Brent turns to academies and free schools to help solve school places crisis

As the video above shows the Green Party and Brent Council are united in the demand that local authorities should be given back the right to build their own new schools in areas of need.  The current Coalition requirement that bans any such new build and instead states any new schools should be academies or free schools is based on furthering the Coalition's privatisation agenda.

It has meant that local authorities have to rely on free schools or academies setting up in areas of need to provide extra places, rather than being able to plan new schools themselves. T address the places shortage Brent has resorted to bulge classes in existing schools (an extra class for one year group that then moves through the school as a 'bulge'), fitting more children into an exisiting building with subsequent loss of shared rooms such as libraries and IT suites, addditional building on the site-often reducing play space, or 'satellites' - use of buildings some distance from the existing school that come under the management of the parent school.

These solutions can sometimes work but I am concerned that they may also be storing up problems for the future in terms of overcrowded school sites, lack of play space, and over-large primary schools catering for more than 1,000 primary age pupils. When satellites are beyond walking distance from the main school it becomes difficult, if not impossible, to include all children in the special events that build a shared ethos and sense of community.

The Brent Executive will tonight consider going out to consultation on a new school places strategy  that includes the above actions but also advocates working with free school and academy providers. At a time when the DfE has barred 14 academy chains from taking on more schools because of their inadequacies LINK and there has been a furore over restraint of children at a Harris academy in Haringey LINK that approach will need very careful consideration.

The desperation of Katharine Birbalsingh's Michaela Free School revealed by it advertising in a fried chicken shop window in Bridge Road, Wembley Park, does not indicate that free schools are what parents want for their children.

The Executive document states:

Working with preferred promoters to open free schools is a means of reducing the call on council capital spend since the Education Funding Agency  will meet the cost of construction. The council’s Executive agreed in August 2012 a set of criteria for working with a free school partner. These are attached as Appendix 4. Where a site is identified as available and appropriate for a new school, a suitable promoter for a free school could be selected, using the criteria and an informal selection process used. This approach has been used in a number of London authorities, including Ealing, and can be used for the site which is definitely coming on stream in Brent, namely the Oriental City site.

 It is less clear on the academies route:

The academy presumption route whereby the council would put forward a school proposal which it could advertise and promote to potential academy sponsors. Under this route, the council would supply the site and use its own capital to build the school.

This becomes a strategy:

We should develop local capacity to sponsor or promote new schools, working with academies in the primary sector

 In the light of problems surfacing in academies and free schools this would mean the council providing the site and the cash for the building and then handing it over to a trust, charity or private company with no further control or oversight.

Obviously this is not  problem of the council's own making but the document does seem to make a virtue out of necessity, brushing over some of the issues I have discussed. In reality some school governing bodies have found themselves considering options for expansion or satellites that may provide extra places but could also impact on the quality of provision and education of chidlren currently in the school. Some have rejected requests to expand on this basis.

The report notes:

In respect of community schools only (so not for academies, foundation or voluntary aided schools), the local authority has the power to instruct schools to expand. This is not a power that this local authority has exercised hitherto

Ironically, if it were to use such a power, the council may find local authoirty schools converting to academy status in order to avoid what they see as damaging expansion.

The council lists a number of principles and then 21 strategies:

• All Brent schools should be good or outstanding

• All Brent schools should be part of a ‘family of schools’ which promotes resilience, mutual support and improvement

• The council and schools should work together to meet the challenge of providing sufficient school places

• Schools should operate in good quality, safe premises

• Children should be educated close to home

• Schools should work with their local communities

• Meeting the needs of children with special educational needs and disabilities should be central to our vision for education in Brent

• We should make efficient use of resources

Principle 1: We should only undertake expansions with good or outstanding schools where leadership is secure.

Principle 2: We should promote federations between primary schools, both to address quality issues and to address the future viability of one form of entry schools

Principle 3: We should actively consider two-site schools and 5FE schools and 5FE schools where there is leadership and management capacity

Principle 4: We should develop local capacity to sponsor or promote new schools, working with academies in the primary sector

Principle 5: We should work towards the amalgamation of separate infants and junior schools

Principle 6: We should not currently seek to develop more all-through schools

Principle 7: The local authority should establish a joint body with schools which oversees school place planning and school organisation, monitors the impact of the plans and programmes and makes recommendations to the council, diocese or DfE.

Principle 8: We should expect expanded and re-structured schools generally to meet government guidance on space standards but be prepared to consider innovative design solutions to achieve this.

Principle 9: We should seek to minimise disruption to schools during expansion and support school leaders to manage the challenges.

Principle 10: We should continue planning primary places using planning areas.

Principle 11: We should consider expanding voluntary aided schools where there is local Brent demand, working with the relevant partners.

Principle 12: We should continue planning secondary school places on a borough wide basis, with analysis of how admissions policies can be used to maximise choice and intake to Brent schools

Principle 13: We should consider how community benefits from school facilities can be maximised when we expand or build new schools

Principle 14: We should consult with local communities as part of the planning process to minimise/mitigate the impact of new school developments.

Principle 15: We should build inclusive provision into expansion and new school proposals

Principle 16: We should improve accessibility for all pupils, ensuring that all our secondary schools are physically accessible.

Principle 17: After assessing educational suitability, schemes for expansion

or new schools should be judged in terms of value for money and deliverability

Principle 18: We should identify potential sites for new schools where there is no capital cost of acquisition on the basis of suitability and location

Principle 19: Where a site is identified, we should seek a partner who could apply to the DfE under the free school route, using the criteria already agreed by the council

Principle 20: We should explicitly adopt the DfE recommended 5% surplus places to enable choice and to reduce the need for temporary accommodation

Principle 21: We should be ready with contingency plans for temporary accommodation, given the population fluctuations in Brent.

The problems outlined in this article makes it even more urgent to put on as much pressure as possible for loacal authorities to be given back the power to plan and build new schools. They are best placed to know the needs of the local area and have the resources to plan on a rational basis.

Supporters back Caroline Lucas as she goes on anti-fracking trial today

Support for Caroline Lucas outside Brighton Magistrates Court this morning

Green Party MP Caroline Lucas goes on trial today, along with others, following her arrest at the anti-fracking protests at Balcombe. This is what she wrote about the trial on her blog:

The week ahead marks the start of my trial at Brighton Magistrates Court, following my arrest at Balcombe last August for taking part in a peaceful protest against fracking.  

Along with four others, I am charged with obstructing the highway and failing to follow police instructions to move to a specified protest area.

We are all pleading not guilty.

I have been touched by the good wishes of many constituents who have contacted me to let me know of their support for my actions.

And I want to assure all my constituents that they will be able to contact my office as usual.

I will be working around the hours of court proceedings to ensure that I continue to fulfil my parliamentary and constituency responsibilities, and continue to represent the residents of Brighton Pavilion.

Working to address the threat of climate change has been a priority for me throughout my political life.
I know too that this is very important to large numbers of my constituents, because so many of them have written to me about the environmental risks posed by fracking, and the urgency of tackling climate change.

As an MP, I’m in the privileged position of being able to make the case in Parliament. I’ve tabled motions, championed debates, put questions to Ministers, and spoken out in the media - and will continue to do so.

But the Government is ignoring the evidence, ignoring the climate science, and ignoring the enormous benefits of a secure and affordable energy system based on renewables and efficiency.

Instead they are offering the fossil fuel companies generous tax breaks as well as senior roles within Government itself.

Climate scientists and experts are clear that emissions from nations like the UK need to be reduced much faster than they are at the moment.

We need a rapid shift to a zero carbon economy, along with policies to keep the vast majority of known fossil fuels in the ground, if we are to avoid catastrophic climate change.

The window for action is closing fast.

As a result,  I decided to join the peaceful protest to send a clear message to the Government, as well as to support and join those people at the proposed fracking site in Balcombe who were standing up to be counted.

There is a proud tradition of non-violent direct action in this country, and I believe that using peaceful means to try to stop a process that could cause enormous harm is not only reasonable but also morally necessary.
I will not have recourse to any public funds in order to fight my case.

Will Powney be Brent's own 'Comeback Kid'?

Cllr James Powney, who failed to get selected for the May local elections in his current ward, is one of the candidates going forward this week for the vacancy that has arisen in Mapesbury. His opponents include Cllr Abdi Aden, currently a Barnhill councillor.

Cllr Powney recently voted to save the Queensbury Pub as a member of the Brent Planning Committee. LINK

However the three male candidates may be beaten by outsider  Lucy Chakoadza whose CV has impressed local Labour Party members and who is seen as a breath of fresh air in a stale field.

Lucy is a great Michael Jackson fan so offers a real alternative to James' punkish leanings.

Bus stop closed by redevelopment provokes fury in Willesden Green

Willesden Green residents are furious that a bus stop has been closed at the site of Willesden Green Library development, the centre of Willesden Green, leaving them with a long walk from the next alternative bus stop.

Local resident Martin Redstone wrote to the council officer who managed the development application:

I am writing to express my concern about the disppearance of the 52 bus stop outside the (Willesden Green Library) building site. The first I heard of it was when the bus intoned 'the next bus stop is closed' leading to the realisation that there is no bus stop between Sidmouth Parade and Hawthorn Road.

This is a distance of more than one kilometre.

Of course when we were debating the scheme to build 93 luxury flats on the  library, many people stated that they were concerned about disruption during the building works, these concerns were swept aside as were the concerns of local shoppers about the loss of their municipal car park.

Once again the needs of the local community (who actually live and work here) have been swept aside for the convenience of the developers constructing flats to be sold to foreign investors who are not concerned about the needs of local key workers and other nearby community members who rely on a a convenient public transport system.

The office replied that the complaint would be forwarded to the council's highways department but ultimately it was the responsibility of Transport for London. The officer was no longer working on the project.

Redston responded that the council did not care once the project had been steamrollered through and that residents had been treated with nothing but contempt throughout. He concluded, 'You don't have to live with the mess. We do.'

Another local resident, Mrs Mc said:

It is totally crazy.  Some buses do stop just before they turn up Staverton Road but others just drive past people trying to stop them.  It is a long walk up to the stop at Sidmouth parade if you are with children, shopping, elderly etc.  Why can't they just put a temporary one a few metres along Brondesbury Road avoiding the roadworks outside the site entrance.  There is no logical reason why they couldn't.

I went along to have a look for myself this afternoon. The bus stop that was resited for the building works was closed with instructions to passengers to walk to the next stop.  A few yards down the road a woman was waiting at the original bus shelter which now has no bus stop attached. The live destination boards were working and a 302 bus was indicated in one minute. I put my hand out to stop the bus but the driver ignored me. The bus sailed past only, infuriatingly, to stop at the red traffic light and disgorge passengers from the back door. The driver did not open the front doors for passsengers to board the bus.

This may seem trivial but for the elderly, infirm, pregnant and those with small children it is a major inconvenience and Brent Council and Transport for London need to sort it out quickly.

Sixth formers fight for classmate's right to stay in UK

Reblogged from BuzzFeed (Alan White) LINK

 

Yashika Bageerathi (right) fled Mauritius in 2011, seeking asylum with her mother in the UK. She's currently in Yarl's Wood immigration removal centre.

Via change.org

This week she was detained by the Home Office and is set to be deported on Tuesday. Bageerathi’s mother has said they left Mauritius because of death threats from a family member and violence from local gangs. She claims that if deported, Bergeerathi will have to go back to a place where she still fears for her life.

Her classmates have started an online campaign to stop the UK Home Office from deporting her months before she completes her education.

ambs @amberdowness

Is this the face of a criminal? #FightForYashika #saveYashika @SaveYashika 

Twitter: @nehharoyce

Abigail Faith @abigailcichosz

#saveYashika

And this afternoon, the protesters have gone to the Home Office in Whitehall.

Save Yashika @SaveYashika

#FightForYashika Hundreds of supporters!!! Showing the love for Yashika!!

 

Koos Couvພ @KoosCouvee

Enfield students are @Home Office protesting deportation of Oasis Hadley student Yashika Bageerathi @NrthLondonNews

 

Proud Immigrant @ourstweets

Proudest moment. Seeing our students lead the chants outside the home office. Justice for Yashika #FightForYashika

Her local MP has expressed his support.

David Burrowes @davidburrowesmp

@OAH6thform am doing all I can to #FightForYashika and support her. Have made contact with Home Office to try and urgently stop deportation

She is enrolled at Oasis Academy Hadley in Enfield and the school’s deputy head is helping to run the campaign.

In a press statement, Zoe Thompson says:

Since enrolling at Oasis Academy Hadley, Yashika has made an outstanding contribution to the life of the academy. Not only is she an incredibly talented mathematician, she has spent considerable time helping to train, teach and coach younger students in the subject, transforming their learning experience. On top of all of this she has poured herself into voluntary activities, helping the Academy to win a national award in recent months.

To deport Yashika at any stage would cost the UK a valuable member of society. To do so just weeks before she is about to complete her education would be an uncompassionate and illogical act of absurdity. We are fighting to give her the right to stay until June to finish her A levels, and ideally to allow her to remain with her family indefinitely.

The Home Office has said it will not comment on individual asylum cases.

Greens join those standing up to racism and fascism

Hundreds marched from Parliament Square and rallied in Trafalgar Square today to demonstrate against racism and fascism ahead of the local and Euro elections. Many speakers expressed concern about how, in the wake of Ukip, the three main parties were pandering to racism and xenophobia.  Jean Lambert Green MEP urged everyone to vote for whatever progressive party, although she herself was a Green, to keep the extreme right from increasing their representation in the European Parliament.

Young Greens and an 'Old Green'

Jean Lambert MEP on the big screen

March 22nd Stand Up to Racism and Fascism 11am Parliament Square

Stand up to racism and fascism demo 22 March 2014 marking UN Anti-Racism Day

- No to scapegoating of immigrants
- No to Islamophobia
- Yes to diversity

Rally and Demo marking UN Anti-Racism Day
11am, Saturday 22nd March 2014
Central London

A day of action against racism has been called for across Europe to coincide with UN Anti-Racism Day. With eyes on the European elections in May parties in most countries of the right, centre and even the traditional left are allowing politics and the media to be dominated by racism and xenophobia. Islamophobia and antisemitism and the scapegoating of minorities – immigrants, Roma, Black and Asian communities – have become the norm. In Britain the fascist and far right are seeking gains, but there is an even greater immediate threat.

No to scapegoating immigrants

That is the increasing tendency of mainstream political parties to tail-end the right-wing, populist UKIP. They are out-vying each other in calls for draconian ‘antiimmigration’ policies and generally promoting a ‘Little Englander’ anti-foreign, anti-European mentality, most recently seen with the hostility and racism whipped up towards the projected arrival of Bulgarian and Romanian migrant workers.

No to Islamophobia

In particular it has become acceptable to promote fear and hatred of Muslim people and Islam as a religion. This racism creates a climate of Islamophobia, leading directly to more attacks on the Muslim population, including murder and violent attacks on mosques.

Remember Mandela – YES to diversity

In remembering Nelson Mandela we too should cherish “the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and equal opportunities”. UN Anti-racism Day commemorates the victims of the Sharpeville massacre in 1960, when 69 peaceful demonstrators against apartheid were killed by South African police forces.

Many organisations and communities have come together to call for this parade and rally. Join us in rejecting racism and showing that migrants are welcome. Let’s celebrate diversity by expressing our cultures and identities. Let’s demonstrate our confidence in a future free of scapegoating, racism and hatred.

Organised by the TUC and sponsored by CWU, GMB, NASUWT, NUT, PCS, Unison, Unite the Union

Why the Green Party should support the March 26th teachers' strike

At our recent Spring Conference the Green Party adopted the following policy on Teachers as a section of our Education Policy:

Teachers are the key resource within the education system. They neeed first class initial preparation, continuing professional development and appropriate salaries.

Every teacher should be taught by a teacher with Qualified Teacher Status and Principals and Headteachers of state funded schools should have QTS.

A Green government will work with the teaching unions to reverse the process by which teachers have gradually been deskilled and their professional autonomy eroded and will review pension arrangements and retirement age with them.

The Green Party opposes the introduction of performance related pay in education.

The Spring Conference also adopted policy on the abolition of SATs and a new partnership body to replace Ofsted. Our existing curriculum policy gives a broad entitlement but leaves detail to be devised by schools according to their local circumstances. Conference backed calls for local authorities to have the right to build new local authority schools in areas oif increased demand for school places.

On 26th March, members the National Union of Teachers will take national strike action.The strike is part of the campaign by teachers to protect pay, pensions and to ensure a workload that means children receive the best possible teaching. The strike follows a series of regional strikes in the autumn, which were very well supported and saw teachers getting a lot of support from parents.

Members of the NUT are concerned that government changes will have a damaging effect on education, these include:

•            Teachers working until they are 68 or beyond

•            Increasing pension contributions by 50% and reducing the pension package

•            Introducing performance related pay

Recent figures published by the government show that teachers in primary schools are working 60 hours a week – the NUT believes that this is too much and is one of the reasons why so many young teachers are leaving the profession.

In addition to this strike action the NUT has launched a major campaign, Stand Up for Education, through which teachers are fighting to ensure that:

Every classroom in every school has a qualified teacher

Local authorities can open new schools where needed

Changes to the curriculum and exams are positive and well planned

New teachers are encouraged into the profession

Schools work together and are properly and equitably funded

The NUT claim that the Stand Up for Education campaign has been getting huge support from parents and politicians all over the country who share the NUT’s concerns about government education policy.

Locally  Brent NUT Secretary, Lesley Gouldbourne, said:

Teacher workload is unsustainable and the thought of doing the job until 68 is driving many away from the job. Teacher morale is at dangerously low levels. Children need teachers who are fresh and well motivated not tired and demoralised. All the polls show that Michael Gove is out of touch with teachers and parents – he must listen and change direction. This strike is his fault - teachers do not like taking strike action but they are prepared to lose pay to stand up for education. We do apologise for the inconvenience to parents but we hope they will support us.

 

 It is clear that there is a great deal of overlap between Green Party policy  and what teachers are striking for and the aims of the Stand Up for Education campaign. The Green Party should support next week's strike and work with the NUT, parents, governors and school students in  support of the Stand Up for Education campaign.