Sacrificing childhood to capital

I explored Fryent Country Park with 28 eight and nine year olds today. They found their way out of a maze made of willow saplings and as they emerged from the woods marvelled at the sight of hay meadows stretching out in front of them. Reading their eager faces I could see that they were yearning to run through the long grasses and wild flowers and they were ecstatic when I let them go with meadow brown butterflies rising and fluttering above their heads as they  tumbled laughing into the sweet smelling hay.

Later they saw ponies and horses in a paddock  commenting on their stature and comparing the slender legs of a pony with the stocky legs of a carthorse, describing the feel of the donkey's  lips on their hands as they fed him, the colour of  the pony's teeth and loving being so close to an animal..

In the orchard they found toads, newts, millipedes, ladybirds, woodlouse, slugs, worms and snails and examined them through a magnifying glass. All the time the children chatted about their discoveries and pointed out their observations to each other. At the ponds they found tadpoles and tiny froglets and as with the mini-beasts eventually returned them gently and safely to their habitat.

In the afternoon in the cool of the Barn Hill oak woods the children worked together in self-chosen teams to build shelters for themselves. Small children managed to drag great tree trunks across the clearing and with their friends propped them up to make a tipi or tent shape, sometimes their structures collapsed, but they returned to the task with enthusiasm and perseverance.

After saying goodbye to the tired but happy class and their teachers at the bus stop I returned home just in time to hear Michael Gove on the Radio4 news speaking about the new national curriculum and the need to keep up with our international competitors and how this meant 'raising the bar' and children of 5 doing fractions and computer programming.

I could get into an argument about the accuracy of international comparisons and Gove's misuse of the PISA evidence (see LINK) but actually this isn't the point, The real issue is the Government's determination to make education serve the needs of the economy, and by that they mean global capitalism, and introducing its ethos and discipline  into schools both through the curriculum and through its rapidly privatising structures.

The child is no longer at the heart of education and education is no longer holistic, liberal and liberating.. Instead global capitalism and rampant consumerism is in charge and children and childhood are subjugated to its needs. With a fact based curriculum producing test and  examination results as a product, teachers subject to payment by results, and 'failing' schools that don't buy into the system forced to convert into academies, schools are being industrialised.

With university teacher training set to be replaced by 'sitting next to Nelly' work-based training, teachers will effectively be deskilled and no longer have the background in educational philosophy, history, cognitive psychology, learning theory  and subject knowledge possessed by past generations of teachers. Pearson and Amplify (the education arm of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation) stand by with an i-Pad based individual curriculum for each child LINK, which rather than, as claimed, 'freeing up the teacher', could eventually replace him or her.

What is really incredible about Gove's 'vision' is that it probably won't actually serve the long-term needs of capitalism because it will produce narrow individuals, schooled into passing examinations and taught not to question, when what a society facing  the twin crises of dysfunctional capital and climate actually need is creativity, imagination and the ability to think and act  beyond self-interest.

I must return to the woods...

Has the Green Party got the capacity to take on this challenge?

Bennett calls for Europe to find Snowden a place of safe asylum

Green Party leader Natalie Bennett has called on the EU’s diplomatic leader to act to find US whistleblower Edward Snowden a place of safe asylum.

Mr Snowden is currently believed to be in the transit area in a Moscow airport, and a plane carrying the Bolivia’s president home from Russia was refused permission to fly over several European states on the suspicion that Mr Snowden might be on board, causing a serious diplomatic incident.

Ms Bennett said Catherine Ashton, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security should be taking a lead in view of the fact that Mr Snowden had clearly acted as a whistleblower, exposing in the PRISM and Tempora programmes what the EU Justice Commissioner has identified as breaches of what should be “mutual trust and good practices in relations between friends and allies”. (1)

Ms Bennett said: “The UK, and many other European states, have whistleblower legislation that explicitly protect individuals who speak out about wrongdoing, and it is clear that Mr Snowden were he a national of those states would be eligible for that protection. Additionally, European states owe him a debt for exposing the action that the US was taking against them.

“The United States should be treating Mr Snowden in this manner, but given this seems unlikely, the European Union, and individual EU states, as beneficiaries of his revelations, have a responsibility to act in ensuring his security.”

The French, German and Finnish Green Parties have each respectively called on their countries to offer asylum to Mr Snowden.

Ms Bennett added: “The normal requirement for someone being in the country in which they are requesting asylum should clearly be waived in this case. Mr Snowden should be given a chance to peacefully and safely reveal further information, and to rebuild his life in a safe haven, whether in Europe or outside it.”

1. http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_SPEECH-13-607_en.htm

NO COMMON PEOPLE! Unique selling point for Willesden Green Library development

When we were campaigning against the Willesden Green library redevelopment we high-lighted that no affordable homes were to be built on the site once owned by Brent Council (ie our land). Brent Council argued that  Galliford Try/Linden Homes had to be sure of a profit in order to be able to build the Culltural Centre for zero cost to the Council so no affordable homes were included.

Now like a slap in the face for those on the Council's housing list, the estate agent advertising in Singapore has made the lack of affordable homes/key worker homes a selling point! Presumably this ensures prospective buyers have the 'right' sort of neighbours.

EXTRACT FROM PUBLICITY LINK

THE LIBRARY @ WILLESDEN GREEN, LONDON
PRICE FROM GBP350,000 (SGD6xxK)

Willesden Green is one of North London’s liveliest and most cosmopolitan areas, whose excellent Zone 2 Jubilee Line connections really set it apart.

The Library takes a prominent position on Willesden High Road, and sets new standards in contemporary accommodation for the area. This exciting scheme comprises four buildings, offering ninety-five highly specified 1 and 2 bedroom apartments, many with balconies or terraces. The development is gated and has underground parking for residents: always a bonus in London.

SELLING POINTS:
• Prominent position on Brondesbury Road and Willesden High Road
• Next door to the forthcoming Cultural Centre
• Within 3-minutes ride to Zone 2 London tube station or 5-minute walk
• Within walking distance to Queens Park
• Willesden High Street is thronged with shops, supermarkets (Sainsbury’s Supermarket is a few minutes’ walk from The Library), cafes and restaurants and is a few minutes’ walk from Brondesbury Park
• Excellent transport links – Zone 2 Jubilee Line with direct connections to key interchanges including Baker Street, Waterloo, London Bridge and Canary Wharf
• No key worker/affordable housing (my emphasis)
• High quality fixtures, fittings and finishes
• Fully fitted kitchen by Symphony with integrated appliances and granite worktops
• Estimated Selling Price: From £350k (SGD 6xxk)

UNIT MIX:
Milne Place (Block A)
1 Bedroom: 545 sqft – 626 sqft
2 Bedroom: 759 sqft – 1005 sqft

Lewis Court (Block B)
1 Bedroom: 546 sqft – 554 sqft
2 Bedroom: 614 sqft – 862 sqft

Developer: Linden Homes and Green Urban
Address: 95 Willesden High Road, London, NW10 (Zone 2 on Jubilee Line)
Tenure: 999-years
Estd Completion: Summer / Winter 2014; 4Q 2014
Site Area: 83,958.50 sqft

CALL SALES HOTLINE: + 65 90933158 TO REGISTER YOUR INTEREST☎

Public Meeting this afternoon: Impact of NHS Reforms on our local services

There will be a public meeting this evening organised by Unison Brent and Harrow Health branch and Unison Nowrth West London branch. 4pm-6pm Tropics Suite, Bridge Park Complex, Brentfield (Harrow Road) to consider the impact of NHS reforms on local services and to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the NHS.

Speakers:

• Diane Abbott, MP, Shadow Minister for Public Health
• Cllr Muhammed Butt, Leader of Brent Council
• Eddie Jaggers, Unison, Full Time Officer for NW London
• Martin Rathfelder, Director, Socialist Health Association
• Cllr Patrick Vernon, Member of Ed Miliband Taskforce on Mental Health & Society
• Anne Drinkell, Brent Fightback
• Other speakers to be confirmed

RSVP: samantha.banton@nhs.net to confirm attendance. Refreshments will be provided There will be information from health related service providers in Brent.

Unfortunately although Andy Burnham will be in Brent he will be visiting Central Middlesex hospital and having a photo call at Harlesden station with Labour Party members rather than attending the public meeting,

Harmoni and the perils of out of hours services privatisation

Guest post by Patrick Vernon - first published on Cooperative Party website LINK


The Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt MP recently called on GPs to take on more responsibility for home visits and out of hours care. However, Clare Gerada, Chair of Royal College of General Practitioners, in response reminded the Minister of the current crisis in A&E services is linked deprivation of areas where primary care services are under invested and the recent NHS reforms. 

Dr Mark Reynolds, Chair of Urgent Health UK which represents 15 urgent care and out of hours co-operatives in the UK defended the important role of his members where they deal with over 90% of callers which are managed within the community than people going to hospitals. The debate on the future of Out of Hours (OOH) and it relationship with A&E services highlight some of the challenges facing the cooperative movement in running health services under the aegis of any qualified provider and the use of EU procurement rules.

Since the creation of the NHS in 1948 we have witnessed increased life expectancy especially over the last 30 years along with changing life styles and consumption. This has put extra pressure on the demand for healthcare and social services particularly in areas of long term conditions such Diabetes, Cancer, and Stroke. We also have an ageing population with increasing health issues around Dementia and Alzheimer.

These pressures along with lobbying by private providers and big national charities have seduced successive governments to remove the mantra of the NHS being a preferred to provider to the growing privatisation of health care. The best example of the marketisation has been in the whole area of Out of Hours services. Since 2004 with GPs opting out of this responsibility which was subsequently transferred PCTs and now CCGs. 

This has led to the stampede by range of private providers and the growing demise of GP co-operatives. 

This sector is often the Cinderella area of the NHS which has been historically under invested and not valued (the only exception was the creation of NHS Direct) with junior and inexperienced commissioners employed to deal with basically our 4th emergency service which deals with over 8 million calls a year. Yes, you can ask any parent when their baby has a high fever 3 am in the morning to see the importance of this service!

I  have witnessed this myself when I was a  lay committee member between 2007 to 2010 of Camidoc a GP led social enterprise meeting the needs of 1 million Londoners covering  City and Hackney, Camden, Islington and Haringey.  I lead on patient and community engagement and helped to organise listening events involving local MPs such as Jeremy Corbyn, Meg Hiller, Frank Dobson, and Lynne Featherstone along with patients groups and clinicians to make the case that a GP led social enterprise run by local doctors with local knowledge was better than a private provider with no roots in the community. Any profits made by Camidoc went either back in the local health economy or reinvested back in to services. However, Camidoc services were put out to tender in 2009 by a cluster of PCTs leading to a protracted period of procurement creating uncertainty to staff, GPs, patient groups and our cash flow.

However after about 14 months we won the contact but were forced by the North London PCTs for the contract to reprovided by the private health care provider Harmoni as we ran out of money and lost confidence with our commissioners despite the fact that four of us were appointed as non-clinicians to the committee with a range of skills and experiences around corporate governance, human resources, finance, working with local government and patient /public engagement

Although nearly all staff was TUPE over to Harmoni and within 12 months the majority were made redundant.  A number of local GPs stopping working for Harmoni due to their working practice and ethics. Sadly for patients this has resulted in unfilled shifts and Harmoni not keeping to their contractual obligations. The company also similar problems where it operated in Brent, Harrow and Ealing etc. of North West London

In December 2012 Harmoni was taken over by Care UK for £48m which makes them the largest private provider of out of hour’s services in the country covering a population of 15 million people

That is why my local CCG in Hackney are fighting and taking a stand against Harmoni in  running our local GP Out of Hours Services by getting local people to sign a petition to stop the imposition by NHS England.

The sad story of Camidoc is similar to other failed social enterprises over the last 10 years in the out of hours sector. The irony of this tale is that Harmoni first started off in the Brent and Harrow as a GP social enterprise and lost its way as a private provider.

I guess this is a warning for the potential future route of CCGs and NHS England (would a future Tory government make NHS England or CCGs become private commissioning entities  similar to the sell offs of our utility providers and railways?). Also, a number of Foundation Trusts have lost their original value base and at times pay lip service to the Board of Governors whilst becoming semi led private providers and competing aggressively with full support of commissioners to become market player/leaders in the UK or now in the Middle East. 

All the research evidence points out that competition prevent and inhibit full integration of health and social care services. Also information about NHS services now becomes market sensitive leading to a defensive approach around information sharing and complaints. The Francis Report identified this culture and its impact on how patient’s complaints are not being taken seriously by hospital trusts as they fight for Premier League status or avoid being relegated to the Vauxhall Conference League.

Although there has been a number of initiatives around training and soft loans that has been developed by the Department of Health over the last several years these have not looked at the structural issues on how cooperatives can be developed and survived in an evolving predatory NHS market system. 

I believe that we need to make the NHS the preferred provider in the first instance and then consider how to established clear principles and solutions as a Party to develop cooperative approach to improve health and social care and tackle health inequalities. Without any intervention in the market place the future will look bleak for the future of the Co-operative movement and social enterprise in health as as the private sector will undercut, drive down standards and working conditions for staff which will have an impact on patient care.

Powerful call for teacher resistance from across the pond

 The 'revolution' in education we are experiencing under Michael Gove is part of  a privatising and narrowing of education in many countries.

Here is a contribution on experience in the USA LINK where Michael Gove seeks many of his ideas. There are many parallels:
  
Message of Support from Diane Ravitch to the Badass Teachers Association

Dear Members of the Badass Teachers Association,

I am honored to join your group.

The best hope for the future of our society, of public education, and of the education profession is that people stand up and resist.

Say "no." Say it loud and say it often.

Teachers must resist, because you care about your students, and you care about your profession. You became a teacher to make a difference in the lives of children, not to take orders and obey the dictates of someone who doesn't know your students.

Parents must resist, to protect their children from the harm inflicted on them by high-stakes testing.

Administrators must resist, because their job is changing from that of coach to enforcer of rules and regulations. Instead of inspiring, supporting, and leading their staff, they are expected to crack the whip of authority.

School board members must resist, because the federal government is usurping their ability to make decisions that are right for their schools and their communities.

Students must resist because their education and their future are being destroyed by those who would force them to be judged solely by standardized tests.

Everyone who cares about the future of our democracy must resist, because public education is under attack, and public education is a foundation stone of our democracy. We must resist the phony rhetoric of "No Child Left Behind," which leaves every child behind, and we must resist the phony rhetoric of "Race to the Top," which makes high-stakes testing the be-all and end-all of schooling. The very notion of a "race to the top" is inconsistent with our democratic idea of equality of educational opportunity.

We live in an era of ignorant policy shaped by politicians who have never taught a day in their lives.

We live in a time when politicians and policymakers think that all children will get higher test scores if they are tested incessantly. They think that students who can’t clear a four-foot bar will jump higher if the bar is raised to six feet.

We live in a time when entrepreneurs are eyeing the schools and their budgets as a source of profit, a chance to monetize the children, an emerging market. Make no mistake: They want to make education more cost-effective by eliminating your profession and eliminating you. Their ideal would be 100 children in front of computers, monitored by classroom aides.

You must resist, because if you do not, we will lose public education in the United States and the teaching profession will become a job, not a profession. What is happening today is not about "reform" or even "improvement," it is about cutting costs, reducing the status of teachers, and removing from education every last shred of the joy of learning.

It is time to resist.

Badass Teachers, as you resist, be creative. Writing letters to the editor is good but it is not enough. Writing letters to the President is good, but it is not enough.

Be creative. The members of the Providence Student Union have led the way. They staged a zombie march in front of the Rhode Island Department of Education to demonstrate their opposition to the use of a standardized test as a high school graduation protest. They invited 60 accomplished professionals to take the released items from the test, and most failed. This convincingly demonstrated the absurdity of using the test as a requirement for graduation. When the state commissioner of education who was the main backer of the tests scheduled her annual “state of education” speech, the students scheduled their first “state of the student” speech.

Act together. A single nail gets hammered. When all the nails stick up, the people with the hammers run away. When the teachers of Garfield High School in Seattle boycotted the MAP test, they won: the test was canceled and no one faced retribution.

Be brave. When you stand together and raise your voices, you are powerful.

Thank you for counting me as one of your own.

I salute you.

Diane Ravitch

Copland strikers dump Michael Gove in the 'dustbin of history'

Gove in the 'dustbin of history'

Michael Gove was consigned to the 'dustbin of history at the culmination of a march of 80 or so striking Copland teachers and their supporters today.  The ceremony took place during the first major demonstration at Brent's £100m new Civic Centre.

Copland teachers are striking for the second time against the imposition by Brent Council of an Interim Executive Board, which replaces the democratically elected governing body, and DfE plans supported by the Labour Brent Council, to force the school to become a sponsored academy. It is the last non-academy, non-faith community secondary school in Brent.

Speaking to the crowd I gave a message of support from the Green Party Trade Union group and said that the Green Party was opposed to forced academies and the privatisation of education as well as the narrowing of the curriculum proposed by Michael Gove.

Outside the Civic Centre

Michaela's 'frightening and scary event'

 

Katharine Birbalsingh

Katharine Birbalsingh, pretty well self-appointed head of the Michaela Academy free school, has this week written to primary headteacher asking for their help in recruiting pupils to her new school. She wants Michaela's meetings advertised and letters put in the book bag of Year 5 pupils with information for parents about the school.

As by its very nature the school has no track record, exam results, Ofsted report and hasn't appointed  all its staff, parents would be advised to treat shiny brochures and grand words with scepticism.

Tom Stone wrote to local newspapers about his experience of a Michaela meeting but it was not published. Instead I publish it here as a Guest Blog:

I attended the consultation meeting on Saturday15th June  at Brent Town Hall concerning the new proposed Michaela  Free School. This was a very frightening and scary event,one that left me feeling  very cold and concerned.

To quote the Headteacher in her address to those attending, she promised "that the School will teach lots of stuff". No, suspend your disbelief, this is the new guiding mantra of the Michaela Community School.Yes, lots of stuff will be taught! This school will also apply  Eton/Public School type of pressure daily to its pupils,with tests every week and  the results will be published and known to all. Yes, we know the current prime minister was educated at a public school and so were a good few of his cabinet, but  just look  at how they are running the county ,hardly a good advert for private education surely! Pupils with confidence and self esteem issues and pupils with special needs  had better watch out too, your friends will  all know your test scores and use it to bully and harass you - great!

The latest research from Oxford Brookes University states that students who have been to state schools were more likely to  complete their degrees and that they were also more likely to get a good degree ,classed as a first or 2:1, than their privately educated counterparts. Why then was the Headteacher  at this meeting taking  so much delight in running down  the UK' s State Education. American type charter Schools -as praised by the Head, are hardly out of the  headlines in the USA-for all the wrong reasons!

Another fact to point out is this is not  going to be a local Community School, there were people from Harrow, Haringey and Islington at the meeting. It is not going to be a cosy  little haven of  Wembley schoolchildren, this  school will be taking in anyone foolish enough to choose it. A school with no grounds, a school  set up in an office building and a school that is not needed-it is directly opposite another Secondary school!

The Headteacher obviously preaches what she believes too. She  told the meeting that "kids will  just listen to teachers". No time  for clarification or discussion ,no time for interaction and working together.So it  then follows that the proposed Headteacher  did not allow questions from  the public after she spoke ! There also was no loud applause after the Headteacher spoke and the meeting was certainly not full to overflowing ,as claimed by  their recent propaganda leaflet. a strange  and odd meeting this was-oh and just to end with -the teachers in free Schools don't have to be qualified to teach! What next - doctors who don't have to study medicine!