Hard times ahead but we can still enjoy ourselves!

New Schools....shattered dreams?

Sarah Teather MP spoke about the Building Schools for the Future Pogramme in the House of Commons, July 1st 2004:

As a result of the budgetary pressures, Brent LEA spends a much higher percentage of its school budget on pay—85 to 90 per cent., compared with an average of about 70 per cent. for other LEAs. That is highly significant. High wage costs result in reduced funding for other areas; that is common sense. Brent cannot provide the teaching assistants that it feels it needs; it cannot refurbish buildings; and it has a higher proportion of schools in budget deficit than the rest of London. Some 12 Brent primary schools, about 20 per cent; of the borough's total, are in deficit, compared with 12 per cent. in Greater London. Five Brent secondary schools are in deficit, 37 per cent of the total, compared with 24 per cent in Greater London.

Refurbishment is a particular concern for such schools. The executive summary of the Government's consultation document, "Building Schools for the Future", stated: "School buildings are important to pupils' education." The research showed a clear link between capital investment and school standards. In practical terms, the budgetary pressure has prevented the council from taking action to replace the portakabins in the John Kelly secondary schools.

Brent has a poor stock of school buildings; the lack of available cash for maintenance means that many have a large backlog of minor repairs that may well be more expensive to fix now than if they had been dealt with sooner. Brent is desperate to be part of the second wave of "Building Schools for the Future", which is due to be announced in the autumn. At the moment, some schools are forgoing expenditure in the hope—indeed the expectation—that BSF funding will be made available soon.

On Monday Brent Council said:

Brent Council heard today of Government plans to cut the national Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme. Four schools will now miss out on an initial investment worth £80m.

Councillor Ann John, Leader of the Council said: "This is dreadful news for Brent. The withdrawal of funding will have a devastating impact on the educational opportunities of Brent's students for generations to come.

"The rising population in the borough has meant a shortage of school places and with many of our schools in poor condition, this investment was vital.

"We will be drawing on the support of our MPs to argue our case to Government for this much-needed investment that goes beyond new buildings.

"Without funding Brent will not be able to meet the demand for pupil places in the future."

Brent awaits further information from the Department of Education.

I await comment from Sarah Teather MP.

Never mind climate change, let's save some money....

Environmental groups across Brent angered at Brent Council’s decision to cut key Environment posts will be holding a protest outside Brent Town Hall on Monday 12^th July.   They have requested speaking rights at the Council Executive meeting to voice their concerns.

 

Brent Campaign against Climate Change, made up of environmental, trade union, political and community groups across the Borough are infuriated that Brent Council have cut two posts in Environment and Culture, including a new Climate Change Officer post.  The campaigners believe the post, which would have would oversee and deliver the Borough’s Climate Change strategy, should be exempt from the cuts which will otherwise seriously impede the Council’s work to deliver a sustainable agenda.

 

Brent’s Climate Change strategy was launched at an event in Wembley in December last year.  A strategy steering group was due to be set up comprising public services, businesses, voluntary sector and community group representatives, but this new post was the only paid one on the committee.  The other places are entirely voluntary, non-expert and do not carry any authority.  The steering group is yet to be set up and the officer post, due to be recruited last year, was put on hold due to a recruitment freeze across the Council this Spring, and has now been axed.  This work is instead being designated to existing staff, which campaigners believe will compromise what can be achieved.

 

Ken Montague, Chair of Brent Campaign against Climate Change said:

Brent Council really need to get their heads round the seriousness and urgency of the problem facing us. Climate change is happening now and it won't wait till they've balanced their budgets.  This is a short sighted decision which shows that Brent is not planning for the future.

 

We should save the planet not the bankers.  Brent Council must lead the way and not give way to Con Dem budget cuts.

Brent Councillors don't have to answer to us. They will have to answer to their grandchildren.

Steffi Gray, of Brent Friends of the Earth (FoE), who is hoping to address the Council meeting said:

This is outrageous.  Brent have spent forty thousand pounds of our council tax hiring consultants to come up with this strategy, but have now pulled the plug on any further money to actually deliver the scheme.  What’s more they have made a big deal of signing up to the 10:10 campaign to reduce emissions by 10% in 2010, but this target is actually LESS than the amount they agreed to previously.

We want Brent Council to get serious about climate change, but we fear these cuts will put a sustainable agenda at risk.  Given the urgency of climate change, this post should be a priority and be made exempt from the cuts.

 

Shahrar Ali, Brent Green party spokesperson for planning and environment added:

We need to take urgent action on climate change mitigation locally. The Brent climate change strategy called for a full-time officer to work with other agencies and the public - today, not the day after tomorrow. Failure to recruit the post is environmentally irresponsible. We are calling for all newly elected councillors to see sense, for the sake of current and future generations.

 

Brent Council faces two hundred staff cuts in September, whilst Council tax has been frozen for the coming year.  The decision was made without consultation with community groups who had previously been involved in shaping the Borough’s climate change strategy.

 

Members of Brent FoE, Brent Green Party, Brent Red-Green Forum, Brent and Harrow Socialist Workers Party, Brent Socialist Resistance, and  Transition Kensal to Kilburn will be outside Brent Town Hall in Wembley from 6.30pm on Monday 12^th July.  The Council executive meeting starts at 7.15pm.

 

Church speaks out against English Defence League

John Root, vicar of St James's Church, Alperton has written the following letter to the Wembley Observer:

We, the people of St James's Church, Alperton are committed to strengthening the bonds of peace and understanding between Islam and our own faith, Christianity.


We were concerned to read your report 'Protest Planned at Muslim Rally', about the demonstration planned in Wembley on June 26th.

We believe that the aim  of the Engl;ish Defence League is to stir up anti-Islamic feeling and to pull Brent's different communities apart.  We oppose this.


Also, although members of our church come from many different nationalities, those of us who are English reject the right of the English Defence League to speak on our behalf.


We assure your Muslim readers of our continued prayers and support. We believe that God is dishonoured when the seeds of hatred are sown and we refuse to share in the English Defence League's agenda of hatred.

Claremont Takes a Step Back on Academy Status

The Governing Body of Claremont High School has acted after contradictory statements from the headteacher over applying for academy status. Terry Malloy's statements to the press had ranged from the tentative to the gung-ho and resulted in an anti-academy demonstration outside the school. Reading between the lines it appears that there might have been a good old-fashioned row on the governing body.

A statement published in the Harrow Times said:

"The discussion was full and frank. At this point in time, the governing body has concluded that no expression of interest in pursuing academy status will be made and the school will continue to explore the specific and wider implications of academy status to be better informed."

As Brent Green Party spokesperson on Children, Families and Schools I welcome the governing body's statement which indicates that they have recognised their democratic responsibilities and the need to be accountable to the wider community. I hope that after due deliberation they will reject the academy option on the grounds that it would undermine central services provided by the local authority, take money from other schools, and remove democratic accountability.

Coalition Academies: The Battle Begins

The demonstration outside Claremont High School on Tuesday

There was a swift and determined response to Claremont High School headteacher's announcement that he wanted Claremont High School to apply for academy status, when demonstrators gathered outside the school yesterday. They gave out leaflets setting out the issues to the 1500 pupils to take home to their parents.

The protesters said that the headteacher, Terry Malloy,  had made the announcement before he had consulted the staff, parents or even the governors. They added that if the school does not consult parents and teachers further action will be taken.

Hank Roberts, Brent ATL and NUT Secretary said, “Democracy is non negotiable”. Shane Johnschwager, Brent NASUWT Secretary said, “The teachers and education unions are totally united on this. As soon as these headteachers attempt to undermine accepted democratic values we have to hit them hard and fast and we make no apology for it”.

The letter to parents included the following points:

• You as parents have not been fully consulted on this significant change.
• Your child's teachers have also not been fully and properly consulted.
• The headteacher has gone to the press before discussing this matter at a full meeting of the Governing Body
• Of the 8 oustanding schools in Brent onlt two have indicated they have any interest at all in even considering this proposal. The clear majority of Brent's oustanding schools value the role of the Local Authority and do not want academy status.
• Statutory provisions and professional services currently provided by the Local Authority, such as Special Educational Needs and School Improvement Services, would need to be provided by private firms and paid for by the school. This would come out of any additional funds.
• Any serious problems encountered by the school would leave them isolated and without council support.

1.

Academies Rule OK- Sarah Teather

On Sunday's blog I asked, "How long can (Sarah Teather) go along with undemocratic, cash grabbing academies and the 'shambles' of free schools?"

It didn't take long for her to respond!  In a written answer published yesterday,  as Minister of State for Children and Families, she said:

We will reform the school system so that children with special educational needs and disabilities get the best possible support. We will halt the unnecessary closure of special schools, improve diagnostic assessment for schoolchildren, and remove the bias towards inclusion. We have introduced legislation to make it possible, for the first time, for special schools to become academies. We are committed to offering special schools the additional freedoms that we are giving mainstream schools.

So it seems that she is going all the way with academies that she opposed back in 2007 and with 'free schools' that she dismissed as a 'shambles' during the General Election campaign. Added to that she appears to be suggesting that children with special needs and disabilities should not be integrated into mainstream schools.Umph!

GREEN GONE WRONG How the Economy is Undermining the Environmental Revolution

Heather Rogers is the author of the book with the above title published on June 14th 2010. An event to discuss the ideas in the book is being held on Wednesday 30th June at the ICA, Carlton House Terrace, SW1 5AH

£12 / £11 Concessions / £10 ICA Members

Heather Rogers and Kirsty Wright explore the rapid expansion of environmental production and consumption worldwide and the way in which we are coming to rely on consumerism as the solution to the very problems it has helped to cause. What are the structural forces that led us to this place, and who is paying the price? Do we have the capacity to find solutions that are not mere palliatives, but ways of engaging with how we live and what kind of world we want to live in? And who is challenging the big business-as-usual approach and proposing social change as a solution to climate change?

Kirsty Wright is the climate justice campaigner at the World Development Movement. She has been involved in the worldwide ‘Climate Justice Now!’ network and recently returned from the People’s Conference on Climate Change in Bolivia, which was organised as a radical response to the failure of the UN talks in Copenhagen.

To book, please call the box office on +44 (0)20 7930 3647, or online here:

In association with the World Development Movement