Cllr Michael Pavey, only months into his new job as Brent's lead member for children and families, tonight reneged on his promises of opposition to academies made when he was standing for the position.
Making a statement at the full Brent Council meeting he said that Gladstone Park Primary was not a failing school, has suffered a blip, and results were improving. It was a shame that it was being forced to become an academy and instead it should have been supported in its improvement strategy. He welcomed the Parents Action Group campaign and commented that this was' community action at its very best' BUT he respected the governing body's approach to the CfBT. He said. 'If we have to have an academy these are the sort of people we should support'. He went on to say that this was the time to 'bury the hatchet.' (referring I think to both Copland and Gladstone Park).
On Copland he said that he was pleased to announce that the DfE had approved the council's application to impose an Interim Executive Board headed by Grahame Price of St Paul's Way School LINK and said that there had been a 'terrible situation' at Copland with two thirds of the lessons inadequate and it had been failing the most vulnerable pupils. After the IEB the next step in the 'radical surgery' that the school required was academy conversion.
No sign of any fightback on forced academy status and what amounts to the privatisation of our schools and their removal from local democratic accountability.
Making a statement at the full Brent Council meeting he said that Gladstone Park Primary was not a failing school, has suffered a blip, and results were improving. It was a shame that it was being forced to become an academy and instead it should have been supported in its improvement strategy. He welcomed the Parents Action Group campaign and commented that this was' community action at its very best' BUT he respected the governing body's approach to the CfBT. He said. 'If we have to have an academy these are the sort of people we should support'. He went on to say that this was the time to 'bury the hatchet.' (referring I think to both Copland and Gladstone Park).
On Copland he said that he was pleased to announce that the DfE had approved the council's application to impose an Interim Executive Board headed by Grahame Price of St Paul's Way School LINK and said that there had been a 'terrible situation' at Copland with two thirds of the lessons inadequate and it had been failing the most vulnerable pupils. After the IEB the next step in the 'radical surgery' that the school required was academy conversion.
No sign of any fightback on forced academy status and what amounts to the privatisation of our schools and their removal from local democratic accountability.
