New Director of Children and Families

Usually reliable sources tell me that Dr Krutika Pau has been appointed as the new Director of Brent Children and Families following the retirement of John Christie.   Krutika has worked for Brent (with a break) for a long time and until this appointment was Assistant Director for Strategy and Partnerships. As Krutika Tanna, she was principal research officer for the Brent Race Unit   She is known as an excellent administrator and organiser.  It will be interesting to see whether she now delivers on vision.

Blogging on June 8th 2010 I set out my views on what I felt was required:

Although policy is in theory made by councillors, the Director of Children and Families... is extremely powerful and his or her educational philosophy and perspective on current educational issues vitally important. Will the  Labour Council appoint someone with the ability to stand up for children and schools, with an independent mind and the strength to resist government pressure; or will they appoint someone who will manage 'efficiency savings' and implement poorly thought out 'innovations' and in the process oversee the deterioration of Brent's education system?

An issue that has concerned some in education in Brent is that the post was filled internally, in effect ring-fenced, because of the 'savings' restructuring going on in Brent. This meant that there was a very narrow field with only a handful of people eligible to apply. In contrast when headteacher and deputy headteacher posts in schools are vacant they are always, as a matter of policy, advertised nationally to ensure the widest and best quality field of candidates.  This is because the children of Brent need and deserve the best possible headteacher and the field should not be limited for other less worthy reasons.

Teather's Tory Troubles

Sarah Teather's troubles worsened on Monday when the Lib Dem Conference passed a motion opposing Tory plans for 'free schools' and critical of academies. She is now on a collision course not only with her past political convictions but with the current convictions of the rank and file of her party.

Still enraptured by Michael Gove she expressed 'secret pride' that the party's conference could still make trouble even when in government, but speaking against the motion claimed that the party could have more impact in government than in opposition. Conference voted against her indicating a lack of confidence in their own Education minister.

Peter Downes, a retired headteacher and Lib Dem councillor, made a cogent case in the Guardian yesterday against the 'five fallacies' underlying Gove's 'vision'.  Having gone through the fallacies he says, "We should go back to the places where decisions are being made - and explain to heads, governors, parents, teachers and councillors that academies and free schools are likely to be divisive, costly and unfair.'

If the Lib Dems have  no confidence in Teather's support for Tory policies, why should we?

Caroline Lucas on Lib Dem "Sell Out"

SEN support should be based on need not budget restrictions

OFSTED’s attack on children with SEN rights is deeply unhelpful says leading campaigning organisation, Alliance for Inclusive Education. 

OFSTED recommended that fewer children should be identified with special educational needs and therefore no longer be entitled to SEN support based on their needs.   

“Many parents have to battle for LEAs and Schools to recognise their child have special educational needs and that additional support is required to enable that child to flourish in school.   Any suggestion that SEN support should only be provided if it’s reasonable to do so will be disastrous for children with SEN.    We fear SEN provision will increasingly be considered as unreasonable to arrange by schools and LEAs at a time of big cuts in education budgets.   It really is unacceptable for ‘politically driven’ decisions to determine if and what SEN provision is reasonable for children.   This will result in families having to fight harder for a well-supported mainstream school placement for their children. ” says Simone Aspis of the Alliance for Inclusive Education.

As OFSTED have pointed out the quality of SEN provision is vital if children with SEN have the best educational outcomes for themselves.   Quality of provision is likely to be adversely affected when the savage cuts to education budgets are implemented.  

“It is crucial that the support children with SEN get in school remains based on need rather the budget,” says Simone Aspis

Alliance for Education would like to see a simplified legal framework so that all disabled children including those with SEN will have their needs and provision identified in a mainstream school.      

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Fight for Freedom (Pass)

London members of Britain’s biggest pensioner organisation, the National Pensioners Convention (NPC) have accused local politicians of trying to alter the terms of the Freedom Pass without proper consultation.

The capital’s pensioners have issued a damning criticism of London Councils latest attempt to weaken the scope and management of the Freedom Pass; pledging to mount a campaign to oppose the changes.

On August 20, London Councils issued a consultation paper aimed at changing the Freedom Pass, but the deadline for views on the proposals is October 22 – at least a week before councillors in Bromley, Greenwich, Hammersmith and Fulham, Bexley, Westminster, Harrow and Hillingdon are expected to discuss the proposals.

Those behind the changes claim it will make minor amendments to the Greater London Authority Act 1999 in relation to the concessionary fares scheme for older and disabled Londoners – but there is serious concern that these changes will allow the 32 London Boroughs and the City of London flexibility to make unspecified changes to the concessions without consultation.

Campaigners are concerned that:

·        The “reserve powers” currently held by the Mayor of London to settle any dispute about the scheme’s future cost with Transport for London (TfL), would be handed to an “independent” arbitrator – who would not be accountable to Londoners. 

·        Certain overground train services could be removed from the current concession; seriously weakening the Freedom Pass and future services.

·        The plans would allow any single council to invoke the arbitrator - not a majority of London Councils - creating a recipe for outside political intervention every year and the constant danger of cuts in services.

Barry Todman, chairman of the NPC Greater London region said: “The Freedom Pass is enjoyed by 1.2m older Londoners and disabled people – and provides a lifeline for many who otherwise would be isolated and lose their independence. Very few local councillors seem to know about the changes – and the whole thing is being done without proper consultation of local people. It’s clearly an attempt to weaken the Freedom Pass by the back door.”

The NPC is calling on its members to lobby their local authorities and urge them to oppose the plans.

Greens oppose Royal Mail privatisation

Ref Number: 04-27-18 Photographer: Ian Britton www.freefoto.com

Green Party autumn conference has passed an emergency motion today, stating the party's opposition to the proposed privatisation of Royal Mail by Business Secretary Vince Cable.

Adrian Ramsay, the party's newly re-elected Deputy Leader, said the Greens were opposed to the privatisation of such an essential public service. He stressed "the fundamental importance of a strong, modern, publicly owned Royal Mail, which is available to all." Ramsay highlighted that although many people today prefer to use alternative forms of communication, the postal service remains of vital importance to small businesses and rural communities.

During a panel at autumn conference yesterday, Billy Hayes, General Secretary of the Communication Workers Union, also emphasised the opposition of both communication workers and the public to the privatisation of Royal Mail.

Whither Barry Gardiner?

Spot the knife

The Guardian reported on Saturday that Barry Gardiner, Labour MP for Brent North, is one of several ex-ministers likely to put themselves forward for the forthcoming shadow cabinet elections.

Gardiner's ministerial career started at the Home Office and he went on the Northern Ireland, Trade and Industry and eventually DEFRA. It appeared to be a career in decline and this was confirmed by his appointment as a 'Special Envoy on Forestry' when Gordon Brown replaced Tony Blair.

Gardiner, who had always been super loyal to the Blair government, rebelled for the first time when he criticised Brown and called for his resignation LINK . The Anti-Brown faction were quickly swept into oblivion when the banking crisis sent shockwaves across the world and Brown took on the role of saving it. Gardiner left his forestry post 'by mutual consent'.

In the General Election, rather than openly oppose Brown, Gardiner ran a campaign that didn't mention Brown and  references to the Labour Party in his literature were about as prominent as the 'Printed and published by' tag. He adopted green and lilac colours rather than the usual Labour Party red and his rosettes had his smiling portrait in the centre.His  quasi-independent campaign which centred on his public profile, personality and family rather than policy, was very successful and he won the seat with an increased majority. His difficulties with expenses when he faced a constituency meeting to explain himself, pursued by a Lib Dem lunch mob and Lone Ranger Atiq Malik, appeared to have caused him little damage.

During his time as a backbencher in the last months of Brown's premiership, and again now facing the Con-Dem government, Gardiner has been active in asking parliamentary questions and contributing to debates. Helped by his TV coverage friendly seating position just behind the front benches he has established quite a high profile.

Whether this will help him in the shadow cabinet elections remains to be seen. His ultra-loyalty  to Blair means that he is contaminated by his pro-Iraq War stance and his support for Labour's assault on civil liberties. With the Labour leadership contenders distancing themselves from the Blair government and New Labour his best bet is a leadership win by David Miliband. A win by Ed Miliband would mean that even if he won a place in the shadow cabinet it would be likely to be a junior position with an early exit date. Ed Balls, a close ally of Brown, would be even less likely to give Gardiner the time of day.