Kingsbury High Parents Urged to Seek Ballot as Staff Ballot for Strike Action

Why have Kingsbury staff voted against converting to a Gove Academy? Why have parents demanded a ballot? Come and discuss at a public meeting on Tuesday 13^th September at 7:00pm in the Father O'Callaghan Centre, Main Hall, 26 Hay Lane, London, NW9 0NG  

Dear Parents,

As you know at the Governors meeting on 14^th July governors voted for Kingsbury High to apply for academy status. This despite the fact that ...

è  84.5%, over 4/5^ths of staff opposed the idea and voted NO in an independently overseen secret ballot.

è   at two parents meetings the overwhelming majority of parents voiced outright opposition or serious concerns.

è   parents had not then (and still have not) had their own independently overseen ballot.

è   any extra money Kingsbury might receive if they became an academy would be taken from the budgets of other schools. Younger children of Kingsbury High parents could suffer in Brent feeder primaries, losing funding, resources and even staff.

è   any extra money provided would be temporary. Michael Gove has said “the government is clear that a school converting to an academy will not have a financial advantage or disadvantage”.

è   Councils have been granted leave for judicial review of the funding arrangements. Further, the Government is itself presently reviewing funding.

è   no business plan had been done or provided for stakeholders scrutiny.

 

è   the vast majority of Brent schools are not Academies and have no plans to become Academies.

      Further, the Headteacher deliberately withheld from the Governors the fact that the school had received formal notification that staff (reluctantly and as a last resort) would be balloted for strike action if Governors voted to apply. Staff are now in the process of being balloted for strike action

           The Headteacher may tell you that the staffs' only real objections are the loss of the requirement for                n         national pay and conditions, and it being part of the privatisation of the state education agenda. They

           are not. The prime concern of staff is the long-term harm this would do to the education of

           Kingsbury pupils.

      As you know the teaching and support staff at the school are dedicated and committed to providing the best education for the pupils at the school. They are clearly against academy status. There is no evidence to show that this school becoming an academy would raise educational standards.

This is a matter of democracy. Kingsbury High School is a community asset. Proper regard and due weight in deciding its future should be given to key stakeholders, including parents and indeed pupils.

NO FINAL DECISION HAS YET BEEN TAKEN. DEMAND A BALLOT AS STAFF WERE ALLOWED. MAKE YOUR COLLECTIVE VOICE HEARD.

Parents have set up their own action group. They can be contacted via khsaac@hotmail.co.uk

We are the staff's local professional association representatives. Please contact us if you have any questions.

            Hank Roberts hankr@hotmail.com      0208 961 2251 or 07762737306

            Shane Johnschwager johnschwager@hotmail.com  07734703072

Lock Down as Academy Forced Through

The governing body of Claremont High School approved the school's conversion to an academy  after campaigners claimed the headteacher had doors padlocked, brought in extra security and made areas of the school no go areas to prevent lobbying by parents and staff unhappy with the what they see as lack of consultation and accountability. The decision is controversial because nearly three quarters of all staff, teaching and non teaching, at the school had voted NO in an independently overseen secret ballot. The school has now written to parents to say the school will be an academy from April 1st.

Parents who turned up to a meeting organised by the unions on Wednesday had voiced concerns that they had not had the opportunity for proper consultation. There had been no meeting where they could have heard pros and cons, asked questions and debated the issue. Therefore the next day the Headteacher received many emails from parents asking for a delay in making a decision until consultation in the form of a meeting for all parents had taken place and some asking for a ballot similar to the staff one. 

Comments from the emails included:

“We are concerned that there has been no consultation with any parents or any concrete information indicating what implications these changes would have for the future.”

“As parents, we think it would be democratic if there was a meeting and a ballot with the parents of the school before any final decisions are made.”

“An e-mail … voicing our concerns ... you failed to respond, thereby confirming our suspicions that there would be no meaningful consultation over these plans.”

“As you are aware the majority of staff have objected to this application .  There must a very good reason as to why so many of them feel so strongly.”

“I do not feel I have been properly informed about this change and DO NOT wish for this important change to happen without more discussion.”

Parents were astounded that they were not allowed into the school yesterday to make these points in person. They told staff outside the school gates, who earlier had been banned from lobbying the meeting or even delivering letters appealing for a delay, that it was appalling that parents could be treated in this way. They felt it was undemocratic and demeaning to treat the parents of the children who have made Claremont an outstanding school in such a manner.

The unions had written to the Headteacher and Chair of Governors stating that there would be industrial and legal action unless the decision was delayed as the governors had not followed the proper legal processes during consultation.

Claremont Teaching Unions' Appeal to Governors HERE