The Academy Sponsor,
E-ACT, which currently runs 11 academies, is intending to set up 250 state schools within five years according to the
TES today. This would make it by far the biggest educational provider in the country, dwarfing the biggest Local Authorities in the country.
The TES says: "Sir Bruce Liddington, E-ACT's director general and a former schools commissioner at the Department for Education, said he had spoken to ministers and civil servants about rapidly expanding the number of schools the charity runs. He aims to double the number of its schools in the next three years and "significantly" expand to as many as 250 in five years. Sir Bruce told The TES that he expects the group to have around 50 free schools, 50 "traditional" academies that replace underperforming schools, 100 "converter" academies and 50 primary schools."
Here we have what the LSN have been saying for a while: the "free schools" programme isn't about empowering parents at all, but about privatising the education system.
It is deeply worrying that an unaccountable "charity" like E-Act, that is answerable to no one really, will soon be running so many schools, with carte-blanche to do whatever they want. Furthermore, the way the government has set up the Free Schools programme means that it's the taxpayer that will take all the risk, picking up the tab if the chain fails to deliver, paying for the premises, and enabling the people in charge of the chain to pay themselves no doubt huge wages.
Like Tescos, the chain will probably take over "failing" schools and expand wherever it can, stifling competition whenever it can as well. The net result will probably be "less choice" for parents; certainly they will have far less say in how the chain is run than they currently do with LA schools.
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http://www.channel4.com/programmes/dispatches/episode-guide/series-84/ep...
The programme revealed that the chief beneficiaries would be private companies and this was often to the detriment of those on the receiving end of their services. One head teacher said that no private organisation was going to bid for public sector work unless it could make a profit. Some of these organisations say that they are non-profit making charities which makes them sound altruistic. However, there's nothing to prevent their paying large salaries to those who run the charity.
The TES article revealed that E-Act had been refused permission to run one academy because of financial irregularities and yet it is talking with the Government about setting up more academies. And what happens when these chains become "too big to fail"?
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/dispatches/episode-guide/series-84/ep...
The TES article said the E-Act had been refused permission to open one academy because of financial irregularies. Yet this company is in talks with the Government to run a chain of them.
And what will happen when the chain becomes "too big to fail"?
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/dispatches/episode-guide/series-84/ep...
The TES article said the E-Act had been refused permission to open one academy because of financial irregularies. Yet this company is in talks with the Government to run a chain of them.
And what will happen when the chain becomes "too big to fail"?"
http://www.e-act.org.uk/free-schools
http://www.e-act.org.uk/news/84/84/Parents-invited-to-discuss-E-ACT-s-Re...
It does look as though the new Free School Proposal process will require more hard evidence of parental demand and financial viability. It already appears to be the case that one free school due to open in September is halving its numbers through lack of demand so I would take some of these hyperbolic claims by groups like E Act with a pinch of salt. It would appear that the DFE also recognises that much more work needs to be done on pupil projections and financial planning before more tax payers money is wasted on schools that may not be needed.
It is also ironic that, after several governments telling us that they want to increase diversity, we will probably end up with chains of clone schools that maybe less diverse than what is currently available in many local authorities. Even a casual observation of the way some chains are already operating reveals that ' head office' controls things in a way a local authority would never dare to do and, as independent state schools, they have the power to shut out the parents voices because they aren't under an obligation to have a fixed number of elected parent governors.
I couldn't agree more with your above comment Fiona. I have spoken to a number of staff now at Academies and they feel that they are being turned into "robots", that the whole atmosphere is very "corporate" and off-putting. Head-office dictates a "formula" and staff are NOT allowed to innovate; but schools are not like McDonalds, you can't just "serve up" a good teacher like a hamburger.
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/tobyyoung/100080451/it-just-got-a-lot-...
It was worse than I thought! "A fairly short document" and an interview to set up a school - an organisation which would be responsible for children and their education.
That was not good. Neither is it good for private organisations to run schools, whether these are free or academies.
Once they have established schools in this country, achieving great results due to back door selection, these organisations will be well placed to market their brand of English education in China, India and other emerging markets.
We;ve already seen the so called 'Macdonaldization' of higher education, some might see this as the next logical step.
www.kunskapsskolan.co.uk/faq.4.13ed45fa118bfee467380001282.html
If international groups come into this market, it is quite likely that the 'head office' will become even more remote to parents, who can at least take their placards down to the Town Hall if they don't like what the LA is doing.
Regarding E-Act, I thought Ealing council had rejected all free school proposals, hence LBHF getting the WLFS - wonder what has changed their minds?
Fiona, people won't need to bother with placards at the LA if they don't like these schools run by large commercial groups. They can just go to different schools. More responsive and accountable than the current rationing system.
Ben - it may be possible in a city to go to a different school. However, there are millions of us who don't live in huge conurbations. There may only be one school for one large area. Local people want this to be a good school in which they can have a say if they wish to do so. This would not be possible if the one local school were taken over by a privately-run organisation. I note you used the description "large commercial groups". As the Channel 4 Dispatches programme this week made quite clear: no private company will take over public services unless it can made a profit, and this profit is often at the expense of the workers (minimum wage) and, worse, at the expense of those at the receiving end.
The reality is that in Louth I am campaigning tooth and nail to stop us losing FIVE of our schools into one academy. Yes - five.
And our "choice" is then what exactly?
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