New Academies

[Canopus]

I would not be happy with any system where the parent is cut out of the equation. Yes more should be done for those parents that can not readily fight for themselves, but at the end of the day my DS and I have to live with the consequences of any decisions made (including how it effects mental health); we can not just go home or change jobs or retire. WE have to live with the consequences FOR LIFE.

 

This is why an increasing number of parents are showing interest in setting up their own schools so THEY have 100% say in the running of them.

[call me jaded]

I'll just add that to my To Do list, Canopus, lol.

[chris54]

This is why an increasing number of parents are showing interest in setting up their own schools so THEY have 100% say in the running of them.

 

And so a new school is set up by parents, then the children of the parent who set up the school move on and then the parent no longer have an interest in running the school, so they drop out and other parent take over. Who is to say that at this point the school is being run along the lines that it was set up for or is meeting the needs of the local community, anymore than any other school.

 

And so a new lot of parent come along and dont like the way that the other parent are running the school and want to set up their own school and so on. And who decides when a school is to close because not enough parent want their child to go there. And where does all the money to do all these things come from.

 

And of course any children, who dont fit in with what the parent who set up these school consider conducent to the education of their children, wont get into the new schools anyway, so no need to worry there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[KezT]

And so a new school is set up by parents, then the children of the parent who set up the school move on and then the parent no longer have an interest in running the school, so they drop out and other parent take over. Who is to say that at this point the school is being run along the lines that it was set up for or is meeting the needs of the local community, anymore than any other school.

 

And so a new lot of parent come along and dont like the way that the other parent are running the school and want to set up their own school and so on. And who decides when a school is to close because not enough parent want their child to go there. And where does all the money to do all these things come from.

 

And of course any children, who dont fit in with what the parent who set up these school consider conducent to the education of their children, wont get into the new schools anyway, so no need to worry there.

 

not to mention the fact that there is no money to build these parent led schools, or time to design them - they are expected to go into empty properties such as warehouses and offices. because there are lots of thiose with sports facilites, science labs, secure IT suites and soundproofed music rooms. but that doesn't really matter, because acadamies do not have to follow the national curriculum (in what way is it national if 1000's of schools don't do it?) so they can drop all those expensive subjects and cncentrate on the cheap ones - or even better the ones that make a profit for the sponsor. Perhaps my local lap dancing club would like to sponsor a school? they were recently reprimanded for hiring a 15 year old, but this way they could have an unlimited supply of schoolgirls - in uniform tooo!!!!

[Canopus]

And so a new school is set up by parents, then the children of the parent who set up the school move on and then the parent no longer have an interest in running the school, so they drop out and other parent take over. Who is to say that at this point the school is being run along the lines that it was set up for or is meeting the needs of the local community, anymore than any other school.

 

And so a new lot of parent come along and dont like the way that the other parent are running the school and want to set up their own school and so on. And who decides when a school is to close because not enough parent want their child to go there. And where does all the money to do all these things come from.

 

That is a good point but remember that existing head teachers, governors, and teachers with knowledge of SEN leave mainstream schools and their replacements are often very different people with different ideals. This is one reason why so many schools change beyond recognition (for the better or the worse) in a space of 10 years.

 

And of course any children, who dont fit in with what the parent who set up these school consider conducent to the education of their children, wont get into the new schools anyway, so no need to worry there.

 

There are plenty of kids who don't fit into the mainstream school system and are let down by the National Curriculum.

[Canopus]

because acadamies do not have to follow the national curriculum

 

The National Curriculum was created by the last Tory government. Prior to 1988 schools could practically set their own curriculum. Many SEN schools (including one I attended) did not follow the National Curriculum after 1988.

 

so they can drop all those expensive subjects and cncentrate on the cheap ones

 

There have been concerns that many academies will gravitate towards the cheap subjects or spend money on niceties such as wood panelled offices and marble statues instead of educational resources.

 

[Sally44]

Exactly. SEN is expensive in its current form. The outcomes don't seem to justify the cost - TAs seem to hinder progress for example.

 

I think a whole new fresh look is needed. If you look at the long term then outcomes usually do justify the cost. But funding them should not just come out of an education budget. The life time cost to the tax payer of an adult that is dependent due to lack of academic, social and life skills is greater than paying an independent schools fees for the duration of their 'school years'.

[Canopus]

I think a whole new fresh look is needed. If you look at the long term then outcomes usually do justify the cost. But funding them should not just come out of an education budget. The life time cost to the tax payer of an adult that is dependent due to lack of academic, social and life skills is greater than paying an independent schools fees for the duration of their 'school years'.

 

True, but Britain is short termist. It's another part of our 'tea with milk' culture.

 

I'm of the opinion that there just isn't popular support for improving SEN services. There is however popular support from parents for keeping their kids away from the riff-raff or anybody who's behaviour may tarnish the reputation of the school they attend.

[chris54]

The life time cost to the tax payer of an adult that is dependent due to lack of academic, social and life skills is greater than paying an independent schools fees for the duration of their 'school years'.

I work at a home for adults with learning disabilities, the fees are £2000 - £2500 a week. For most, payed one way or another by the tax man. At the current fee level which are dictated by the local council the company is only just viable.

 

[Sally44]

I had an idea that the fees would be something similar.

I also have an older sister with learning difficulties.

I think it is so important for each individual to be able to be as independent as they can be for their own self esteem and mental health. Work (whether paid or voluntary) is an important part of 'being'.

It took us years before we finally found a job my sister could hold down - we had various mishaps along the way!! - and she eventually moved into her own council flat when she was in her 40's.

I have similar aspirations for my son - who I see as much more 'cognitively able' in some ways and yet 'much more vulnerable' in others. But independence does require certain skills for any degree of success.

Not everyone will achieve it, but many can. And the cost to achieve that is much less than any independent school fees that teaches those on the spectrum to read/write, basic numeracy, social skills and life skills.

[Kathryn]

Three very interesting newspaper articles here on the current situation:

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/j...ademy-decisions

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/j...ers-authorities

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/j...poorer-children

 

K x

[puffin]

I know a little about the way the system works in Sweden - in many ways the parent role - it is like the school having parents in the majority on the board of governors but parents do not have any say in day to day running - they employ a head techer to do this

 

And so a new school is set up by parents, then the children of the parent who set up the school move on and then the parent no longer have an interest in running the school, so they drop out and other parent take over. Who is to say that at this point the school is being run along the lines that it was set up for or is meeting the needs of the local community, anymore than any other school.

 

Usually the constitution of a parent cooperative school school requires the the parents on the governing board to have respresentation in all school years to prevent all the governors being drawn from one school year.

 

The board usually has to stand for reelection

 

The role of parents not on the board is usually not much more than having to help out on certain days - such as school gardening day or cleaning day once or twive each year.

 

And so a new lot of parent come along and dont like the way that the other parent are running the school and want to set up their own school and so on. .

This can happen just as you get head teachers with unpopular new ideas in LA schools - obviously they would need a majority on the board to make changes to the way that affect the running of the school - it's rare but it does happen

 

And who decides when a school is to close because not enough parent want their child to go there. And where does all the money to do all these things come from

 

All school applications are assessed by the Ministry of Education agency - they look at the school's business plan and competence etc - not all schools are approved to open

 

The board has to decide if the school is financially viable - so it's the parent governors

 

The money comes from the LA - the LA education budget is divided by the number of children - so each child has a pot of money and the parents can decide which school they want their child to attend - then the school that you choose gets that money - if you move your child to another school then the new school gets the money and the old school loses that budget - so if half the school leaves then it is a problem

 

You can use your voucher at any school that does not charge fees

 

And of course any children, who dont fit in with what the parent who set up these school consider conducent to the education of their children, wont get into the new schools anyway, so no need to worry there.

 

There is no reason that a group of ASD parents could not set up an ASD school - this is happening more in Sweden with various types of free school (parental cooperatives are only one type) - there are an increasing number of 6th form colleges that are ASD and Asperger specific starting up - I went to a presentation of an Aspergers-klass a few months ago - there are 16-19 year olds have their own home class with 5-8 puils which is staffed by 2 full time teachers and then they can decide whether they want any level of integration with the other college classes - some attend many classes with the NY groups whereas others prefer to stay in their homeroom. They also have a school day which is 1 hour longer so that no homework need to be brought home

 

Some schools do specialise in children with certain problems and disabilities - there is a Christian school run by a church near me that specilises in children with behvioural problems

 

There are pros and cons - however the risk is that with the UKs debt problems that it may be seen as a way to cut costs

[Sally44]

Three very interesting newspaper articles here on the current situation:

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/j...ademy-decisions

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/j...ers-authorities

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/j...poorer-children

 

K x

 

 

Interesting articles. Seems the Minister for Education's mailbox is full at the moment.

 

Regarding 'services' whether they are supplied by the LEA or bought in from elsewhere. How is the level of those servics to be determined. I thought most LEAs set the schools' EP/SALT budget by some equation that figured in the amount of children having free school meals.

[KezT]

The anti academies alliance (http://antiacademies.org.uk) suggest we should all write to our MP to say we are concerned about the lack of consultation/debate etc.

 

I know how difficult composing letters is, so a short suggested text below:

 

Dear xxxxxx

 

I am concerned with current plans not to consult pupils, parents and teachers at schools which are considering becoming Academies. This is a bad idea, because the people most affected by the decision will have no way of expressing their opinion about what's planned, or even knowledge that their school may be planning on becoming an academy.

 

It is imperative that parents can make informed decisions about their childs schooling in order to keep them actively involved in their children's education.

 

Please sign EDM 135 in support of an Academies Act which consults local people, and vote in support of consultation when the bill comes before the House of Commons.

 

Yours,

 

try to personalise it a bit, with local knowledge:)

 

you can also emaail them with a similar text from here: http://www.38degrees.org.uk/academies

Edited June 11, 2010 by KezT

[Canopus]

The Green Party has called for a U-turn on academies scheme

 

http://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/27-05-20...-academies.html

[Kathryn]

Excellent article about concerns over SEN provision in academies.

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/j...ldren-academies

 

Good to see David Wolfe and the wonderful Jane McCOnnell from IPSEA fighting as hard as ever for the rights of children with SEN - go guys!

 

K x

[Sally44]

I was about to post the link, but you've beaten me to it.

Nice to see that there are alot of people on the case with this one.

Still no reply to my letter to Ms Tether.

[KezT]

The Green Party has called for a U-turn on academies scheme

 

http://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/27-05-20...-academies.html

 

 

oooh I'm in there not sure I was actually quite that artivculate tbh

[Athena]

I was about to post the link, but you've beaten me to it.

Nice to see that there are alot of people on the case with this one.

Still no reply to my letter to Ms Tether.

 

Funny that. I haven't had a reply to my letters to Michael Gove and David Cameron! Wrote to my MP as well and the reply just says that she has asked Michael Gove to reply to the points in my letter!

[KezT]

No reply from my MP. What a surprrise!

 

And he's a Tory.

[Sally44]

As I am currently awaiting a new draft Statement, and may be going to tribunal, it would be nice to know what I am actually fighting for. The options available could be completely different by the time we get to tribunal. And I wonder about those children already in independent schools. Could the new government allow LEAs to seek a total re-assessment of their placement in order to save money?

[KezT]

It will be interesting to see how many schools really do end up applying - at least for the fast track to become Academies by this Sept:

 

The Grammer School Association urges "extreme caution"

 

so does the Governers association

 

Interestingly, there is a freedom of information request for which schools have applied, which should be available on friday

[KezT]

you can check if your school has "registered an interest" in becoming an academy by clicking on this link

 

remember "outstanding schools can fast track their application to e ready by this |Sept, so if your school is in that list you might want to start asking some serious questions of your governers!

 

neither my sons current school nor the school we want next year are on eeither list - yet

[Grace]

Thank you very much for providing this - I know there are no guarantees, but it's such a relief to see that my DS's new school is not on there!x

[daniels-mum]

Thank you very much for posting

 

My DS school not on, hurray!!!!!!

[Kathryn]

My son's school, (daughter's former school) IS on the list .

 

I know this is only an indication of initial interest but I wonder what my next step should be?

 

K x

[Yossarian]

Not sure about the next step, but it will be down to the govenors to make a decision. Can you get their views / lobby them? Perhaps as parents you could start a petition if enough of you feel strongly.

 

Fiona Millar http://www.thetruthaboutourschools.com/ is saying the Academies bill has had so many amendments added in the House of Lords that it cannot become law in time for Academies to open in September unless Michael Gove enacts emergency measures similar to the wash up at the end of a Parliament to get the bill through. You may well have more time than you think.

Edited June 25, 2010 by Yossarian

[Kathryn]

I think the parents should be aware of the school's interest. I don't know how one does petitions - it's a secondary school so none of us congregate at at the school gate and I work out of the area so don't see any of the parents very much. Letter to local paper maybe? Can't think how else to let them know. Two other schools in my town have also registered an interest.

 

K x

[babnye1]

I'm not sure of the significance of 'registering an interest'. My son's school sent a letter out in the week saying that they had decided against a conversion to an Academy at the moment but they did not mention that they had registered an interest. They say no application is planned so what does it mean?

[BusyLizzie100]

I think the parents should be aware of the school's interest. I don't know how one does petitions - it's a secondary school so none of us congregate at at the school gate and I work out of the area so don't see any of the parents very much. Letter to local paper maybe? Can't think how else to let them know. Two other schools in my town have also registered an interest.

 

K x

 

There seem to be quite a lot around the surrounding area, too, including my son's school! Eek! He has a Statement and they're not doing terribly well fulfilling it now; what happens if/when they become an academy?!

 

And why aren't we as parents of current pupils being told that the school's expressing an interest in becoming an academy? Doesn't seem right.

 

Lizzie x

[call me jaded]

I think the parents should be aware of the school's interest. I don't know how one does petitions - it's a secondary school so none of us congregate at at the school gate and I work out of the area so don't see any of the parents very much. Letter to local paper maybe? Can't think how else to let them know. Two other schools in my town have also registered an interest.

 

K x

 

Local paper with an email address where people can contact you. 'Google websites' are a no cost way of sharing info. I'm sure you could start an online petition. Our parents group started over a similar campaign ten years ago.

[Sally44]

My daughter's school is on there. And I was going to talk with them about any possibility that they might be able to meet my son's needs - the school is just across the road from our house.

[BusyLizzie100]

In my area, it's looking currently like the majority of secondary schools are expressing an interest, which raises an interesting point:

 

What happens if ALL the schools in one area become academies and there are no 'state' schools left? It may of course not be a problem at all, but the issue currently is we just don't know, especially re SEN and Statements.

 

Last year before my son had a Statement we approached all the secondary schools in our area and the majority response was negative, largely the result of delegated funding by our LA - 'Can't offer any support without a Statement, and we're even struggling to fulfill the Statements we have. Have you tried X school, or Y school (read: Go away)?' These schools are all now wanting to become academies.

 

Lizzie x

Edited June 26, 2010 by BusyLizzie100

[Yossarian]

Kathryn - do you have an active PTA? They could be a group to engage. Is there a school newsletter that you could put an advert in, see if you get any concerned parents? Why don't you ask the govenors/head what their position is? A friend of mine is a govenor at a local primary. They had a meeting recently where Academy status was discussed (and rejected for now). Would minutes of govenors meetings be publicly available? Are there any parent govenors that you know who you could ask informally?

[Yossarian]

Kathryn - have at look at this site, it has more info on what to do:

 

http://www.antiacademies.org.uk/

[Kathryn]

Thanks all. In the school's latest newsletter it says they have just registered their interest in order to receive updates and they have no plans to become an academy in the short term. It goes on to say they would consult parents, staff and governors before making a decision. That reassures me somewhat - for the moment at least! It's likely that many other schools have only registered their interest out of curiosity and a desire to be kept up to date with developments.

 

K x

[pim]

Hi Kathryn,

 

I haven't posted for a while. I was wondering the same what's going to happen if the schools around here become academies. I've heard that the secondary beginning with S has written to parents asking for their opinions and is likely to. So would it prompt the others to. Especially the one where your DS goes to, because that is where my kids will go. I don't know how it will affect my DS. Will they take him and provide the hours written into his statement? How will it work with a statemented child if the hours for the statement come out of the LEA budget, can that child go to an Academy when their budget goes directly to them? the My local infant and Juniors have both written to parents in their newsletters that they are going to take a wait and see approach ATM.

 

Pim

[BusyLizzie100]

Hi Kathryn,

 

I haven't posted for a while. I was wondering the same what's going to happen if the schools around here become academies. I've heard that the secondary beginning with S has written to parents asking for their opinions and is likely to. So would it prompt the others to. Especially the one where your DS goes to, because that is where my kids will go. I don't know how it will affect my DS. Will they take him and provide the hours written into his statement? How will it work with a statemented child if the hours for the statement come out of the LEA budget, can that child go to an Academy when their budget goes directly to them? the My local infant and Juniors have both written to parents in their newsletters that they are going to take a wait and see approach ATM.

 

Pim

 

 

Hi Pim,

 

Am going to PM you, cos it's obvious we're from the same area, but just wanted to point out that new statements, including ones rewritten for secondary school, no longer specify hours in Part 3 under our delightful LA, according to their stance on delegated funding. Any provision that is specified has to come out of the school's SEN budget and not from the LA any more.

 

Lizzie xx

[Yossarian]

Lizzie - the (as was) DCSF published a document in March, "Improving the quality of statements of special educational needs" which took into account the Lamb Report.

It is available here: http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/node/335017

 

Quote below:

 

The CoP, reflecting a series of High Court decisions with regard to specificity, advises: ‘provision should normally be quantified (e.g. in terms of hours of provision, staffing arrangements) although there will be cases where some flexibility should be retained in order to meet the changing special educational needs of the child concerned’ (para 8:37).

Parents reported to the Lamb Inquiry that the specification of undifferentiated hours of support assistant time was unhelpful in that it did not show how that support would meet their child’s needs. By contrast, ‘parents who felt the statement included specific detail about the level and type of support their child should receive reported feeling reassured that there was now a shared understanding about their child’s special educational needs, the type of support they required and, in practical terms, what this support would be like at school for example’ (Lamb, August 20094). It is therefore good practice to divide the hours of teaching, specialist teaching or support assistant time into activities designed to meet the desired objectives of the statement and to describe any skills that may be required for all staff working with the child in school.

In doing this, terms such as ‘regular’ and ‘frequently’ should not be used because they are insufficiently precise. Similarly, phrases such as ‘opportunities to’ or ‘might benefit from’ are not sufficiently specific and should also be avoided.

 

This is the most up to date info I can find. Not sure of it's status now we have a new government of course, but until we hear otherwise, I suggest it would be considered very carefully by for eg tribunals

[BusyLizzie100]

Lizzie - the (as was) DCSF published a document in March, "Improving the quality of statements of special educational needs" which took into account the Lamb Report.

It is available here: http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/node/335017

 

Quote below:

 

The CoP, reflecting a series of High Court decisions with regard to specificity, advises: ‘provision should normally be quantified (e.g. in terms of hours of provision, staffing arrangements) although there will be cases where some flexibility should be retained in order to meet the changing special educational needs of the child concerned’ (para 8:37).

Parents reported to the Lamb Inquiry that the specification of undifferentiated hours of support assistant time was unhelpful in that it did not show how that support would meet their child’s needs. By contrast, ‘parents who felt the statement included specific detail about the level and type of support their child should receive reported feeling reassured that there was now a shared understanding about their child’s special educational needs, the type of support they required and, in practical terms, what this support would be like at school for example’ (Lamb, August 20094). It is therefore good practice to divide the hours of teaching, specialist teaching or support assistant time into activities designed to meet the desired objectives of the statement and to describe any skills that may be required for all staff working with the child in school.

In doing this, terms such as ‘regular’ and ‘frequently’ should not be used because they are insufficiently precise. Similarly, phrases such as ‘opportunities to’ or ‘might benefit from’ are not sufficiently specific and should also be avoided.

 

This is the most up to date info I can find. Not sure of it's status now we have a new government of course, but until we hear otherwise, I suggest it would be considered very carefully by for eg tribunals

 

Unfortunately our LA seems to think it is a law unto itself. I have taken them to tribunal twice and each time they have backed down eventually.

 

So even with LAs in control of schools things aren't perfect, but at least there are clear routes to take if things aren't working etc. The whole academy issue is full of uncertainty; our main issue is who will ensure compliance with regard to statements and where will accountability fall?

 

For example, I have a meeting at DS1's school on Friday, to discuss his Statement which is proving problematic to fulfill, apparently. The SEN officer and her manager will be present, as well as the autism advisory teacher and her manager and the LA's specialist autism Ed Psych. If the school were an academy, it could be that these professionals might not be invited - it would be entirely up to the school what resources they sought and bought in.

 

Interestingly, I spoke to the SEN officer at length last week and she revealed that the LA is not happy with everyone becoming academies either - which is quite likely in our area.

 

Lizzie x