Rachel Fryer - Academies Balls-up
Rachel Fryer, the Green Party's education spokesperson, takes Ed Balls to task for his policy on city academies.
The government's dropping of the £2million requirement highlights still further the farce surrounding Academies.
Academies have been hailed an answer to ‘failing' schools yet imposed on schools which aren't failing. There is no evidence that Academies are more successful schools.
Academies enable schools to have greater autonomy from Local Authorities. Yet this autonomy could be granted without the involvement of a private sponsor.
Academies "enable" central government to release up to £30 million for new school buildings. Yet how many schools would prefer to have the choice of how to spend this money, perhaps spending some on new buildings and facilities, some on improving existing buildings and some on additional teachers? Why can't this money be released through the Building Schools for the Future programme anyway, granting Local Authorities the freedom to choose which schools have the greatest need for improved buildings?
Whilst I have no doubt there are some excellent sponsors who genuinely want to improve the school, many others pursue their religious or political beliefs. Some Academies teach Creationism, some devote half a day each week to running a stock-exchange. The sponsor may have little or no educational background and has the power to appoint the majority of the board which has the power to run the school. A sponsor has a great deal to gain from sponsoring an Academy.
At the Green party conference in early September, a new Education policy was passed. This contains the Green party's renewed opposition to Academies and states that in the shorter term, where Academies exist, we would instigate a maximum 25% voting rights for sponsor appointees.
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