WALTHAM FOREST: Fears raised over impact of academies (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

WALTHAM FOREST: Fears raised over impact of academies

4:39pm Monday 6th September 2010 in Your Local Areas By Daniel Binns

Campaigners Julia Brown, Rachel Eborall and Holly Smith outside Roger Ascham School earlier today.

A PLAN by three “outstanding” primary schools to become independent academies will have a devastating impact on education in Waltham Forest, campaigners have warned.

Roger Ascham Primary in Wigton Road, Walthamstow, Yardley Primary in Hawkwood Crescent, Chingford, and Hillyfield Primary in Higham Hill Road, Walthamstow, are hoping to opt out of local authority control.

The academy system was first launched by the former Labour government to involve the private sector in running struggling secondary schools, but education secretary Michael Gove recently invited all successful schools to apply for a change of status.

The Government says that the policy gives greater freedom to staff and cuts bureaucracy, but critics fear it will create a two-tier education system.

The Waltham Forest Anti-Academies Alliance has been formed by union activists, teachers and parents, who have pledged to fight the proposals locally.

Members leafleted parents outside Roger Ascham Primary on Monday.

Campaigner Rachel Eborall, 32, said any new academies would ultimately take money away from other schools in the area.

This is because currently a portion of every school’s budget pays for shared services

It is feared that if too many schools in the borough become academies, state-run schools will no longer be financially viable.

Ms Eborall said: “This will have an impact on all schools in the area. For example, most schools cannot afford their own educational psychologist, so instead they club together and pay to share one.

“But once the total amount of money for schools goes down things like that are under threat”.

Fellow protester Holly Smith, 39, added: “What this amounts to is the irreversible privatisation of schools. These buildings are public assets which will then become private assets.

“Parents may think if their child goes to an academy it won't affect them, but all the schools applying for this in Waltham Forest are primaries, so inevitably pupils will go on to secondary schools in the borough that have been damaged by the loss of money.”

But headteacher Matthew Hanks said the school could improve further if it was was granted academy status.

He said: “I think we would be better placed to provide quality provision for our pupils and value for money.

“A school cannot stop improving. Given the opportunity to improve the school further I think we should not turn our backs on that and think it through very thoroughly.”

Parents of pupils at the school who spoke to the Guardian were split on the issue.

Paula Allan, 38, who has twins at the school's nursery and a son at the school, said: “I'm not concerned about it.

“The school provides a good education and they do as much as they can for the kids, so I trust their judgement.”

But mum-of-three Naciye Gurcoglu, 42, said: “This is a good school already so I don't see why they should make changes like this.

“The teachers are good and everything seems fine to me, so they should carry on as things are.”

Highams Park School, which applied for academy status, has had its bid rejected.

Campaigners claim that this is because the school’s reported deficit of £350,000 is considered too high.

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