John Roan shows the way in challenging 'exam factory' schools

The current action by teachers at John Roan School in Greenwich has significance well beyond that borough. There is increasing recognition of the impact of a high stakes testing system both on teachers and pupils. As teachers' workload increases their stress levels rise and the fixation on grades and fear of failure produces stress in their students.

John Roan staff are taking the initiative in challenging what the NUT have called factory schooling.  (Exam Factories? The impact of accountability measures on children and young people NUT June 2015).Yesterday a number of organisations, working under the banner Reclaiming Education, came together at Hamilton House, the NUT HQ, to discuss some common aims in that campaign. Green Party teachers were among those who took part.

This is the message that John Roan staff have sent to supporters today:

Dear Supporters,

We thought we would update you on our campaign to defend our working conditions and the traditions of our comprehensive school.

Our strike day on Tuesday 10 November 2015, received phenomenal support from NUT Associations, other trade unions, parents, students and teachers from as far as New York Miami and Nigeria! We think this is because we are speaking up for teachers who are defending education and the conditions in which it can flourish. We want our students to do well in their qualifications but not at any cost; not at the cost of those who find exams difficult and feel they are failures, or the ones who want to do so well they work into the night, bent over books with the stress of heightened expectations and future failure.

Teaching should be something that brings fulfilment and reward, not exhaustion and demoralisation. They are destroying our vocation and turning it into alienating toil. We must stop this and our campaign is the start for us. We hope we have encouraged teachers everywhere to do the same.

We understand that a negotiating meeting has been called this week and we hope that The John Roan Management come to their senses and adopt policies that recognise the valuable contribution we make to our students' learning.  All we ask is that they respect that our workload should be reasonable and that we should be trusted to teach without excessive scrutiny and monitoring.

If we do not get agreement, we will have no choice to but to continue our strike on Thursday 19 November 2015. Our pickets are from 7.30am until 8.45am and we welcome everyone in joining us to support our strike.

Please continue to spread the word and if you would like us to speak at a meeting then reply us with details of when/where you would like us to come. We are all working teachers so we will do our best, but we have part-time and retired teachers who could speak too.

Thanks again and solidarity forever.

The John Roan NUT
www.thejohnroannut.org  johnroannut@gmail.com  Twitter @thejohnroannut

Staff and parents press for secret ballot on Furness academisation

The audience at the academies meeting

 

 

Statement from ATL, GMB, NASUWT, NUT, UNISON

Parents and staff from Furness Primary School, Harlesden, London gathered[1] to voice their deep concerns as to why their school was proposed to be turned into an academy. The Governors of Furness and Oakington Manor, federated schools, have made an application to turn the two schools into a sponsored academy trust without having first consulted parents and staff.

The question asked by everyone at the meeting was why? Furness school received a good rating by Ofsted in June this year. Oakington is currently rated as outstanding. The two schools federated three years ago to prevent Furness (which was then in special measures) closing or being taken over by an academy chain such as ARK.

The audience listened to Bridget Chapman, Chair of the Anti Academies Alliance, explain what academisation was all about – privatisation of state education and ultimately schools to be run for profit. She spoke about the evidence from research that showed that 13% of sponsored academies were classed as failing yet on 3% of state schools were in this Ofsted category. Further, the data shows a higher rate of exclusion among black and minority ethnic children in academies and there are fewer children with special educational needs. 99 academies had received warnings from the DfE about their financial dealing and 11 academy chains had received multiple warnings. The percentage of primary schools that have become academies is still very small and many of those have been forced to by the DfE despite there being no evidence that academies improve education for children, in fact the opposite.  Analysis of primary school results indicates that academy conversion actually slows progress” (Local Schools Network research).

Jean Roberts spoke on behalf of the education unions and told the audience how the unions had been stopped from making any presentation to staff at the so called consultation meetings held at both schools the previous week, as to why the education unions are united against the proposal. Staff who wanted to hear them, were shushed and told to be quiet by Mr Jhally, Chair of Governors of the Federation, when they protested. A motion of support for a campaign against the academy which had been passed by the Kensal Green Labour Party group was read out to much applause.

Mrs Libson who is the Executive headteacher of the federated schools had told the staff consultation meetings it was because Brent had done “nothing for the schools”. Brent LA dispute this most strongly. Jean Roberts had been sent a copy of the Brent Audit Report for Oakington Manor in June 2015. Auditors were unable to say that its accounts and accounting procedures were fully in order[2]. The report stated, “The key areas of weaknesses related to high value expenditure, income administration, stock management and pension administration”. One of the criteria Ofsted inspects in schools is the Governors oversight of school finances.

Janice Long a local councillor, who sent a message of support for the campaign against an academy, asked if the imminent Ofsted may be a reason for this rushed application.

Euton Stewart from GMB explained that in his experience the support staff were the first to be made redundant in academies. Academies can employ unqualified teachers, another concern of the teaching staff there. Parents spoke about the good teachers and the education they provided for their children at Furness and how all this change was unnecessary now the school had been given a good by Ofsted.

There was a clear commitment to continue to seek a secret ballot for parents and staff so that the Governors would fully know their views. Parents will continue to collect signatures on the petition. Staff are looking to hold meetings to discuss what they will do in response.

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[1] Meeting held on 12^th November at St Mark’s Church hall, Kensal Rise, London.

[2] Reporting Definition of Limited assurance: Weaknesses in the system of internal controls are such as to put the client’s objectives at risk.

The level of non-compliance puts the client’s objectives at risk.

Paris: Greens condemn 'unconscionable outrages' but warn against knee-jerk response

Responding to the Paris attacks, Natalie Bennett, Green Party Leader, and Deputy Leaders Shahrar Ali and Amelia Womack said:

Our thoughts go out to everyone in Paris who has been affected by these shocking and appalling attacks. We send our support and solidarity to the people of France at this very difficult time. We condemn these unconscionable outrages upon a civilian population but we must not react with knee-jerk responses that would undermine the liberties we seek to protect. Today as every day we must stand together to face down hatred and work together to create a peaceful, compassionate, and caring world.

Police curtail protests at Modi Wembley Stadium event

The main protest against Narendra Modi's UK visit was on Thursday opposite 10 Downing Street but several groups were outside Wembley Stadium this afternoon to make their protest as thousands arrived for the Modi extravaganza.

The police seemed determined to keep demonstrators out of Cameron and Modi's earshot and moved one group on despite claims that by doing so they were limiting free speech and the right to protest.

As the video shows they were moved well away where few could witness their protest. It is a little like being assured of course that you have a right to protest and to be heard - these are 'British Values'- just step into this cupboard, close the door and protest to your heart's content.

Dan Filson funeral arrangements

Cllr Dan Filson's funeral will be held at West London Crematorium in Kensal Green on Tuesday November 17th at 2.15pm.

18 Bus, Kensal Green Bakerloo and Overground

Family, friends and colleagues will be going on to the William VI pub afterwards. It is on the opposite side of Harrow Road.

Prevent in Brent: Protecting Our Liberty?

The Prevent Strategy is coming in for increasing criticism as a clumsy tool that, rather than preventing young people getting involved in extremist activity,  stereotypes a whole community and undermines the free exchange of ideas.  In Brent school staff are currently going through training about the strategy and I have heard that there is disquiet among staff that they will be seen as 'spies' on children and their families rather than partners in education. This could have undermine the  trust necessary for a positive relationship between parents and the school.

Furthermore if fear of being reported for 'extremism' means that children choose to be silent in class, rather than contribute to discussion, then the issue is being driven underground and there is a ngegative impact on the student-teacher relationshiop

It is against this background that a public meeting is being held in Brent in early December:

Brent's Shahrar Ali now Number 3 on Green's GLA Election List

Shahrar Ali with Natalie Bennett, leader of the Green Party of England and Wales

Shahrar Ali, Deputy Leader of the Green Party is now Number 3 on the London Green Party List for the 2016 GLA election following a recount conducted today by Electoral Reform Services, following a request by the London Green Party.

ShahrarAli  said:

I feel honoured and humbled that members have chosen me as one of their lead candidates and hugely excited at the prospect that Londoners could return their first BME Green to City Hall. It’s gratifying, and comes as a huge relief, to finally know the true result of a hotly contested ballot of over 12,000 members held over the summer, that had to be recounted due to discovery of a significant mistake in the count instructions given by us.

Amongst my priorities, I will give voice to tackling the everyday prejudice or downright racism faced by ethnic minorities. Greens will fight your corner, whether combating illicit racial profiling by police or confronting the Islamophobia in our schools and colleges fostered by the government’s Prevent programme.

As a lifelong Londoner, I would relish the opportunity to represent and serve Londoners’ interests from City Hall. As part of a great Green team, I would tackle the problems faced by ordinary people and the poverty-stricken, whether those marginalised by work which doesn’t pay, public transport that doesn’t come cheap, or by housing that banks on developers and investors at families’ expense. Only Greens are able to offer the radical vision and joined up approach that Londoners desperately need and deserve.

The results of the recount will be officially ratified at the next Green Party  London Regional meeting on 16th November 2015.

Ronald Stewart, member of Haringey Green Party, who originally noticed the count error and raised the alarm,explained:

The quota for the election had been set lower than specified by the London Green Party framework, as a requirement of STV. This gave an incorrect result which did not proportionally reflect the voters’ wishes.

The full list of candidates is now ordered as follows:

1. Sian Berry
2. Caroline Russell
3. Shahrar Ali
4. Jonathan Bartley
5. Noel Lynch
6. Rashid Nix
7. Tom Chance
8. Dee Searle
9. Benali Hamdache
10. Andrea Carey Fuller
11. RoseMary Warrington

Reserve 1. Peter Underwood
Reserve 2. Michael Gold
Reserve 3. Barry Cooper

Green Party condemns Government's 'assault' on children's futures

Responding to a report which has exposed the ‘double disadvantage’ being faced by young people from poor backgrounds, the Green Party has called on the government to tackle the rising impact of poverty on young peoples’ futures.

The report, written by education charity the Sutton Trust, found that less than one in three (29%) white working class boys from poor neighbourhoods are studying past GCSE level. That’s compared to almost half (46%) of working class boys from affluent areas and two in three (68%) of boys from wealthier backgrounds.

Alongside teaching unions and campaign groups, the Green Party has consistently emphasised the link between poverty and poor attainment in education, and called for greater investment in teaching as well as an end to the welfare reforms which have seen inequality widen.

Green Party spokesperson for schools, Samantha Pancheri, said:

The evidence of the damaging impact austerity is having on young people’s futures continues to mount and yet the government continues to wilfully ignore the facts. Quite frankly it’s inexcusable.

From welfare reforms exacerbating poverty, to cuts to education budgets, and the creeping privatisation of the education system, this report confirms that young peoples’ aspirations are being eroded through an assault on their future – an assault that the government has the power to stop.

We should not be surprised that working class children from poor neighbourhoods feel
disenfranchised from education, as the government’s reforms are creating more pressure than ever on pupils to perform well in examinations, whilst simultaneously eroding their prospects to turn this into a meaningful future for themselves.

Whilst this report highlights the urgent need to address the causes of young people struggling through the education system up to GCSE level, it is vital that this is accompanied by widespread efforts to protect Further Education, and ensure that pupils have every opportunity to fulfil their potential.