UNISON along with the GMB and representative from the teaching unions (NUT, ATL. NASUWT) met with the Council Leader (Steve Houghton) this week to discuss shared concerns about Barnsley’s schools moving to Trust or Academy Status under a ‘Partnership Board’ that would include the Council.We were disappointed at the response to our concerns that are set out below. It was clear that our Labour controlled Council were unwilling to make a stand against the Governments plans to involve private sector companies in running our schools.
It seems that our local Councillors are keen to ‘pass the buck’ on this by saying it is for the individual schools to decide which model suits them best, but that if they do not change and improve educational standards the Education Secretary Michael Gove will intervene and force change upon them.
The Council claim that they are not promoting any specific change of status and if schools wanted to remain with the Council or to form ‘loose associations with other schools’, they would fully support that. The teaching unions however, report that School heads are feeling pressured to move to either Trust or Academy status.
The Council are proposing to establish a School Partnership Board as a ‘vehicle for brokering support and sharing innovation across the school system’. This Board would include the private sector sponsors.
The unions have been petitioning parents at the first wave of schools who are intending to move to trust status with the Co-operative group as a potential partner (Royston, Carlton & Athersley). It was clear from the vast majority of parents that we spoke to, that they do not support these proposals and believe the schools should remain under the control of the Local Authority to ensure democratic control and accountability.
The joint Trades Unions are committed to the principle of a good local school for every child. Schools are at the heart of their communities, contributing to social cohesion and economic regeneration and are central to the delivery of the ‘Every Child matters Agenda’. Trust schools will detract from these initiatives and undermine the ability for all schools in a local authority to work together with shared support from the LEA.
Our key concern is the involvement of private sector companies as sponsors of Trust schools and Academies. Through their Trustee status they can gain control of school land and premises and can shape the curriculum and dominate the governance of our schools. The new Advanced Learning Centres (ALC’s) in which the Council have invested millions of pounds of ratepayer’s money could be passed into the control of these private sector sponsors.
UNISON will continue to work jointly with the other unions to ensure parents fully understand the issues and are able to make informed choices about their children’s education. Unfortunately however, it seems that their views will have little influence on the decisions of School Heads and Governors.
Our Concerns
- The Government and the council should support our schools not hand responsibility over to companies and organisations that have no knowledge of education
- Commercial interests of the Trust can easily become the controlling direction for the school
- Elected parent governor roles are reduced and the Trust can instead ‘appoint’ chosen parents
- Services that the council currently provide for free or at low cost will be charged for
- Access to external organisation’s expertise is already available under current rules
- There is no case for change and not at this pace