The Lincolnshire campaign

Sarah Dobbs's picture
 5
I have included a link here to a blog that I have done for the Labour teachers webpage. I would be really grateful if people could share it in any way they feel possible because of the urgent risk the county faces of seeing the majority of it's schools privatised. I am really concerned that so far the Louth campaign seems to be the only one running up here. I am desperate for more support from elsewhere in the county.

Many thanks
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Comments

John Blake's picture
Sun, 20/03/2011 - 12:01

Great work from Sarah; I know there is already a campaign going in Hackney against a free school there - if there are any other working teachers who are Labour Party members who would like to let the world know what the Tory-led government's policies are doing to their school and area, please email us on blog@labourteachers.org.uk.


Francis Gilbert's picture
Sun, 20/03/2011 - 20:39

I am not a Labour Party member but I really think Sarah has done a great job at exposing the risks of privatising the school system. She's shown it will strip parents, teachers and pupils of their voice, and put the power in the hands of the unaccountable "charities" or "sponsors" who run our academies, no doubt paying the top bosses huge salaries -- which none of us will know about -- and leaving the rest of us to pick up the pieces.


Richard Hatcher's picture
Mon, 21/03/2011 - 04:23

Congratulations to Sarah and the campaign in Lincolnshire. But what a contrast with the Labour Party leadership. Andy Burnham, speaking of Academies and free schools at the headteacher’s union ASCL conference on 12 March, was typical. He said not a word about campaigning against them, not a word about supporting campaigns such as Sarah’s, and refused to give a commitment that a Labour government would bring them all into the local authority system. Unfortunately the majority of Labour councillors seem to be equally unwilling to support local campaigns, preferring to keep silent. Is there nothing that campaigning Labour teachers can do to influence Party policy?


Sarah Dobbs's picture
Mon, 21/03/2011 - 10:41

I am so very, very lucky here with fantastic support from vocal and passionate Labour county councillors. I would have been dead in the water without them. But what really interested me was the Tory county councillor who came to listen to Alasdair Smith and admitted that she would have to jump ship about academies!!
But on the whole I really agree with Richard about Andy Burnham and am disapointed thus far with the Labour response. I heard David Miliband talk last year during the leadership election campaign and he described the Tory policy as a "distortion" of the Labour one, and I really like that description. I just wish they were saying it louder and clearer....it is a massive disapointment.
But not as massive a disapointment as it would be if I were a Liberal party member!!!!

Janet Downs's picture
Mon, 21/03/2011 - 13:14

I don't think the Labour leadership is going to be of much use. They can't come out and criticise the Government too loudly for its academies and free schools programme because it was a Labour government who introduced academies in the first place.


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