Tory County Council Education Leader enraged by Tory academisation plans

This is an early indication of the range of opposition that may develop on the new policy to force all schools to become academies. A Tory County Council Executive Member for Education rebels: 

LGA oppose forced academisation of schools following Budget statement

From the Local Government Association
 

Responding to the Chancellor’s Budget announced today, Lord Porter, Chairman of the Local Government Association, in a key section of his statement said:

The LGA reiterates our opposition to forced academisation of schools. It’s vital that we concentrate on the quality of education and a school’s ability to deliver the best results for children, rather than on the legal status of a school, to make sure that we’re providing the education and support needed in each area.

Porter said:

 It is right that the Chancellor has recognised the funding pressures facing councils and local services over the next few years and has not announced any more cuts to local government.

Councils now need a period of financial stability and consistency so they can plan for the pressures facing local services which lie ahead over the next few years and need to be protected from any more funding cuts during this Parliament. This, alongside greater power to run local services, is essential.

Devolution deals agreed today are good news for local communities and councils which have worked hard to get them in place and rightly recognise the economic potential of England’s county and rural areas. To build desperately-needed homes, create jobs, provide the dignified care for our elderly and boost economic growth, all councils need greater freedom from central government to take decisions over vital services in their area. A total of 34 devolution proposals – from cities, towns and counties - have been submitted across England. These new deals and extensions to existing deals must signal a return to the early momentum in which similar deals were announced last year. This will clearly require different approaches for different areas, including how they are governed.

It is disappointing that the Chancellor has not accepted calls by councils, the NHS, care providers and the voluntary sector to bring forward the £700 million of new money in the Better Care Fund by 2019/20 to this year. The failure to do so means vulnerable members of the community still face an uncertain future where the dignified care and support they deserve, such as help getting dressed, fed or getting out and about, remains at risk. Vital social care services will also increasingly be unable to help ease the growing pressure on the NHS and the threat of a care home crisis will creep closer to becoming a reality.

Allowing local government to keep 100 per cent of business rates is key and is something the LGA has been campaigning to achieve for the last decade. While it won’t in itself solve the long-term challenges facing councils and local services, allowing local government to retain 100 per cent of its business rates income is now vital. Pilots announced today are an important first step, although it will be important to avoid a knock-on financial impact on other councils, and local government will rightly need to play a lead role in making sure any new national system works effectively and fairly.”

Contractors and pay through private companies at Brent Council

I know Wembley Matters readers like to make up their own minds so here is some correspondence from earlier today:

 

To Carolyn Downs, Brent Chief Executive and Miuhammed Butt , Leader of Brent Council

As you will know, after the controversy regarding the payment of Christine Gilbert and Cara Davani through private companies, Brent Council moved to putting all staff on payroll.

Can you confirm that, nevertheless, Cate Duffy, Interim Operational Director for Early Years Help and Education, is being paid through her own company Edu Cate D Limited, which was set up in June 2015 when her employment at Brent Council commenced.

Many thanks,

Martin Francis

From Carolyn Downs

Dear Mr Francis

Ms Duffy is employed as a contractor as she is on a fixed term contract. The role which she covers is currently subject to external recruitment and we hope to appoint in the next month. The contract with Ms Duffy will subsequently be terminated.

Yours sincerely

Carolyn Downs

Brent Council

Wembley/Kingsbury road closures for Half Marathon on Sunday March 20th am

Caroline Lucas: We need to bring our schools back under local democratic oversight, not erode democracy further through forced academisation

As teachers leave in droves as a result of  workload stress and unachievable changes in pupil targets the government has deepened the crisis its policies have caused with the decision to force all LA schools to become schools academies by 2022.

Caroline Lucas, the Green Party MP for Brighton Pavilion, today slammed Government proposals to force all schools to become academies. 

She labelled the proposed changes as 'deeply undemocratic' and said that she fears that forced academisation could 'lead us down the path of privatisation of education.'

Caroline Lucas said:

Forcing schools to become academies – and leaving them unaccountable to local communities – is the wrong approach. Local authorities are needed to ensure good planning and fairness across a local area. They can provide for the efficient pooling of resources, including legal help and support services for pupils with special educational needs.

From a Government that bangs the ‘localism’ drum this attack on local authorities is particularly shameful. People in my own city, Brighton and Hove, have resolutely opposed academies. Forcing parents, teachers and pupils into accepting these changes by Government dictat is deeply undemocratic.

This is part of a sustained attack on local government.  Funding has been slashed, services have been cut and now they are seeing this outrageous attack on their vital role in local education. I fear the Government want to lead us down the path of the privatisation of education.

There's no evidence to suggest that academisation solves problems in education and there are concerns raised by Oftsed that academy chains have serious weaknesses.

You have to ask just how much of the funding for academy conversion will be paid to lawyers rather than invested in schools?   As well as continuing the fight against cuts in school budgets and the shortages of school places and teachers, we need to stand up for local education.  Properly supported and funded local authority schools can best help meet our young people's educational needs and deliver school improvement and social justice.

The Chancellor is careering forward in entirely the wrong direction and against the interests of children and communities.  We need to bring our schools back under local democratic oversight, not erode it further.

Palestinian Hanan Al Hroub beats Preston Manor's Colin Hegarty to Global Teacher Prize

Preston Manor School will be disappointed that maths teacher Colin Hegarty narrowly missed out on the £1m Varkey Foundation Global Teacher Prize. Commiserations to Colin after all his great work but the prize has gone to a very deserving winner.

Hanan Al Hroub, a teacher from Palestine, won the prize amid much public rejoicing in Palestine. Her story is inspiring.

Hanan grew up in the Palestinian refugee camp, Bethlehem, where she was regularly exposed to acts of violence. She went into primary education after her children were left deeply traumatised by a shooting incident they witnessed on their way home from school. 

Her experiences in meetings and consultations to discuss her children’s behaviour, development and academic performance in the years that followed led Hanan to try to help others who, having grown up in similar circumstances, require special handling at school.

We just want peace; we want our children to enjoy their childhoods in peace.

 With so many troubled children in the region, Palestinian classrooms can be tense environments. Hanan embraces the slogan ‘No to Violence’ and uses a specialist approach she developed herself, detailed in her book, ‘We Play and Learn’. She focuses on developing trusting, respectful, honest and affectionate relationships with her students and emphasises the importance of literacy. 

She encourages her students to work together, pays close attention to individual needs and rewards positive behaviour. Her approach has led to a decline in violent behaviour in schools where this is usually a frequent occurrence; she has inspired her colleagues to review the way they teach, their classroom management strategies and the sanctions they use.

 

Hanan has shared her perspective at conferences, meetings and teacher training seminars. She hopes that, with education, her people can reclaim their homeland.

• Grew up in a Palestinian refugee camp; motivated to teach by her experiences as a mother of children traumatised by a shooting incident
• Offers specialist care to pupils exposed to violence
• Focuses on providing a safe space in the classroom and pays attention to individual needs
• Has shared her approach at Ministry conferences and teacher training seminars

West Hendon documentary BBC1 tonight spotlights the housing crisis

Wembley Matters has covered the scandal of the social cleansing of the West Hendon Estate at the north end of the Welsh Harp over the years.  The Our West Hendon campaign has fought tooth and nail for the rights of tenants and leaseholders. in Brent Labour, Greens and community activists fought against the plans which is on our borders. Most of the Welsh Harp is in Brent and the development will set a precedent for future development attempts in the area.   LINK 

Now a documentary will be screened on BBC1 at 10.45pm (after the news) until 11.45pm.

--> THE ESTATE WE'RE IN - 60 minutes BBC1 Tuesday 15th March 2016 10:45pm

A North London council estate is to be demolished as part of a multi-million pound regeneration. But will the residents get a place to live on the new development as promised?

High rise luxury private housing looms over the old estate

Situated beside the beautiful Welsh Harp Reservoir, the West Hendon Estate was built in the 1960's to provide housing for families on low incomes. Today, the local council have deemed that the estate's 'grotty' buildings are beyond repair, and, in partnership with private developers, the estate is being demolished to make way for a multi-million pound regeneration.

For many of the residents, the regeneration has caused uncertainty and stress. Council tenant Katrina, who has lived on the estate all her life, has been told that she and her daughter are being evicted from their flat. Pensioner Joe, will have to sell the maisonette that he has lived in for 30 years and saved up to purchase under right to buy. If the council do not increase their offer he will have to leave London and the three generations of his family who live locally, to afford a home elsewhere.

Filmed over a year, 'The Estate We're In' follows home-owners and council tenants as they fight to save their homes and campaign against the regeneration, which they claim is forcing low-income families out of London. Council leaders argue that there is no public money available and that private investment is the only way to supply much needed housing.

Through the experiences of the residents, 'The Estate We're In' gives an intimate perspective on the housing crisis and raises broader questions: What makes a community? What kind of cities do we want to live in? And are the rights of the poor being ignored for the benefit of the rich?

More in the Guardian HERE

Gladstone School - enjoy what you're earning

Principal Designate Paul Phillips with 'pupil'

The Gladstone secondary free school has announced on its website,' Owing to unavoidable delays in acquiring a site it is no longer possible to prepare for opening in September 2016.'

This is now becoming a regular announcement woth 120 Year 6 pupils receiving this news every year since 2014.

Meanwhile the school, which has had a Principal Designate since January 2014, has not filed accounts for 2015. The last net assets recorded totalled £93,000.

Since the free school was launched there has been a substantial turnover of directors:

Click to enlarge

The school, motto, 'Enjoy what you're learning',  has still not educated a single child despite having pictures of happy uniformed pupils on its website.

Previous coverage LINK