‘Let all who are without sin cast the first stone.’

‘Its central London offices in Millbank Tower were reported to have cost the organisations £1.4m a year. At its height of success, the network also employed 400 people.

The charity was first formed in the 1980s as the City Technology Colleges Trust and grew under Labour with the introduction of specialist schools and academies.’

‘The charity will continue to exist, thanks to a management buyout, albeit under its former name, the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT).’

http://www.edexec.co.uk/news/2047/schools-network-goes-bankrupt-/

There’s just no insight into anything.
For example he points out that the vast majority of academies have made no significant changes to their curriculums but shows no insight whatsoever as to why this might be (because most of them think the NC is basically okay).

Then he comments on the reality that most academies are using standard national pay structures but again there is not insight whatsoever into why they are doing this (that they have found the benefits of abandoning standard pay and conditions do not outweigh the disadvantages of doing so having totally passed him by).

His conclusions – that we need to completely scrap the national curriculum, completely scrap standard pay and conditions, removing schools’ freedom to freely adopt either in order to ‘increase their freedom’ are….. well…… do I have to spell it out?

He makes such weak, idealistic arguments and concludes by calling for a revolution. Surely this article is a parody of the kind of extremist idealistic views the Tories so like to deride?

http://www.localschoolsnetwork.org.uk/2012/03/we-did-it-for-the-money-survey-reveals-extra-finances-were-the-most-popular-reason-for-academy-conversion/

And did you know that the Schools Network has gone bust? (TES 1 June 2012)

Ricky this is propaganda, not research. Dale Bassett may think it’s research but really he should stop behaving like a student on work experience in the education industry.

Why should the end of local planning, democratic accountability and complaints procedures mean we are in a better world Ricky?
Will the return of turkey twizzlers make up for it all?

“The schemes that really work best in the world are those freely entered into.”
Are you confusing the application of the economics of education in emerging markets to the structures which are needed to underpin fully developed systems of education with an accountability to all again Ricky?

Most schools engage in collaboration to some extent and there is a variety of different mechanisms for this, with varying degrees of formality. Federations of schools have shared governing bodies and operate as a single legal entity, usually with very close working between the constituent schools. Academy chains tend to have strong central accountability and a degree of prescription, with schools operating relatively autonomously within this framework. Organisations such as The Schools Network provide support, share and develop best practice and provide advocacy and quality assurance, but do not perform a governance or accountability role.

These different types of networks are not necessarily mutually exclusive; schools could be part of multiple groupings serving different purposes or with different types of school. The essential factor is that this kind of school improvement system can help to improve all schools, instead of focusing solely on those that are failing. This kind of collaboration can also tackle coasting schools and schools that are good but want to become even better. The new network of Teaching Schools could be an important component of a self-led, self-improving school system.

From Plan A+ : Unleashing the Potential of Academies published by The Schools Network in collaboration with Reform, March 2012.

http://www.reform.co.uk/content/12913/research/education/plan_a_unleashing_the_potential_of_academies

I don’t accept that, Janet. The reforms open the way for co-operation on a scale hitherto unknown. The difference will be that in each case it will be a bespoke arrangement, not having to conform to some prescriptive bureaucratic scheme.

As with the school meals controversy, we must all get beyond the idea of government (central or local) bossing everyone around. The schemes that really work best in the world are those freely entered into. Statist projects always seem fine in concept but are more often than not wasteful and useless in practice.

Have faith: the post-bureaucratic age is a better place to be.

Co-operation between schools doesn’t just consist of a high-performing school (as measured by raw results) helping one weaker one to improve. In can be clusters of schools working on one project (eg the Technical and Vocational Education Initiative – TVEI – in the 80s). And it’s on-going – professional development doesn’t just stop but continues throughout teachers’ careers.

However, Mr Gove’s so-called reforms are likely to put inter-school cooperation into jeopardy as my post explained.

So long as politicians put themselves at the centre of education schools will always be ‘in need’ of whatever type of ‘improvement’ those politicians demand they receive.

One day I hope there will be a healthy balance of improved central resourcing and the professional freedom for schools to respond to the needs and strengths of their students, communities and staff which will allow schools to rapidly improve in ways which are healthy, sustainable and cost effective.

I continue to hope despite the obvious likelihood of our going straight from inappropriate ‘forced improvement to suit the needs and egos of politicians’ to a devastating collapse in school funding. Pasi Sahlberg’s comments about progress achieved during times of financial adversity was reassuring and I have often found that good things get done during the darkest hour……

Not strictly true, Janet. The figure you cite was one for formal partnerships. Nearly all the outstanding converters are helping other schools in some way, according to DfE.