Is Brent children and families department 'fit for purpose'?

The Harrow Observer's story on Copland Community School reveals that Brent Council's own action plan to tackle the school's weaknesses had been declared 'not fit for purpose' by Ofsted LINK

Education secretary Michael Gove approved the appointment of an interim executive board, taking over the functions of the governing body, on June 19.

On the same day, Ofsted wrote to the school to declare both the school's nor Brent Council's action plans, designed to address the failings found by Ofsted a month earlier, as "not fit for purpose". (sic -the paper's original wording. I assume neither were fit for purpose)

The letter reveals a quarter of the staff, including some of the senior leadership team, are taking voluntary redundancy at the end of this academic year in a bid to cut the wage bill and the school has permission to hire a maximum of seven Newly-Qualified Teachers as replacements.

In exchanges over the Copland issue Cllr Michael Pavey, lead member for children and families, had said that the local authority did not, because of cuts, have the capacity to improve the schools and to try  to do so would break it. If the local authority's children and families department and its school improvement service could not provide a viable plan it surely raises the question about what might happen with other schools that get into difficulties. Indeed, it raises the unavoidable question: Is Brent 's children and families department fit for purpose? The DfE is likely to have asked itself this question..

The former director of children and families has just retired ahead of the council's senior management restructuring and Sara Williams has taken over as interim director.  Faira Ellks, head of the school improvement service has also retired and has been temporarily replaced by Rachel Matthews. The service has been cut back and partially replaced by the Brent Schools Partnership which is at an early stage of development.

The Brent Education Commission, set up by Christine Gilbert, interim Chief Executive of Brent Council and a former head of Ofsted, is due to report in November.

There is an urgent need to restore confidence in the children and families department and its capacity to provide strong leadership and effective support for schools. When parents called for strong support for their campaign against forced academisation of Gladstone Park Primary School following its 'inadequate' Ofsted rating there were reports that the authority did not want to make a strong stand and take on Michael Gove's academy broker (former Brent director of education Jacky Griffin) for fear of incurring the attention, and the wrath, of the DfE and bringing about an inspection of the local authority.

In the present circumstance of transition and uncertaintly it may not do well if such an inspection were to take place.

The hasty imposition of an Interim Executive Board at Copland and acceptance that Gladstone Park will convert to an academy may be an attempt to 'prove' to the DfE that they are up to the job - by acquiescing  to Gove's agenda.

If the authority itself is 'failing' or 'inadequate' it will lose the confidence of schools and their governing bodies and possibly  hasten voluntary academy conversions across the borough's primary schools.

Back bench Labour councillors and the opposition must ensure that the Executive realises the extent of the problem and acts accordingly.

Parents urged to fight Copland's forced academisation

This letter is being distributed to parents of Copland students about the strike:

Dear Parents

Some people locally and nationally want to force Copland Community School to become an academy. They lie to you that this is in the interest of your children.

WHAT LIES ARE THEY TELLING YOU?

1 Results will improve. But academies do not do better in GCSEs than other schools. They actually do worse. 

2 Academies are in the interests of the children. But academies fiddle their exam results by permanently excluding more vulnerable young people, especially children from ethnic minorities, than other schools.

3 Extra funding. The days of bribes to convert to academy status are over. Under forced academisation there is no new money despite fact that the budget problems contributed to our failure by Ofsted. 

 

4 Parents should have a choice. But parents have less say in the running of academies than of other schools. Why for example was there absolutely no consultation with parents about the decision to impose an IEB on Copland?

WHAT TRUTHS ARE THEY HIDING FROM YOU?

There are many fantastic things about Copland. Many of our students get good GCSE and A Level results and progress to universities including Oxford and Cambridge. Copland should be upheld as a model of good community cohesion. At Copland we have low levels of pupil exclusion, unlike many academies. We take in more students who do not speak English than local academies. Academies would rather not have these students as they will affect their GCSE results but they fit in very well at Copland. We do loads of extra-curricular activities which really benefit the students. For example many of our students are signed up with football clubs. Raheem Sterling who now plays for Liverpool is the most famous one in recent years. Incidentally if we did become an academy it is likely that much of the land that the PE Department uses will be sold to make a profit for the academy sponsor.

WHAT DO WE NEED?

We need your support. Sign our petition and ask others in your community to sign it as well. Write to your councillor and MP. Get involved by contacting Tony Deady (parent governor) on 07952361792.

You mustn't miss Sunday's amazing garden party in Willesden Green

The Annual Summer Fundraising Garden Party in Willesden Green has become justly famous not only for the beautiful and fascinating garden in which it is held but for its great entertainment and fabulous home-cooked food which includes vegetarian options and fantastic deserts. ALL INCLUDED IN THE TICKET PRICE.

In addition soft drinks, beer and wine are available.

This year's event should be great.  Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond her control Julie Felix has had to drop out but we still have:

The wonderful Singer Songwriter, Leon Rosselson

The amazing Socialist Magician, Ian Saville, 

A brand new act for us, Mizan the Poet  

Our regular Folk and Rock Duo, Finisterre  

and  Musical Comedy duo Jo Stephenson and Dan Woods 

have stepped into the breach. They will perform some of their show from the Chelsea Fringe Can You Dig It? plus Dan's History of the Soviet Union to the melody of Tetris. 

SUMMER FUNDRAISING GARDEN PARTY

Sunday 7th July, 4pm - 10pm 

In Kate and Jamie's Garden, Willesden Green (the full address comes with the ticket!)

Special advanced prices

£15 Solidarity / Waged, £11 Low Waged / Retired, £8 Students / Benefit Claimant's

Prices on the door rise to £10 / £15 / £20

for more information and to reserve your ticket(s) e-mail brentstopthewar@gmail.com or brentharrowpsc@hotmail.co.uk    

or else ring/text Sarah (StW) on 07951 084101 or Martin (PSC) on 020 8908 3913

Organised by Brent Stop the War and Brent& Harrow Palestine Solidarity Campaign

Copland teachers to strike against forced academisation tomorrow

Teaching staff at Copland Community School in Wembley will be on strike for the second time on Wednesday 3rd July.

The school will be closed to pupils due to the action. There will be a picket line from 8am in the morning. Then staff will be marching at 9am, with parent, pupil and local community support, to the new Brent Civic Centre in Engineers Way to call upon the Labour led Council to stop assisting Michael Gove's forced academy programme.

There will be an effigy of Michael Gove which will be ceremoniously dumped in a dustbin (the dustbin of history) and lots of Gove masks to make the point.

Jon Cox, Brent NASUWT Acting President  said, “ A programme of academisation is not about raising standards. It is simply the imposition of a warped political ideology on state schools. Unequivocal
evidence that academies raise the quality of education simply does not exist. What Copland needs is investment in both staff professional development and attractive buildings which give pupils firstly, the decent working environment they deserve and secondly, the message that every child matters”

Hank Roberts, Brent ATL Secretary and National President said, “Michael Gove's dismantling of state education and attempted abolition of parental choice in his forced academies programme is treacherous. For this he should be put in the dustbin of history where he and his policies belong”.

Jean Roberts, Joint Brent NUT Secretary said, “Forcing Copland to become an academy is not the solution and won't bring in the needed funds. How can any pupil learn adequately in such an appalling building. There needs to be a new school building plan agreed and begun as soon as possible in the autumn term.'

A political slant on Gladstonbury Festival

The only time these politicians are popular

Cllrs Butt, Mashari and Hirani do the rounds

A run up to pelt Cameron with wet sponges

An unnatural political relationship

DfE's most expensive Free Schools

From Education Investor LINK

 DfE figures reveal England's most expensive free schools

The Department of Education (DfE) has given new free schools almost £60 million in extra funding to support them to the end of their first year, figures published over the weekend revealed.

 

This money is in addition to both per pupil revenue funding, and to the capital used to acquire sites for new schools.

 

The figures, published following a ruling by the Information Commissioner, cover 77 open schools, as well as 10 which were withdrawn from the programme. 

 

They show that the government spent £20 million on schools before they opened. This includes £441,000 in funding given to schools that never opened at all.

 

In addition, the government provided £40 million in "post-opening funding". The DfE said the money was required to "cover essential initial costs, such as buying books and equipment; and to meet the costs arising as the school builds up its cohorts over time".

 

The figures also showed a wide variation in the distribution of such funding. 

 

On average, each school received around £770,000. But a handful received only £25,000, while one – Reach Academy Feltham – received more than £2 million.

 

A few weeks ago the government also updated the document revealing capital spending on free schools.

 

It showed that the first 23 such schools to open had required £85.8 million to acquire sites, an average of £3.8 million per school.

 

The most expensive had been King Science Academy, which had required £10.5 million in capital funding, as well as £1.2 million in extra revenue funding. 

 

Bristol Free School, meanwhile, had also topped the £10 million mark, requiring £9.6 million in capital and £743,000 in pre- and post-opening revenue funding.

Grant whistle blower Snowden asylum say European Greens

The recent revelations about the borderless spying activities against so-called friend EU countries and their institutions by the US National Security Agency (NSA) and the British secret service must lead to a rapid political response according to European Greens.

Rebecca Harms and Dany Cohn-Bendit, Co-Presidents of the Greens/EFA group in the European parliament want to use the debate and resolution already scheduled for next week's Strasbourg plenary session to launch an investigation.

Commenting on the revelations, Rebecca Harms said:

"A special committee of the EU parliament must be launched immediately. We must not postpone the decision to after the summer break. The EU should cancel the agreements on Swift and PNR with the US. Before starting negotiations on a future trade agreement (TTIP) with the US, we need a debate about the infringement of international law by PRISM and Tempora. The last few days have shown how urgently we need an international agreement on data protection."

Daniel Cohn-Bendit added:

"Whistleblower Snowden has stood up for human and civil rights, especially those of European citizens. Granting him asylum now is a question of European values.. To leave him stuck in limbo in a no-man's land is ignoble and damages the EU's image.

"We will propose Snowden for the European parliament's Sakharov prize."

Jewish support for Bin Veolia in Brent Campaign - the letter not published by local press

Neither the Kilburn Times nor the Wembley and Willesden Observer published a letter sent a few weeks ago on the issue of Veolia and the Brent Public Realm contract. In the light of the barring of discussion of a Lib Dem motion on the subject at the last Brent Council meeting and subsequent coverage in the Times of Israel LINK I publish the the letter below.

Despite a Freedom of Information request Brent Council have still not answered two of the three questions posed  LINK  They have confirmed that the three short-listed companies for the £250m 16 year contract are Veolia, Enterprise and Serco.

LETTER TO EDITOR Human rights and the public realm contract

We are writing to ask your readers to support our campaign to persuade Brent Council to act to defend justice and human rights. The Council is about to award a contract worth more than £250m over 16 years for the collection and recycling of waste, street cleaning and parks maintenance. This is  money paid in general taxation and council tax by Brent citizens that could go to a firm accused of grave misconduct in its abuse of justice and human rights in the occupied territories of Palestine.

 

Veolia, one of the  bidders  for the contract supports Israeli settlements  on Palestinian  land, which are illegal under international law, by:

 

1. Sharing in the building and running of the Jerusalem Light Railway between West Jerusalem and the illegal settlement in Pisgat Zeev.
2. Running bus routes that link illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank to Israel and that discriminates against Palestinians.
3. Owning and operating the Tovlan landfill site that dumps rubbish from Israel and its illegal settlements on to Palestinian land.

 

We have presented legal evidence on these issues to Brent Council in a campaign to persuade them to exclude Veolia from the current procurement on the grounds of its ‘grave misconduct’.

 

This included a statement from Richard Falk of the UN which said: “Veolia is an inappropriate partner for any public institution, especially as a provider of public services.”

 

However, Brent Council has gone ahead and short-listed Veolia, along with Serco and Enterprise for the contract. Council officers have refused to answer our questions on the procurement process the most important of which are:

 

1. Why did you decide not to exercise your discretionary power to exclude Veolia?

2. What legal or other advice led you to this decision?

3. Have the allegations of grave misconduct been put to Veolia and if so what was the response?

 

We think these are reasonable questions that deserve an answer. In a number of recent procurement cases Veolia has withdrawn from the bidding process when the third question has been put.

 

Our campaign is cross-party and community-based and involves people of many faiths and none. Readers can get involved by signing our petitions on line or on paper which are available at http://www.brentpsc.blogspot.co.uk/

 

Brent Council, representing a borough with a diverse population from many ethnic and religious backgrounds, should stand up for human rights and social justice and exclude Veolia from the procurement process.

 

Beryl  Maizels

Leon Rosselson

Sheila Robin

Jews for Justice for Palestinians on behalf of the Bin Veolia in Brent Campaign.