Green and Labour councillors have criticised plans by local schools to join a multi-academy trust.
The Orchard School Partnership, made up of Benfield Primary School and Hangleton Primary School, announced last month that it planned to join the Eko Trust, based in east London.
A consultation with parents started last month and is due to end on Friday (20 October), the day after Brighton and Hove City Council is due to discuss two motions opposing the process.
The Green Party said that there were no plans for a joint motion with Labour when the full council meets on Thursday (19 October).
Green councillor Sue Shanks plans to put forward a motion asking for the consultation to be paused and for a ballot of parents on whether they want an academy trust taking over.
Her draft motion said: “This council and city has previously stood in steadfast opposition to academisation, including via a successful ballot of parents at Hove Park School that returned 91 per cent opposition.
“And (this council) notes the achievements of our family of schools and the benefits of staying within the local authority.”
Councillor Shanks also wants councillors to note concerns raised by trade unions about the amount of time given to the consultation.
A joint statement from Unison, the GMB and the NEU (National Education Union) said that the plans did “a huge disservice to the school, the pupils, the staff and the community”.
The joint statement said: “The fact that they have, by their admission, been planning this in secret for two years without telling anyone is scandalous.
“In those two years, they could and should have been in talks with the local authority to address any genuine concerns they might have.
“They could have spoken to us, the unions, who have a great track record of lobbying on behalf of our members in schools. They could have spoken with councillors.
“They could have spoken with their staff, unions and the local authority, which would have given them the opportunity to hear views other than that of the Eko Trust and provided governors with a more informed and balanced view.”
Labour councillor Jacob Taylor plans to put forward a separate motion objecting to the schools becoming academies.
His draft motion seeks a pause in the process and asks council officers to work with the school, communities and governors to encourage them to remain within the council’s family of schools.
Councillor Taylor, who co-chairs the council’s Children, Families and Schools Committee, said: “We oppose the academisation of Benfield and Hangleton schools.
“The proposal for Benfield and Hangleton schools to join the Eko Academy Trust is not in the best interests of staff, parents or children.
“Schools leaving the local authority’s system to become academies will not solve the issues of falling pupil numbers or budgetary pressures.”
The meeting of the full council is due to start at Hove Town Hall at 4.30pm on Thursday (19 October). The meeting is scheduled to be webcast on the council’s website.
Sounds like a corporation rather than a school.
No thanks.
The problem is small schools struggle to balance the books in this very difficult times. 90% of budget goes on staff costs and with rising salaries and pensions this really squeezes budgets. For some academisation is the answer, (especially when our quite useless LEA are absolutely no help). I’m sure the governors and senior school staff would not have taken this decision lightly.
Indeed. There is a question one could raise that why is it only now, on the cusp of schools walking away, that the council are only now getting involved. Where there signs that it was heading this way?
The 2 unions said as quoted in the article that this was done in total secrecy and it came as a shock to the staff working at the school.
Hard for the Council and even parents to get involved if they don’t know about the plans until the school revealed them.
Struggle to beleive this because a member of staff always sits on the Governing Body, as do parent Governors and they would of been well aware. Union’s are always anti academy’s.
Hove Park parents were persuaded by the, then, headteacher not to join a trust. He soon left the school to join a trust in a senior role. . We watched the school have to remove certain subjects and activities which effected my daughters choices. On the other hand my son went to a @trust school” and was offered more subjects in a variety of fields. The non trust schools are financially struggling and this has impacted, the overall, daily running of the establishment.