Peter Kent-Baguley

Community group gears up opposition to imposition of academies

A full scale debate on the debacle surrounding the re-structuring of secondary education in the City is due at Thursday's Full Council meeting. SERCO, the private profit-making company brought in by the Labour Elected Mayor (yes Labour!) to run the City's Children & Young People's department is universally seen to be aloof and arrogant in much the same way as the elected mayor is seen by the majority of the electorate. Now, we have the so-called Cabinet member/portflio holder for children and young people, Cllr Roger Ibbs, declaring on BBC Radio Stoke that it was the WHOLE Council which agreed the restructure. The response from a number of people who have known Cllr Ibb for a number of years have not been surprised since thye maintain his memory has always been somewhat selective. That's as it may be but he is certainly plaining wrong to say that Full Council ever agreed the school restructure: Full Council have been denied any opportunity to discuss it never mind agree it!

The stealth and secrecy, particularly around the imposition of 5 academies across the City, is further compounded by the local paper's refusal to carry a report of the one-day conference on academies held in the City on 13th September 2008. Silence is the biggest bias.

Well, never mind because grassroots organising is gaining momentum, with or without the local media reporting. Take a look at the excellent new site on academies prepared by community campaigners, HAVOC:

http://www.havocinstoke.org.uk/academiescomment.html

Any would-be sponsors of proposed academies in Stoke-on-Trent would do well to be a little cautious. They may well find that they will not be welcome once this hated undemocratic elected mayor system is thrown out in the 23rd October referendum.