Make Willesden Green helps reinvigorate local democracy

Shahrar Ali, Alex Colas and Martin Francis - Willesden Green, Saturday (I've forgotten the joke...)

By chance Make Willesden Green and Brent Green Party were the only campaigners outside Willesden Green Sainsbury's on Saturday where this picture was taken.

A passerby stopped me to say how glad she was to have a real choice on the ballot paper this time round and promised that her three votes will be dividided between votes for the two Green candidates and a vote for Alex Colas. She was not the first person to signal this intention and it is clear on the Willesden Green streets that Alex is winning the poster war.

Make Willesden Green invited us to their picnic on Villiers road that was held to celebrate the completion of canvassing and to thank the 24 or so local supporters who have been working for the campaign.

Alex Colas generously acknowledged the contribition I had made to the Willesden Green Library, Willesden Bookshop and Gladstone Park Primary school campaigns. Make Willesden Green had emerged from those campaigns as a way of local residents using the strength they had gained from those struggles to attempt to reclaim a voice in their community and to hold the council to account.

A former Labour Party member told me how much she had enjoyed working with Make Willesden Green. She had left the Labour Party because 'I could not stomach the idea of campaigning for  Dawn Butler'.

Whatever the outcome of Thursday there is no doubt that Make Willesden Green has already gained a victory of sorts in showing that an independent, broadly based grouping, can mount a highly professional and impassioned campaign.

They have contributed much to reinvigorating local democracy and giving the community a positive focus.

Uncertainty dogs Gladstone Park Primary at end of term

As the Autumn term ended amidst the traditional school Christmas festivities, Gladstone Park Primary School parents were disappointed to hear that what had appeared to be a positive development for the school had fallen through.

Liz Hayward, head of the Ofsted rated 'Outstanding'  Kingsgate Primary in Camden has been appointed Executive Headteacher of Gladstone Park and had written to parents inviting them to a meeting to discuss her plans for the school on Thursday December 19th.

Gladstone parent campaigners then heard on Thursday that due to changed circumstances at Kingsgate, which is due to double in size over the next few years, neither that school's governing body, nor Camden LA, were willing for the arrangement to go ahead.

In fact the Parents Action Group had suggested a Federation with Kingsgate Primary to Brent Council at the beginning of the school's current troubles and had seen it as an alternative to the forced academisation  that they had opposed. There were precedents for cross-borough cooperation and the geographical distance between the two schools is not great. Parents were keen to remain a local authority school with democratic accountability.

At the time this was turned down as a possibility and the governing body went ahead with the selection of CfBT as academy sponsor.

The announcement of Liz Hayward's appointment was made shortly after parents were told that the current head of Gladstone Park was leaving at the end of this term. I understand that Liz Hayward was due to work for three days a week at Gladstone Park until April when CfBT would have appointed their own headteacher for the school.  Her appointment was intended to stabilise the school and give clear and effective leadership. governing body.

It is obvious that given the ups and downs of the last few months that stability and clear and effective leadership are needed more than ever, and perhaps even more importantly, open and candid communication with parents and carers.  Brent Council and lead member for Children and Families, Michael Pavey, have a vital role to play in ensuring that happens.

Queensbury Campaign invites your caption competition entries

Brent Council leader Muhammed Butt in Willesden Green

Brent Council is carrying out a Week of Action in each ward where ward councillors and officers seek to engage with local residents about local issues.

Willesden Green has been on the receiving end of this initiative where local people are particularly sore at losing the Willesden Bookshop, the open space outside Willesden Green Library (which has just been demolished); the threatened loss to developers of the popular community hub pub, the Queensbury; luxury flats being constructed on council land that has been given to developers being marketed in Singapore with the guarantee that there are no affordable homes or key worker homes on the site; and the failure of  Brent Council to mount a  campaign against the forced academisation of Gladstone Park Primary School.

The Week of Action does not of course have anything to do with all this and neither is it a reaction to the recent launch of the Make Willesden Green election platform LINK where independent candidate for the 2014 council election, Alex Colas, has high-lighted the 'democratic deficit' in the area.

The Queensbury Campaign invites your caption for the above photograph. Post your entries for the caption competition as comments below or tweet to .@QueensburySOS

Wit appreciated and there is a meal for two as a prize.

Pavey backs Ark Academy takeover of Copland and fails Gladstone Park parents

Michael Pavey, lead member for Children and Families, on Brent Council is taking part in a Guardian on-line discussion on education this lunchtime.

Pavey, who replaced Mary Arnold as lead member, made great play of his opposition to free schools and academies when he stood for the role. He wanted to see a much more robust response from the Council.

Unfortunately that opposition has been diluted in office to the extent that in a Kilburn Times statement on the proposed takeover of Copland Community School by the Wembley Ark Academy he says LINK

This is a fantastic opportunity for a new beginning at Copland. Ark Academy in Wembley is hugely popular with local parents.We want Copland to be just as good and just as popular. I warmly encourage local families to get involved (in the consultation) to shape the future of their school.

Parents at Gladstone Primary School thought that Pavey would support their energetic campaign against becoming a forced academy but their initial hopes were soon dashed when he failed to take the lead in putting his weight, and that of the local authority, behind them. In contrast, Snaresbrook Primary in Redbridge has recently avoided forced academisation after their local authority (a Tory one) strongly supported the school and its parents.

Starved of that backing it appears the Gladstone parents have decided that if they have to become an academy they will opt for one with CfBT which of all the options conformed most closely to the school's ethos. One parent commented:

'I would say "no" to academisation but if we must become an academy CfBT is the best choice'

 The consultation result on becoming a CfBT academy was:

72 in favour, 26 against and 18 not sure.

The Governing Body of Gladstone Park Primary will be making their decision on Tuesday November 12th.

Gladstone Park governors decide to pursue CfBT academisation

Gladstone Park Primary School's Chair of Governors has written to parents today to inform them that the governing body has agreed to work with the CfBT (Centre for British Teachers) Schools Trust, a charity, as their preferred academy sponsor and that the Department for Education is happy with the proposal. CfBT runs academies, free schools and private schools.

Parents and pupils reject academisation

Anne Kinderlerer, chair of governors reported that at her meeting with Michael Gove; where she was accompanied by the Governing Body's Chair of  Finance, Angus Hislop; they had 'emphasised the school's many strengths' and this was acknowledged by Gove. In turn Kinderlerer and Hislop agreed that Ofsted had identified specific weaknesses. Michael Gove ackowledged the progress made in addressing the weaknesses identified by Ofsted.

Her concluding paragraph in the Gove meeting report does not in itself imply academisation:

We also agreed that the school needs rapidly to identify a secure, robust future governance arrangement, but that the Department would work constructively with the school to take this forward.

The Parents Action Group are likely to argue that this could have been done without academisation. I agree with them.

However the Governing Body is now waiting for CfBT to undertake 'due diligence' to make sure that the school is a a financially and structurally secure state and say they will provide further information for staff and parents during this process, including meetings with CfBT and governors.

Parents and unions will be looking closely at what say they will have on academy conversion. Will they have a secret ballot including the option of non-conversion and remaining with the local authority?

Ann Kinderlerer states:

The outcome of this process, if all goes well, will be the development of a preferred option for academy conversion on which parents and staff can be consulted before the Governing Body considers any final decision to apply to the Secretary of State for an academy order - which in turn would be considered by the Secretary of State.

This seems to indicate 'consultation' which will be taken into account but not a ballot. The only option appears to be 'a preferred option for academy conversion' rather than staying with the local authority,  a federation or some other arrangement.

The focus will now be on digging a little deeper into CfBT's credentials.

The Chair of the Trustees is Philip Graf former Chief Executive of Trinity Mirror PLC and now CVhairman of the Gambling Commission and Vice Chair of CRISIS.

The Director of Education is Sir Jim Rose.This is what the CfBT website says about Rose. The spelling mistakes are CfBT's:

Jim Rose was formerly Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI) and Director of Inspection for the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted). He retired from Ofsted in July 1999 and has since acted as a consultant to the Department for Children, Schools and Families on nursery and primary education, and workforce training. At the request of the Secretary of State, he chaired the 1999 Independent Scrutiny of the National Assessment Tests for Primary Schools. He also led the independant Reviews of Teaching of Early Reading (2006), of the Primary Curriculum, and of Dyslexia (2009), and published an independant review of the primary curriculum in April 2009.

Before joining HMI, Jim held headships of two large, inner-city primary schools. His senior posts within HMI include Chief Inspector of Primary Education (3 to 13), responsibilities for Special Educational Needs (SEN), the education of ethnic minority pupils, and initial teacher training (ITT). He has advised several overseas governments on school inspection, and has considerable international experience of school educational systems. He is President of the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER).

Rose has clashed with children's authors Michael Rosen and Michael MoLINK . He was one of the 'Three Wise Men' (the others were Chris Woodhead and Robin Alexander) appointed by the Conservative Government in the 1990s to report on primary schooling. John  Major used the findings to attack child-centred education and increased centralised control over teaching.
rpurgo over the teaching of phonics

Testing time for Pavey as Copland strikes against forced academy status

Cllr Michael Pavey, who took over as lead member for children and families at the weekend, has hardly filled up his ink well and manoeuvred his long legs under his desk, but already a big problem has landed in his lap.

Teachers at Copland High School have decided to strike next week on Thursday May 23rd in the first of what could be a sequence of actions over the DfE's decision announced yesterday to force the school into academy status.

Pavey, who has signalled a more robust approach to free schools and academies, will have to decide whether to support the staff, and possibly the governors, in resistance to forced academy status.

On Monday Cllr Pavey had a discussion with the Parent Action Group at Gladstone Park who have fiercely campaigned against a similar move at their schools. An extraordinary meeting of the Gladstone Park Primary School's governing tomorrow will hear a report-back on the recent meeting between some governors and Michael Gove which was held at the DfE.

Mary Arnold praises Gladstone Park parents' 'exemplary work' for the school and its children

Gladstone Park parents sent a copy of their letter delivered yesterday to Michael Gove, to Cllr Mary Arnold, lead member for children and families.

Cllr Arnold replied:

Thank you for sending me a copy of your letter and for all your parents ' collective and exemplary work for the school on behalf of the children and their best interests.

I sincerely hope Michael Gove takes on board the significant improvements and recognises that changes to the management would have a disruptive and adverse effect on the school.

The local authority and  your councillors are fighting for the best outcome for pupils and parents and we trust Gladstone Park will set the example for a local solution, based on the voice of reason and avoid a forced conversion.

Call for DfE to recognise Gladstone Park's progress without forced academisation

The Parents' Action Group at Gladstone Park Primary School have issued the following encouraging statement:

Despite improving children’s performance by significantly more than the national average, Gladstone Park Primary School in Dollis Hill, North-West London was rated “inadequate” by an Ofsted inspection in November 2012. This was based on progress in Years 3 to 5 being classed as too slow.

However, results for the Autumn and Spring 2012/13 terms now show that progress across Key Stage 2 year groups (Years 3 to 6) is well above expectations.

Using the standard Average Point Score measure, Key Stage 2 children are expected to progress by 1 point per term on average in reading, writing and maths. Over the Autumn and Spring Terms, where 2 points progress for each year group would be expected, the overall average figures for Gladstone Park Primary School are:

Year Three: 2.0 points
Year Four: 2.7 points
Year Five: 3.4 points
Year Six: 4.8 points

If, as anticipated, this trend continues through the Summer Term, it will make Gladstone Park Primary School one of the best performing in the country in terms of value added (progress against expectations). This is thanks to the school’s own improvement plan, with the support of the Local Education Authority and other local community schools, and the energy and commitment of the teachers.

Yet despite these results, the Department for Education (DfE) is still trying to force Gladstone Park Primary School to become an academy, over the objections of parents, governors and staff. The DfE says that it will select an academy sponsor and impose it on the school, and only then consult with the parents over what is effectively a done deal.

However, such a change would be highly disruptive, and threatens to undo all the good work done so far.

Mike Baker who has a child in reception said:

The DfE should recognise the excellent progress made by the school under its existing governance arrangements, and end the uncertainty over its future by withdrawing the threat to forced academisation. This is in the interests of our children’s education, which should surely be everyone’s paramount concern.

Parents and children take on DfE bullies

Parents and children from schools threatened with being forced to become academies joined teachers today in a march to the DfE to protest against Coalition education policies. Marching to chants of 'Whose Schools? Our Schools!', 'No forced academies! Save Our Schools', 'Michael, we want you: OUT!' and 'No more bullying!' they braved wind, rain and snow to make their point.

Michael Gove should be warned; these are determined people who won't give in easily.

Parents unite against Michael Gove's bullying

"If every school did the same as us...." another step forward

Parents have called  for a public enquiry into bullying behaviour endemic in forced academisation of school. They state that that parents from schools that have experienced bullying from the DfE are fighting back and launching a new campaign group - Parents Against Forced Academies (PAFA). This arose from the frustration parents feel at not being listened to on key decisions about the handing of our schools by rich businessmen running academy chains.

PAFA was born at a half term meeting by parents at several primary schools across London, where they decided to join forces in condemning what they perceive as extreme bullying tactics by Michael Gove and his academy brokers.

Governors and head teachers who resist forced academy are routinely threatened with the sack and in some cases this has been carried through Interim Executive Boards with no previous knowledge of the school or the community   Fake consultations with parents are being run after decisions have already been made and controlled by the academy chains who stand to gain most. The conflict of interest could not be clearer. In the case of Downhills Primary School in Haringey 94% of those taking part in the consultation did not want the school to become an academy sponsored by the Harris Federation. On the same day the consultation was published and available to parents the Secretary of State handed the school over to the Harris Federation. The DfE had funded the consultation to the tune of £50,000 of public money.

Parents are repeatedly being met with rude, abrupt, dismissive and patronising responses from DfE officials when they make a reasoned case for proper consultation and genuine choice over their school’s future. The behaviour of the DfE contravenes key principles set out in the government’s own legal advice and other government agendas such as localism, Big Society and community rights. When making a decision that will impact on the general public, Civil Service Departments are required to meet a series of tests in measuring the lawfulness of an exercise of public law, PAFA believes that Michael Gove is ignoring these basic rules of public life. It is more like dictatorship than democracy.

Parents from schools facing forced academy conversion are joining forces to call for a public enquiry into the decisions made about our schools behind closed doors and the privatisation of our education system by stealth. ‘We know that we are not alone in resisting the forcible academisation of our school,’ says Maria Bache, 40, an HR manager for a media group who has two children at Gladstone Primary in NW London. ‘We stand united with other schools across the country in publicising the unfair treatment we are being subjected to by the DfE.’

Another Gladstone parent, Zaman Wong, said : ‘The decision by the DfE to impose academy status on Gladstone Park Primary is a grossly disproportionate course of action, ignoring the many strengths of our school identified by Ofsted, the indisputable achievements of our pupils and the wishes of the parents. The entire process has been unjustified and artificially rushed, with a complete lack of transparency or any consultation with parents and governors’ The father of two children at the school, one in Reception, concluded: ‘Even a Year 3 child will tell you a choice with one option is no choice at all. ‘ 

PAFA is protesting against these illegal tactics. Key members along with Gladstone Park include protesting parents from high profile schools: Roke Primary in Croydon, and Downhills in Haringey. Other schools protesting schools include Calder High in Hebden Bridge and Thomas Gamuels in Walthamstow.

Angeline Hind of Roke Primary said: “We expect more and more parents and schools to join us as with Ofsted shifting the goalposts once again, there will soon be a torrent of schools subjected to the bullying and underhand methods we have experienced. At times it feels surreal like we are living in Communist China. Our schools are at the tip of a tidal wave to come as more and more schools are forced to convert. This is not about standards but political ideology and privatisation by stealth.”

Notes

The test measuring lawfulness of exercise of public law:

• Legality -  Departments must act within the scope of any powers and for a proper purpose; not  acting in a hasty and disproportionate fashion.
• Procedural fairness – for example giving the individual or individuals an opportunity to be heard.
• Reasonableness or rationality: including the principles of proportionality and the ‘Wednesbury principle’ (when making a reasonable and rational decision all relevant factors must be taken into account and all irrelevant factors omitted). Compatibility with the Human Rights Convention rights and EU law.

·        Parents from Downhills School were involved in working with filmmaker Rhonda Evans in a film about forced academies available online http://www.academiesandlies.org.uk/

These principles are all described in the Judge Over Your Shoulder (JOYS) document issued by the Treasury Solicitor: http://www.tsol.gov.uk/Publications/Scheme_Publications/judge.pdf)

Sarah Teather to meet with parents over forced academies

Gladstone Park Primary School Parents Action Group is to meet with their local MP Sarah Teather to hear her report back on a meeting she has had with Michael Gove on the forced academies issue. Sarah Teather worked in Gove's department until her sacking at the last reshuffle.

When in opposition Teather was a vociferous opponent of Labour's academy programme but appeared to change her mind when she became a minister in the Coalition and took action to enable special schools to convert to academy status.

The latest strategy shift, in which Gove forces primary schools to convert to a sponsored academy after only one poor Ofsted result,  may be a policy that Teather finds repugnant. Certainly her democratic principles must be offended by the bullying nature of the 'brokers' who are charged by the DfE with the conversion process, the refusal to consult until AFTER governors have accepted a sponsor, and the failure to take account of the views of school staff and parents.  The most glaring issue is that the process does not at present allow any of the parties involved (staff, parents, governors) to reject forced academisation outright.

The meeting is public so I am sure if you are interested in the fundamental issues raised by forced academisation that you will be welcome to attend. It is expected that some of our Brent councillors will be attending.

Dudden Hill Labour Councillor supports Gladstone Park Parents' forced academy resistance

Councillor Aslam Choudry (Labour Dudden Hill) has responded to an e-mail from a resident whose grandchildren attend the school with this message:

Let me make my position clear. I have been associated with Gladstone Park School for over 20 years . All of my four children attended Gladstone Primary School and I firmly believe that the school does an excellent service to the local community.

Last Friday, I spoke at the local mosque in Willesden Green before the Jummah Prayers in favour of the demonstration outside the school and, in fact encouraged the congregation to take part.

I am aware that at least 5 parents came to the demonstration .

So, I support your efforts and I believe the Gladstone School is already doing a great deal to improve the education for all children and therefore it should not be forced to go the academy route.

Please let me know if you wish to talk further on this.

'Wrong sort of parents' protest against Gove's diktat

I guess Michael Gove will think that these are the 'wrong sort of parents': passionately committed to their children's education;  strongly supportive of their children's school, teachers and headteacher; enthusiastic about the multi-cultural nature of the school's population, committed to equality and, worse of all, keen on the democratic accountability of the school via the local authority.

A group of middle class parents setting up a Free School for their children aimed at keeping out the riff-raff are clearly preferable, and why oh why can't these Gladstone Park parents realise that their school would be far better if it was run by a bloke who sells carpets?

There was a brilliant demonstration after school this afternoon by Gladstone Park Primary parents and children to oppose a forced academy.. A force to be reckoned with!

Support Gladstone Park protest against forced academy on Friday

A message from the Parents Action Group at Gladstone Park Primary School who are campaigning against forced academy status:

A public protest will be taking place in front of Gladstone Park School on

Friday 8 February against academy status being forced upon the school.

The protest will take place at 3.15pm by the front entrance to the school in Sherrick Green Road.

Please come armed with placards and banners and please try to mobilise support in the wider community so that as many people as possible attend.

We believe the event will be covered by BBC London news and various other media.

Gladstone Park parents rally to protect their school from DfE dictators

Parents and carers are determined to make Michale Gove listen

 The parents campaign against the forced conversion of Gladstone Park Primary School to a sponsored academy swung into action this week.  A website has been set up HERE  and a Facebook page HERE

Brent Green Party has written to the campaign pledging its support and stating: 

We believe that  the DfE’s action  is disproportionate, destructive and  dictatorial...We wish you well in your efforts to  retain Gladstone Park Primary as a well regarded, democratically  accountable,  local authority school at the heart of the local community.

Save Gladstone Park Primary School  has published the press release below setting out their case:

Gladstone Park Primary School in Brent (North-west London) is being strong-armed into becoming an academy within weeks of receiving an ‘Inadequate’ Ofsted grade despite inspectors recognising some areas of strength. Staff and parents were told in January that the school, which had had its previouly ‘good’ performance sustained by Ofsted in 2011, will be fast-tracked for academy conversion after being judged as ‘inadequate’ just before the Christmas holidays, under the new Ofsted rules introduced in September 2012.

A letter from the DfE’s ‘Brokerage and School Underperformance Division’, dated 24 January, informed School Governors that an academy sponsor would be put forward by 11 February. Consultation will only take place after the deal with the Department’s nominated sponsor is secured.

Tactics employed by the consultant contractor working for the DfE include a forced withholding of the sponsor decision for five weeks, during which pressure was brought to bear on the school governors to convert; extremely short deadlines being imposed and a refusal to consider any involvement by the Governors or the school on potential sponsors. Parents, of course, have not been consulted.    

Parents, carers and staff at the school in Dollis Hill have launched a campaign against what they perceive to be a politically-driven, disproportionate and undemocratic rush to academy conversion. They argue that the school had already identified the areas of weakness referred to in the Ofsted report and was already addressing them (a point Ofsted also mentioned in their report), and that it is important for the school community to have final say on its future governance. 

Ishani Salpadoru, parent of an eight year-old pupil at the school said:

We do not recognise our children’s day-to-day experience in the Ofsted report. Over 90% of parents said they would recommend this school to others in the Parentview survey. We feel we’re being steamrollered into academy status, with no influence whatsoever on our children’s future.’ 

Other parents are concerned that forced academy conversion will create unnecessary upheaval and uncertainty, and are sceptical about academy status providing a panacea. Greta Kemper, parent of two children at the school commented:

We chose to send our kids to this school because it was a good community school. We liked the ethos, and we believed – and still believe – that it is a good school. Now a seismic change is being forceably imposed on the school and we are excluded from the decision being made and will be completely cut out of any future involvement if the Academy goes ahead. We feel that the DfE is not acting in “good faith” in their approach.’

The ‘Save Gladstone Park School’ campaign is making links with other well-performing schools that are being forced down the same route, like Roke Primary in Croydon. LINK

Parents believe popular schools like these are being deliberately targeted for academy conversion, as they are likely to improve in the medium-term, whatever their governance structures, and thus prove the government’s ‘Academies are better’ ideology correct. 

Gladstone Park is a large, thriving school in one of the country’s most multi-ethnic boroughs. The main body of pupils at Gladstone Park enters the school well below the national average for numeracy and literacy, with many pupils having English as an additional language. The school has shown that pupils make good progress across the early years (Nursery and Reception). It has SAT results above the national average, and twice the national average at level 6, so pupils leave well prepared for secondary school. 

The National Audit Office has already stated that disadvantaged children do less well at Academies which is an issue for most inner-city schools. 

Parents and staff at Gladstone Park Primary all want school improvement. But ownership of this process must rest with the school and its local community. We will not let it be dictated to us, top-down by faceless bureaucrats. 

Gladstone Park gains window of opportunity on forced academy conversion

Gladstone Park Primary Reception Class  December 2012
The Department for Education has told the governing body of Gladstone Park Primary that they will delay making a decision on the proposed sponsor until February 11th. The DfE had been expected to name a sponsor last week.

The letter, which appears on the school's website LINK broadens the grounds for forced academisation:

Where schools are underperforming (my emphasis) or in an Ofsted category, Ministers have been very clear that the Department should lead on brokering sponsored Academy solutions. This is because the Department's sponsor assessment process and regular contact officials  have with sponsors means that the Department is best placed to provide a complete view on an individual sponsor's current capacity and capability to deliver.

The designation of 'underperforming' clearly widens the scope for forced academisation and confirms that this is a strategy designed to escalate the conversion of local authority primary schools to academy status.

 Offering  the governing body the opportunity to give its views and ideas 'before the proposed sponsor is decided' (Note - not whether academisation is the the best solution for the school and one favoured by the governing body, staff and parents) the DfE Brokerage and School Underperformance Division delay the decision until February 11th.

However, having offered that limited opportunity, the DfE makes it clear that 'formal consultation' only takes place AFTER the governing body has agreed that the school should have a particular sponsor:

...The Department believes it is most appropriate to meet with the governing body to discuss Academy status as it is the body responsible and accountable for the school's performance and strategic direction, and can make the decision to apply for an Academy Order. We recognise the importance of consulting locally and this is a requirement before any school can open as an Academy.The formal consultation is usually started when the proposed sponsor has been identified by the Department, the governing body has met with, and agreed to be sponsored by the sponsor, and the proposal has been given Ministerial approval to be taken forward. As the key stakeholder groups (parents, staff, the local authority and the wider community) are represented on the governing body in elected and non-elected roles, it is well-placed to take this decision.

There is a tacit recognition of the potentially conflicting claims of the DfE and ministers and the local democratic role and responsibilities of the governing body. 

Reading between the lines it appears that the Department wants to avoid appearing to ride rough-shod over current democratic arrangements (as it did at Downhills) by recognising the role of the governing body, but at the same time seeks to have the deal signed, sealed and delivered in advance of the consultation.

A key word is the 'usually' in the passage in bold. Perhaps there is space here for the governing body to insist that the consultation includes alternatives to academy conversion including the school managing its own improvement in collaboration with Brent's School Improvement Service or some other agency, or forming a soft or hard federation with another school.

It is important that Brent Council steps in to offer Gladstone Park support in such an approach.

The contradiction at the heart of Gove's school policy

This is the full version of my letter to the Guardian which was published on Tuesday. The last paragraph was omitted:

The decision to send Ofsted into 'under-performing' local authorities is another step in the transformation of Ofsted into the political agent of Michael Gove. The main  contradiction of Tory education policy is that it preaches autonomy for schools but at the same time seizes centralised control of them via converting them into academies, answerable only to Michael Gove. 

The DfEs official directions say that Michael Gove's powers to force schools to become academies should only be used after a school has been under performing for some time and if the problems are not being tackled. The DfE is currently acting beyond that direction..

Roke Primary School in Croydon and Gladstone Park Primary in Brent, the former previously graded Outstanding and the latter Good, have recently been downgraded by Ofsted and immediately forced to become academies. Roke's Outstanding was given only 7 months before the Inadequate grade. Gladstone Park got a Good assessment in January 2011. Gladstone Park, an inner city school, has SAT results above the national average and twice the national average at Level.6.

The DfE sends in someone who can only be described as a kind of Commissar, unyielding and not interested in dialogue, just intent on imposing a private sponsor on the school. Deadlines are tight and governors, staff and parents find themselves faced with a fait accompli. In both schools parents are organising in defence of their children's education and against becoming a forced academy.

Ofsted inspectors now know that if they grade just one area of a school 'Inadequate' the DfE will move in and turn it into an academy. With the jury out on whether academies actually improve the quality of education we are faced with a hugely risky strategy that threatens to massively destabilise our schools.  The outcome is in direct  contraction to the Government's supposed support for localisation and  will move more power to the centre.

Gove's policy on academies and free schools, the curriculum, the examination system, and even the exclusion of Mary Seacole from the National Curriculum, exposes a Secretary of State who is committed to seizing control of schools, not liberating them.

Gladstone Park Primary School Governors in order to be open and transparent with parents have published their e-mail communications with Jack Griffin, the DfE's academisation officer, on the school website LINK

Roke Primary parents denouce government 'master plan'

The Save Roke Primary School campaign in South London, which like Gladstone Park Primary faces being forced into becoming an academy  has issued the following statement after today's news that Ofsted is to focus on schools in under-performing local authorities:

Ofsted’s move to make blanket inspections across under-performing areas is front page news today. This will catch out not only failing schools but those like our school – a popular, well-achieving primary – caught out by a temporary blip in performance. Roke primary has been forced to academy status, and alarmingly, handed to David Cameron’s personal friend, mentor and major Tory donor, Lord Harris of Harris Academies raising concerns about vested interests.  

Roke parents are campaigning against rushed Academy takeover with an overwhelming majority against being coerced into forced academy. Roke Primary school has no consistent history of low standards, just one unsatisfactory Ofsted report. Despite strength of parent feeling, there is no DofE appeal procedure allowing the parents’ case to be heard. The speed at which the school has gone from being outstanding to being cast as a ‘failing’ school- in just 7 months – resulting in Roke being snatched from local authority control has taken parents by profound surprise. Many are left with questions about whether takeover has been unfairly fast tracked by the Government. 

Roke parent Debbie Shaw comments, ‘We believe that this is a concerted government master plan to catch out not only low performing schools, but wavering schools just like ours who have a temporary blip in their results. This is clearly part of a larger government agenda.”

Roke father, Nigel Geary-Andrews said, “It is alarming that the government is rushing through forced academies on schools like Roke, where there is no proven record of failure over any length of time, without any consultation with parents at all and no way of appealing. This does not seem democratic or transparent to me”.

We would like reassurance from Mr Gove that his new targeted approach will allow schools such as ours time to show that we have turned around performance in a short space of time. As well as a voice for the parents through proper consultation - and the right to appeal.

An investigation in The Guardian 15/01/13 revealed that, ‘The government may be flouting its own education guidelines’. DofEofficial directions say poorly performing primaries should only be obliged to become sponsored academies ‘when a school has been underperforming for some time and if the problems are not being tackled’.

A shotgun Ofsted inspection was announced at Roke Primary on Tuesday, less than 24 hours after it was revealed in The Guardian that, ‘The government may be flouting its own education guidelines’. Parents are eagerly awaiting the results of the monitoring visit which they believe will show evidence of excellent improvement at the school.

There is disquiet among parents about the Government’s choice of sponsor. Roke is being handed over to the Harris Federation, run by millionaire Tory Lord and Carpetright businessman, Phillip Harris- who David Cameron has named as a personal friend who helped to prepare him for power. Lord Harris has donated in excess of £2 million pounds to the Tory party, as well as personal donations to David Cameron, George Osborne and Boris Johnson. He plays a key role in advising the government on failing schools and academy policy. 

Parent, Janine Norris expressed concern at the close relationship between the Harris Federation and Government decision-makers, ‘It concerns me and many other Roke parents that the Government has not got the good grace to seek our views or explain the decision and we can’t help but wonder whether the fact that Lord Harris has donated substantial sums to the Tory party is a significant factor’.

Brent School Wars Intensify

The locally well regarded Gladstone Park Primary School faces being forced to become an academy after an Ofsted inspection at the end of last year categorised it a Grade 4: 'Inadequate'. At the beginning of 2011 an interim inspection had given it a continuing Grade 2: 'Good' LINK with Christine Gilbert,  the head of Ofsted writing:

 I am pleased to inform you that our interim assessment shows that the school’s performance has been sustained and that we can defer its next full inspection.

As a result, the next full inspection will not take place any earlier than the summer term 2012 unless we receive information in the course of the coming year that causes us to inspect earlier. I wish everyone involved in the school continued success in the future.

 A  'desk top' grade of 4 in November 2012 has clearly left all concerned puzzled about what happened in the interim apart from the changes that took place in the Ofsted Inspection framework.

There was a meeting at the school for parents yesterday to report on the inspection. One parent told me:

For many, it was the first they'd heard of the push from the Department of Education for Academy status, and there were spontaneous exclamations of 'No!' 'and 'Why?!' on finding out this was the implication of the OFSTED inspection. I think it's fair to say most of those present are against forced academisation, and there was an almost unanimous sense that the term 'inadequate' bears no relation whatsoever to children's everyday experience at school.

In what someone has dubbed the 'Return of the Dragon' former Brent Director of Education Jacky Griffin has been given the task of managing the transition to academy status. It appears that some governors and parents are determined to challenge the Ofsted findings and the forced academy and I will keep you updated with events. At present there has been no statement from Brent Council or Brent councillors about the situation.

It is fair to say that Jacky Griffin was not universally popular in Brent. She moved on to Kensington and Chelsea where she got an early retirement deal after her job was restructured out of existence.She now has a role with the DfE in promoting academies and free schools.

So it was rather interesting to hear new Brent Interim Chief Executive Christine Gilbert fronting a report that was critical of some academies' covert selection of pupils to boost results. LINK  Gilbert, who is the former chief of Ofsted, inherits a situation in which most non-voluntary aided secondary schools in Brent  have become academies with  possible conflict at Preston Manor over academy conversion and a Gladstone Park resistance campaign possible.

To cap all this there are several free school applications in the offing in the borough with rumours circulating that the building identified by Katherine Birbalsingh's 'Michael Academy' may be Arena House, opposite Wembley Park Station, which is being sold off by the College of North West London to raise money. Teacher unions in Brent are campaigning against the Free School and seeking support from the Labour Council. Michaela Academy has been resisted by two other London boroughs. If true this means that there would be three schools in the same vicinity with Preston Manor down the road and Ark Academy opposite. There is also the possibility of a 1,500 pupil Lycee at Brent Town Hall.

See my earlier reports on the background to Birbalsingh.LINK1    LINK2