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Francis Gilbert: The Shakespeare Schools Festival proves local state schools are no “exam factories”

Last night, I was delighted to watch four state schools perform the socks off Shakespeare at the Unicorn Theatre. They were all taking part in a nation-wide initiative called the Shakespeare Schools Festival (SSF). My son's school, Bethnal Green Technology College, was participating in the festival for the first time; he was lucky enough to have a role in their shortened ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by JimC: "So PISA use the same method (CVA) as the IFS?..."

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Francis Gilbert: Petitions launched to stop my local secondary becoming an Academy…

The Bethnal Green Technology College saga continues with petitions now being launched to stop the school becoming an Academy. As I've said in a couple of posts, I'm supporting its bid for Academy status because of the financial situation it's facing and because, contrary to what is being said about it by various union officials, it is not being privatised; ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Keith Turvey: "I agree to a certain extent with you Francis in terms of looking at this case by case. I had similar feeling when a local school in Brighton became an academy under the Labour government. It channelled much needed resources ......"

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Francis Gilbert: I’m supporting my local secondary’s bid for Academy status so that it can become a genuine comprehensive

The recent news that Michael Gove is compelling two hundred “failing” primary schools into becoming academies didn’t surprise me much. It feels that this is the way that everything is going; there’s no political appetite either in the Lib-Dems or the Labour Party to oppose him. Currently, having listened at length to both sides of a very acrimonious argument, I have ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by david carpenter: "i am very disappointed and i feel the debate here is that academies will be the ideological playground for the continuing acceleration of privatisation of education. your arguments mr gilbert are redolent of all the apologists I've every heard of parents ......"

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