Copland teachers strike for 6th time over Ark Academy takeover

Teaching staff at Copland Community High School are taking their sixth day of action tomorrow (Thursday). They have made the following statement:

How is it that a school staff can feel so united, that their pupils and their school and they themselves have been so badly treated, that they are willing to take such strike action?

Staff have passed a motion of no confidence in the IEB (Interim Executive Board) now running the school. (Please see below for the full text.) Staff have asked that a possible legal challenge be looked at as well as a complaint being made to all relevant authorities.

Michael Gove, supporter of ARK and their proposed takeover, almost daily shows the dystopian version of education by dictatorship and containment. He proposes, and is using academies and free schools, to bring in a 10 hour days for pupils. Schools to stay open 51 weeks out of 52. We say “give pupils a childhood”.

The Copland IEB's so called consultation was laughingly inadequate. Even their inadequate 'feedback form' gave a result of 86% of pupils against and 89% of staff against. Very few parents responded and though a majority were for conversion there had been no adequate correspondence with parents, no letters or documents translated to help understanding and no document explaining why the staff were against.

The Unions offered to call off the strike if the parents were given an independently overseen ballot but the IEB refused to communicate at all with the local unions.

There will be a picket at the school between 8 and 9 am tomorrow.

Copland Joint Unions Meeting 22/1/14

This Copland joint union open meeting supports;

1.        The motion of no confidence in the IEB

2.        That a complaint be made to all relevant authorities and bodies** on the basis of it and any other irregularities that come to light

**E.g. Brent Local Authority, Brent Audit and Investigation Department, The Audit Commission, Teacher unions, Michael Gove, DfE

3.        That legal action be investigated following the successful judicial review by Barking and Dagenham Council in support of Warren Comprehensive school with a view to taking legal action over the attempt to force academisation without proper information or consultation

Copland staff have no confidence in the IEB as they;

1.        Continued and oversaw a massive, indiscriminate, hugely expensive voluntary redundancy programme in the summer that took no proper account of the curriculum and failed to protect it to the detriment of pupils' education and the school.

2.        Failed to take action to improve the intake

3.        Failed to press action to get any of the money (£2.7 million) returned that was removed from the school under a previous administration, while at the same time claiming every cutback and redundancy was necessary on financial grounds.

4.        Secretly applied to the DfE to turn Copland into an ARK academy without informing, never mind consulting, and not even providing a time line to staff or parents.

5.        Have refused to allow an independently overseen secret ballot of staff or parents regarding their proposal, or properly negotiate on it, despite the Unions offer to pay for such a ballot.

6.        Have engaged in a fundamentally flawed and unfair 'consultation' procedure over support staff redundancies and are seeking such wide scale redundancies both in teaching and support staff that the education and well being of the pupils can only be harmed.

7.        Have adversely affected the school's finances by drastically reducing the 6th form numbers.

8.        Have actively pursued an anti union agenda;

a)    unilaterally abolishing the school's JCC

b)    declining to formally consult the unions over the ARK proposal

c)    unlawfully not allowing school union reps to go on training courses

Copland IEB to recommend ARK takeover to Michael Gove despite overwhelming staff opposition

The telling graph from the Consultation Report

The Interim Executive Board has written to staff at Copland Community High School informing them that they have decided to recommend to Michael Gove that the school becomes an ARK academy. This follows five strikes by school staff to secure a democratic ballot over academisation and the ARK takeover.

Grahame Price, chair of the IEB says that they have done 'everything required by the Secretary of State' this does not of course involve a democratic vote, or even taking account of the overwhelming opposition of staff. and students.

This is the letter

Dear Staff

The Copland Interim Executive Board has approved the report summarising the activities that took place during the consultation period.  We spent time reviewing the report to make sure it reflects the feedback we received as part of the consultation. We also spent time considering what Copland requires to ensure the long-term improvement that it needs. 

Under Section 5 of the Academies Act 2010 the IEB was required to consult with staff, parents and community representatives on the proposal that Copland Community School becomes an ARK academy in September 2014. We have now done everything required by the Secretary of State, and are satisfied that the best way forward for Copland is to become an academy. We believe that ARK will build on the work already done by the IEB and Dr Marshall to provide leadership, support and focus for the school, using their proven experience to turn Copland into an exciting place to learn. 

The IEB will write to the Secretary of State to make this recommendation.  

The IEB will now work with ARK, to prepare to open the school as an ARK academy in September 2014.  ARK will therefore begin detailed transition planning, including starting a recruitment campaign for the principal of the proposed new academy. The final of the process is the signing of the funding agreement by the Secretary of State and this would confirm that Copland will become an ARK academy.

I have attached the consultation report.

Best wishes

Grahame Price

Chair of the IEB

The Full Consultation Report is available here: LINK

Copland staff declare 'no confidence' in IEB

Last Wednesday, in a joint union meeting, Copland staff passed unanimously the following vote of no confidence in the IEB (Interim Executive Board)  drafted in to run the school by Brent council after the sacking of the democratically elected governing body last July.  The resolution reflects the continuing and growing concerns of staff, parents and students on a range of legal, financial, democratic, procedural and professional matters.

The resolution, a copy of which has been forwarded to the head of the IEB, Grahame Price, reads:

Copland staff have no confidence in the IEB as they:

1. Continued and oversaw a massive, indiscriminate, hugely expensive voluntary redundancy programme in the  summer that took no proper account of the curriculum and failed to protect it to the detriment of pupils' education and the school.

2. Failed to take action to improve the school’s  intake

3. Failed to press action to get any of the money (£2.7 million) returned that was removed from the school under a previous administration, while at the same time claiming every cutback and redundancy was necessary on financial grounds.

4. Secretly applied to the DfE to turn Copland into an ARK academy without informing, never mind consulting, and not even providing a time line to staff or parents.

5. Have refused to allow an independently overseen secret ballot of staff or parents regarding their proposal, or properly negotiate on it,despite the Unions offer to pay for such a ballot.

6. Have engaged in a fundamentally flawed and unfair 'consultation' procedure over support staff redundancies and are seeking such wide scale redundancies both in teaching and support staff that theeducation and well being of the pupils can only be harmed.

7. Have adversely affected the school's finances by drastically reducing the 6th form numbers.

8. Have actively pursued an anti union agenda;

a) unilaterally abolishing the school's JCC

b) declining to formally consult the unions over the ARK proposal

c) unlawfully not allowing school union reps to go on training courses

Staff also voted unanimously :

 That a complaint be made to all relevant authorities and bodies** on the basis of the no confidence motion and any other irregularities that come to light

**E.g. Brent Local Authority, Brent Audit and Investigation Department, The Audit Commission, Teacher unions, Michael Gove, DfE

 That legal action be investigated following the successful judicial review by Barking and Dagenham Council in support of Warren Comprehensive school with a view to taking legal action over the attempt to force academisation without proper information or consultation.

Let Gove and Wilshaw spit blood - we'll organise for an alternative

Following on from the successful West London Education Question Time last week, I attended the Anti Academies Alliance AGM, and left optimistic that at last the agenda supported by both Michael Gove and Michael Wilshaw (their squabble is more about power and ego than policy) is being challenged on a broad front.

The AAA recognised the connection between the neoliberal privatisation and austerity agendas by agreeing to affiliate to the People's Assembly. They agreed to participate in developing the education policies and actions of the PA and to support their local and national activities that accord with those of the AAA and the National Campaign for Education.

The importance of democracy and accountability highlighted by the struggles around  academisation was the subject of a motion on Parental Ballots which was agreed by the AGM.

The notion read:

The AAA notes

• that many of the schools converting to academy status - voluntarily or forced - are doing so without proper consultation of parents
• the recent decision of Barking and Dagenham Local Authority to organise ballots of parents in schools facing academy conversion

The AAA believes

• that parents should have the final say on the status of their children's schools

AAA calls

• on all governing bodies in any school consulting on academy status - whether by choice or by direction - to hold a ballot of parents
• on all Local Authorities to organise parental ballots for all schools converting to academy status

I hope that Brent Council will take note of Barking and Dagenham's policy and adopt it. But B&D have gone further winning an historic injunction, alongside governors,  in the High Court preventing the imposition of an Interim Executive Board and an Academy Order on Warren School.(1) After Warren went into special measures a year ago a partnership was established with Rober5t Clack School and Warrens's results have risen by 16%.

The Director of Children's Services at B&D had said:

I believe the Secretary of State's proposal will disrupt the progress made, and could negatively impact on children's education.

The ruling by Mr Justice Collins is itself very interesting as he not only questions the decision itself, saying. 'It appears to me this decision should never have been made' but also questions the legislation which allows such decisions to take place in the face of local demoracy and th best interests of the children concerned.

The Judge said:

This is an extraordinary piece of legislation (Academies Act 2010). The Secretary of State has wide powers to make am IEB (Interim Executive Board) and AO (Academy Order) and thereafter consult. On the face of it that is crazy. How can he be impartial by consulting thereafter?

He went on:

(It) seems from reports the present Secretary of State thinks academies are the cat's whiskers - we know of course some of them are not.

Cllr John White, cabinet minister for  children's services, and Michael Pavey's equivalent in Barking said:

This (injunction) is a victory for both common sense and the education of our children. Our position remains that the improvements at the school, and the arrangements we have in place, are having a very positive impact on outcomes for children, and as such, imposing an academy will be disruptive to children's education.

This follows on from the Snaresbrook Primary school's victory against forced academisation where an effective parental campaign was backed by the senior management team of the school, the governing body and the local authority.

Even in Hammersmith and Fulham flagship Tory borough, the decision to close top performing  Sulivan Primary School to make way for a free school, has stubled with the Scrutiny Committee's decision to call in the decision.

There seems to be the potential for a cross-party and non-party campaign to at least slow down Gove's juggernaut.  This is only a small step though because the three main parties are still wedded to neoliberal ideas of education emphasising marketisation and the producing of children who are 'fit for work' or even in the case of some academies and free schools, 'fit for military service'.

We must both win small victories to slow down Gove's reforms but also build and win support for alternative ideas about what education is for, how it is organised, and how decisions are made.

Having been elected to the National Steering Committee of the Anti Academies Alliance on Saturday I hope to make a contribution to this strategy.

(1) Acknowledgements to paper circulated at AAA AGM

Copland teachers stage unprecedented 5th strike against forced academisation

Copland Community School teaching unions remain solid in their determination to stop the ARK academy chain taking over their school in Wembley. They will be taking an unprecedented fifth day of strike action tomorrow (14^th January). The IEB continue to refuse to take part in any negotiations let alone even reply to communications from the Unions.

Hank Roberts, Immediate Past national President of ATL said:

The IEB have yet to respond to an offer of further talks nor even yet able to respond to staff and parents demand to be given a proposed timetable for the proposed conversion! The massive strength of feeling is because staff know that this is really about privatisation and Gove intends to allow those running academies like ARK to make profit out of state education. Their intention is to impose a third world education system in England.

Our intention is to continue and increase the level of resistance to stop them.

 Tom Stone, Acting NASUWT Brent Secretary said:

Copland staff are showing amazing tenacity in continuing to be prepared to stand up for their school by taking yet another day of strike action. The NASUWT fully supports members taking action at any school where management try to impose academisation.

Jean Roberts, Joint Brent Teachers Association Secretary said:

By standing firm staff have won on a collective grievance over job titles and also, through the threat of further strike action, the threat of compulsory redundancies for teachers has been withdrawn. At the well attended joint unions meeting last week staff were up beat and fully behind the campaign to defeat ARK. Just today there were revelations in The Guardian after freedom of information requests showed taxpayer-funded academy chains have paid millions of pounds into the private businesses of directors, trustees and their relatives.

Leaflets will be handed out today outside Copland for pupils to take home to parents explaining why the action is taking place. This leaflet from the school’s anti academy working party has been translated into the most common languages used by pupils. 

This has not been done for any letters sent out by the IEB.

There will be a mass picket outside the school from 7.30 am tomorrow until 9.00 and then there will be a letter writing session to the local councillors and MPs. There will also be discussion on what further action will take place to further the campaign.

Copland teachers denied chance to see pupils through to their exams

We have got used to teachers' professional views being ignored or thought of as no consequence, as in the case of the recent Radio4 panel discussion about history teaching with Michael Gove and academic historians, but with no actual history teachers present.

One would expect their views to be taken account of when a school is going through substantial changes and students will be affected.

However a meeting of the Interim Executive Board of Copland Community High School yesterday seemed to model their behaviour on that of Michael Gove.

The teacher unions had asked that leaving dates for staff made redundant be deferred until September so that they could continue to support their students who are taking examinations. The IEB decided that as all classes could be covered so all redundancies will take place at Easter.

Clearly from an educational point of view it is preferable, and perhaps essential, that teachers who know the students and their strengths and weaknesses and have taught them the subject, should see them all the way through to their examinations.

It appears that the IEB accepted the word of the headteacher on the issues discussed rather than subjecting them to the kind of rigorous challenge that Ofsted now expects regarding the quality of teaching and learning.

COPLAND STAFF & PARENTS DENIED SECRET BALLOT ON ARK (EVEN IF THEY FOOT THE BILL THEMSELVES!)

Guest blog by 'Fair Play'

Misjudged attempts by Copland Community School’s  Interim Executive Board (IEB)  to outmanoeuvre the school’s  staff have failed embarrassingly. The Brent Council-imposed governing body have refused staff and parents’ proposals that there should be a secret ballot conducted by the trusted and prestigious Electoral Reform Society on whether the school should be taken over by Ark Academies. Anticipating pleas that such a ballot would cost too much, the staff unions were prepared to foot the bill themselves.  The teachers’ proposal that strike action would be suspended if the ballot went ahead was put to the IEB with a very reasonable deadline of giving a response by last Thursday, 5.00pm. They failed to meet this deadline but promised to have decided by Friday pm. They ignored this too.

Aware that their tactical stalling would leave little time for teachers to meet to decide their response, the IEB appeared to hope that the strike action on Tuesday (announced  weeks ago by the staff and backed by their national union organisations) would be called off. As an attempt at an additional sweetener, they were said to be considering yet another version of their own ‘consultation’ vote instead of the Electoral Reform Society secret ballot  However, when Copland staff met on Monday there was anger at the tactics of the IEB and a near-unanimous vote to continue with Tuesday’ strike. Staff felt that the IEB’s contemptuous disdain for their attempts at  reasonable discussion and negotiation reinforced their view that the whole academisation ‘consultation’ was a sham and that, despite Michael Pavey’s claims to the contrary, the takeover by Ark is, in his own words,  a 'done deal'.

Ok, Michael. If it is a done deal, why not let the staff unions go ahead and pay for their ballot of parents and teachers at their own expense? It won’t make any difference to anything, after all.

However, if, as you claim, it isn’t yet a done deal, then what harm is there in demonstrating that at least one ‘consultation’ in Brent is prepared to canvass and listen to the views of the greatest possible number of stakeholders consulted in the most open and democratic manner possible and at no expense to the council? 

What believer in participatory democracy could possibly resist?

( But whatever you decide, please don’t tell us that the IEB is an independent body over which you have no influence at all. You’d  have us believing in Santa next). 

Debate the future of Copland tomorrow

Brent teachers' leader hits out at Ark Academies

Hanks Roberts, Brent Branch Secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) has circulated a hard-hitting letter to union members at Copland Community School condemning the plans of the Interim Executive Board, supported by Brent Labour Council, and the DfE, to hand over Copland Community School to Ark Academies.

He says:

So they propose ARK, but don’t worry, there will be a 'consultation'. Really? At the meeting on Monday, to ensure no awkward questions were asked, no questions were allowed at all.

Grahame Price, Chair of the IEB, told us that there was “a strong steerage from the DfE to become an academy.” When he finally agreed to meet union reps after numerous requests in the summer term, he said that there was no choice - the school would become an academy. This was necessary, he said, to turn the school into a good school.

We pointed out Grahame Price's school had been transformed from a "failing" into a “good” school, and it was a Trust not an academy! Clearly becoming an academy is not necessary to being a good school. Equally, being an academy is no guarantee of not being in special measures – Crest academies in Neasden being our nearest example.

If Brent wanted to do something useful for the pupils and staff at the school why haven't they sought to get back any of the money taken from the school by Sir Alan Davies et al?

ARK is run by the ex-joint MD of a News International subsidiary, Lucy Heller, and a handful of multimillionaires including Stanley Fink, Treasurer of the Conservative party, and Paul Marshall, the biggest donor to the LibDems. It was founded by, among others, Arki Busson, a playboy who modestly named the initials of this "charity" after himself - Absolute Return for Kids.

The main aim in life of these hedge fund speculators is increasing their already substantial millions. Any promises from this lot are worthless. When they wanted to build an Academy on the Wembley Park sports ground they promised that local kids would still be able to use the pitches. Needless to say all pitches are now hired on a strictly business footing, with no non-commercial community provision.

ARK staff work longer hours, having to undertake at least an additional 370 directed hours each year. ARK management is even less consultative and collegiate than our present management. Overuse of learning walks is standard practice in ARK academies. Many staff have left or are leaving what was formerly Kensal Rise Primary, now ARK Franklin, because of the restrictive curriculum, expected total uniformity and no creative freedom allowed. Teachers in other ARK academies agree.

A national newspaper is currently investigating concerns over ARK's exclusions policy and admissions in general. Ironically even Ofsted agrees; in their report on Evelyn Grace Academy it states, 'the number of fixed-term exclusions is high relative to secondary schools nationally.' And this ARK academy is judged as only 'satisfactory'.

If anyone consciously supports Copland being taken over by ARK as part of Gove's academy programme they must be bARKing!

Further strike action planned as Copland staff fight ARK Academy takeover

Press release from union members at Copland Community School

Staff from the three teacher unions voted unanimously at a well attended meeting yesterday at Copland Community School to take further strike action over plans by the Interim Executive Board (IEB) to hand over the school to the ARK academy chain. The 'consultation' which they have announced including a public meeting is a sham.

Councillor Pavey, who was elected as lead member for Children and Families on the basis he was opposed to academies and free schools[1], has made it clear he supports ARK taking over Copland. He justifies this by saying that Copland 'is different' but cannot provide any supporting evidence for his decision regarding Copland. Redbridge Council which is Conservative has defended democratic, locally-run education and prevented Snaresbrook Primary being forced to be an academy

It is inflated hype about the academic ‘success’ of the Wembley Ark Academy. They have only just started their Year 10 intake. Copland is already improving as was shown by their exam results this summer.

Of course ARK will have the benefit of the new school building at Copland which has already been agreed. The spin doctors are trying to make it sound that ARK will be responsible for this.

Hank Roberts, Brent ATL Secretary said:

The consultation is a joke. They have already decided that the head of the ARK academy will be the joint headteacher of both schools and they have already decided it will be an ARK academy. They have offered no choice, and will seek to go ahead whatever the 'consultation' results. We are united in opposition to this. 

Tom Stone, Acting NASUWT said,:

It is quite scandalous how the pupils and staff are now being treated at Copland School. They have suffered enough. Their ex Head teacher is a convicted criminal and now their combined souls are being given over to an Academy chain that has no real interest in them, but is VERY interested in the future profit they can make from the school and their site.

Lesley Gouldbourne, Joint NUT Secretary said:

Brent Council and the IEB claim that converting to an academy will improve results. There is absolutely no evidence  for this and increasingly in fact the opposite. The tide is turning against academies. For example Sweden which used to be quoted by Gove is now dismantling them.

 As reported widely and in the Independent on 8/11/13:

More than 30 academies have been warned they must pull their socks up - or their sponsor could face the sack, the Government disclosed today.

[1]          Quote from Cllr Pavey on his blog 29.5.13 “I dislike the Academy system. There is no evidence that Academisation leads to improved educational outcomes. Academies fragment educational provision – when it should be based on local co-operation. And worst of all, Academisation is a step towards marketisation of education”.

Not:e The Chair of Ofsted (which condemned Copland to forced Academy status) is Dame Sally Morgan. Dame Sally Morgan is also an ‘Advisor’ to Ark Academies.

---

Pavey won't act on Copland chaos

Guest bloggers have given a vivid picture of events at Copland Community School as the new management take action. I have been arguing that Brent Council needs to look at its own role, not least the effectiveness of  its support for the school in the period previous to the Ofsted inspection when Brent Council leader Cllr Muhammed Butt was a member of the governing body.

The Council has sacked that governing body and imposed an Interim Executive Board which has appointed senior management. The Council can't just leave it there but should be monitoring closely how the IEB and senior management are going about school improvement.

The guest bloggers have revealed a troubling picture which, as I state in the Twitter exchange below with Cllr Michael Pavey, lead member for children and families, seems to be killing the patient in order to cure it.

I have been a headteacher responsible for turning round a primary school in special measures, as well as Chair of Governors at two primary schools which under the lead of the headteacher and supported by governors have also come out of the category.

Of course tough measures have to be taken to remove inadequate teaching and tackle issues such as poor attendance, but in the process you have to build on your strengths, boost morale, win the confidence of teachers, parents and pupils and get everyone on board. When you do have to take action on capability this should be done following the agreed procedures ensuring fairness and transparency.

The guest bloggers' contributions seem to indicate that this is not happening and led me into the following Twitter exchange with Cllr Pavey:
 
Wembley Matters: Whistleblower's plea for .@MikeyPavey to intervene in Copland debacle http://wembleymatters.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/coplands-summer-bizarre-continues.html …
Michael Pavey: Have they filed a grievance? That's the most appropriate first step.
Wembley Matters LA appointed IEB/new head who are killing patient to cure it. You representing LA must take responsibility. Grievance takes time
Michael Pavey: I fully support IEB in turning round Copland's dismal failure of kids. Any complaints need to follow proper process.
Wembley Matters: Washing of hands - RIP Copland then
Michael Pavey: Says who? I see a committed new team keen to reverse educational failure.
Wembley Matters: History will judge - by Autumn half-term?
Michael Pavey: It will take much longer than that to reverse historical failure.
Wembley Matters: The consequences of current management action will be obvious by then: staffing, morale, and pupils' well-being
Michael Pavey: The consequences of current levels of teaching are already apparent.
Luca Salice: IEBs in some circumstances can be a good solution to avoid academy conversion and improve schools.
Wembley Matters: I agree Luca but in this case Brent Council put in IEB to PREVENT the governors opposing forced academisation.