Talks held over plans for a third academy in county
A THIRD academy school could open in Northumberland as efforts continue to raise educational standards and improve the quality of buildings.
Preliminary talks have been held between county council officials and the Department for Children Schools and Families (DCSF) on the potential for including Bedlingtonshire High School in the national academy programme.
It would be the third in Northumberland following the creation of the ã30m Bede Academy in Blyth and a ã48m investment to develop the multi-site Hirst Academy in Ashington.
The Bede Academy is sponsored by Sir Peter Vardy's Emmanuel Schools Foundation, while sponsorship funding for the Ashington academy is coming from the Church of England and the Duke of Northumberland's business wing.
Now the 950-student Bedlingtonshire High School has been earmarked as potentially the next in line for academy status, in an attempt to improve exam results and upgrade buildings.
But governors at some of its 12 feeder first and middle schools are understood to be concerned about the move, and the National Union of Teachers says it will "vigorously oppose" any plan to establish another academy in the county.
The county council says the project is "in the early stages of discussion" with the DCSF, and two exploratory meetings have been held between senior education officials and governors at the Bedlington pyramid schools.
Academies were established in 2000 by Tony Blair to drive up educational standards by replacing under-performing schools. They are state-maintained but independent and self-governing, often set up with the help of external sponsors.
Bedlingtonshire High headteacher Kieran McGrane said he did not want to comment at present as discussions were being held between the local education authority and the DCSF.
Vin Wynne, Northumberland secretary of the NUT, said the union had not been involved in any discussions so far, and had only found out about the proposal through unofficial channels.
He said: "Obviously we are very concerned about it. We don't see academies as a good idea and it would clearly make sense for Northumberland to allow the two they have already established to demonstrate their effectiveness or otherwise before making this leap again."
A county council spokeswoman said: "We are currently meeting with partners and schools to talk about the possibility of a Bedlington academy.
"If there is support for this project we will progress through a formal consultation process."
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I cannot understand why Northumberland CC are going down this route. There is absolutely no evidence that converting community schools into academies improves results.
If they claim that academisation gives them access to building funds they need to publish the evidence for this. Building Schools for the Future funding is independent of academisation and other local authorities have accessed the funding without having any academies.
If they claim that money will come from sponsors they need to think again. An answer to questions in Parliament showed that most of the money promised by sponsors has not been delivered or has been delivered in kind.
Last year 32% of the academies showed worse exam results than the previous year. The best performing schools, in terms of improvements, have been community schools - and that has been the case for at least 2 years running.
A higher percentage of academies have failed Ofsted than community schools.
Even PriceWaterhouse Cooper, in their 5th Annual Report, concluded that there was no evidence that the academy model improved results.
Is Northumberland County Council admitting that they are so useless that they are better to give away schools to unaccountable, undemocratic organisations over which they have absolutely no control? If so, they deserve to be voted out of office.
Setting up an academy costs approximately ã2 million in consultants fees, glossy brochures, etc. That is before any building work gets going. Information was gained under Freedom of Information, from which academies are exempt.
Check out the Anti Academies Alliance website.
Here in Northampton, parents are desperately trying to stop Northants County Council from forcing Unity CofE college into becoming an Academy ! Just why are our councils so unwilling to listen parental views and so willing to enforce this unwanted Academy policy ?