachers are taking an active part in it'.

Addressing financial aspects Mr Malloy, headteacher, told governors that on initial calculations the school was facing a deficit out-turn of £179,000. When cuts had been made but staffing levels maintained the deficit would be £53,000. He went on to claim that if the school converted to academy status it would receive an additional £657,000 top-sliced from the Brent schools' budget.  In addition there would be a £25,000 one-off start-up grant.  There is no record of any discussion about the impact on other schools. Indeed earlier in the meeting the governors agreed  that they could not predict or influence the government's agenda  and 'their only focus is Claremont High and what is best for the future of the school'.

The governors considered a paper on the next steps in the conversion process that had been drawn up by a firm of lawyers experienced in advising schools converting to academy status. The governing body agreed to delegate authority to a committee to work with the legal team on employment, finances, Trust and articles. Legal fees were expected to be between £12,000 and £13,000.

Governors decided to defer decisions about membership of the Academy Trust until roles and responsibilities were clearer and advice had been sought on the levels of liability members would have. The first meeting of the Trust was scheduled for March 10th when the governing body meets. This meeting would decide on membership.  It was suggested that the funding agreement might be ready by March 10th, to be implemented by April 1st 2011.

Since the governing body meeting, governors have been circulated with Articles of Association of  Claremont High School Academy Trust and were asked to send comments in by last Friday so that it could be registered with Company's House yesterday or today.

Tomorrow's meeting at Kenton Methodist Church should be very interesting!

Documentation on Claremont's Academy Conversion can be found on the school's website HERE

Campaign against Claremont becoming an academy

Anti-academy activists will be leafleting outside Claremont High School tomorrow (Monday) from 3pm until 3.20pm ahead of an emergency parents' meeting on the issue.  They will welcome anyone who can join them.

ADDRESS
Claremont Avenue,
Kenton,
Middlesex HA3 0UH

Democracy in action? Cuts protesters barred from debate.

A group of protesters entered the Town Hall while others continued to protest outside

I am unable to bring you a report on tonight's Brent Council meeting, which was voting on a cuts package that will seriously damage the people of Brent,  because police barred me, and many others, from attending the meeting of the Council. Admission was by ticket only with a limited number issued. There were empty seats in the chamber and on other occasions the public have been allowed to stand. Not tonight.

I was told by the police that they had been called by the Council and instructed to remove me from the building  (Brent Town Hall)  because I was trespassing.  When I said that I was there to see democracy in action I was told that democracy was voting in elections and protesting was nothing to do with democracy. When I said that I wanted to report on the debate and the arguments for and against the cuts, I was told that it was for the Council to decide whether they wanted their proceedings reported and that Parliament  didn't let the public into all their debates.

Frustrated campaigners continued to protest outside the Council chamber for some time until they left in orderly fashion. They left having made their point that they were not prepared to accept the supine position of Labour councillors who appeared prepared to damage the very people that they had been elected to serve and protect. 

Groups from a variety of campaigns had lobbied outside the Town Hall from 6pm in a good-humoured but determined show of solidarity.