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Fiona Millar: To profit or not to profit

Last month I was invited to speak at a conference of housing professionals on the subject “To Profit or Not To Profit”.  The government is now trying to entice private sector providers into the social housing sector and I was asked to give a perspective on this issue from the education sector’s point of view. It was a good opportunity to ... read more and comment →

7 comments

Latest comment by Janet Downs: "Emma - many of these non-for-profits have trading arms which sell services to their academies. The National Audit Office 2010 was concerned about a conflict of interest when sponsors put pressure on their academies to purchase services from the ......"

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Tracy Hannigan: Rivendale Academy Trust

The leads of the former Rivendale Free School have long been quiet but have recently revised their  website. They have a main navigation that covers what appears to be a bid for a new school - looking for a location for a Rivendale Primary School. The rest of the site seems dedicated to the new vein of being an academy sponsor ... read more and comment →

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rosalyn: It privatisation inevitable- and for primaries?

I am a parent of a reception child in a state school which is rated as outstanding in most aspects and very renowned locally. The Head has decided to take up a post within an expanding private chain, mostly secondary schools but with a primary on the way elsewhere, to build up their primary education concerns. I would be a fool ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Fiona Millar: "I think that would be a good idea. The governors are probably meeting to discuss the process for recruiting a successor so may not necessarily have much to say at the moment. Maybe ask the parent governors too?..."

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Alan Gurbutt: Parents of academies barred from standing for election on Lincoln County Council Children and Young People scrutiny Committee

Education Secretary Michael Gove said academy status would improve standards at some of the poorest schools, then he went on to infuriate his critics by describing those opposed to academies as "ideologues happy with failure". It now seems he is avoiding criticism altogether by removing the rights of parent governors in academies to participate on education scrutiny committees at local ... read more and comment →

4 comments

Latest comment by Janet Downs: "Lilly - if you follow the link on the right to "Lincolnshire advises all its schools to become academies - but parents not consulted" you'll find further information about the state of affairs in Lincolnshire. There's also information ......"

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Nicola Bown: Forced conversions of primary schools

I've commented on this below, but I think it's such an important issue I've decided to post on it. In comments on the latest batch of primary league tables, Michael Gove made it clear that he is moving towards the forced conversion of 200+ 'failing' primary schools into sponsored academies. Almost no primary schools have willingly converted to academy status, but this ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Janet Downs: "The cartoon in the article below sums up Mr Gove and his attitude towards his "opponents": http://www.economicvoice.com/the-michael-gove-dictatorship/50027033#axzz1irS4VCJz..."

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Sonia Exley: New research shows that most people think parents should send their children to the nearest state school

Research published today as part of the 28th annual British Social Attitudes (BSA) report shows that more than eight in 10 people think parents should send their children to the nearest state school. New data released from the BSA Survey shows that 63% of people take this view outright, with a further 22% saying they would agree if the quality of ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by Alan Gurbutt: "With respect, there must be a time in a child's life when s/he is capable of rational decision making; after all, children are criminally responsible at 10 years old. John Rawls’ social contract might be more fitting for children, for ......"

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Ariana Yakas: Will rush to academy status force all schools to convert? Alternatives

Guardian Education ran a story today on the dilemmas that headteachers are facing regarding moving to Academy status. This rang very true for the LA where I am a school governor. As the article stated: "If schools are looking to their local authorities to give them reasons to resist the pressure to convert, it seems they may not get them." In ... read more and comment →

7 comments

Latest comment by Ariana Yakas: "Thanks for the link. The sort of stuff I was looking for...."

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Nigel Ford: Why the 11+ and grammar schools should be abolished?

An article in today's Daily Mail  shows the extreme lengths parents will go to get their child into a grammar school. Some of it seems utterly demented and puts unfair pressure on children with the stress even causing couples to divorce. Parents are putting their own feelings ahead of their child as it is a giant ego trip for them if ... read more and comment →

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Latest comment by botzarelli: "I have updated my blog in any event as well as approving your comment and replying to it Allan - after all, if I didn't I'd be guilty of the same vice that prompted the blog in the first place!..."

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Ed Rushton: New website to show reception admissions info

We have a young son and were planning to move house to a new area (in north London). Given the experience of friends and family, we realised that our house search would need to take into account the local schools. However, we didn't realise that it would end up being driven entirely by schools. I started researching schools and had a ... read more and comment →

3 comments

Latest comment by Tracy Hannigan: "Hi there! Can I ask how the data gets updated and how often it is refreshed? Thanks!!..."

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Fiona Millar: What parents really want from schools

For the past few months I have taken some time out from the daily blogging and journalism and spent time travelling around the country for a project looking into school accountability and what parents really want from schools. It has been a fascinating experience. Working with the national parenting charity Family Lives, I took part in focus groups in the North ... read more and comment →

2 comments

Latest comment by Judith Houghton: "It makes for an interesting read and something I will be encouraging my fellow governors to debate as we look at our school improvement plan...."

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