Labour Spokesperson for Education Councillor Colin Foster said ‘There is no evidence that outcomes are better in academies than in other state-funded schools – these plans reduce the voice of parents in the education of their children without improving results.
‘Stockport has some very high quality schools, with 90% of primary and 74% of secondary pupils attending either ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ schools and it is interesting to note that only 9 out of 98 of all our local schools have chosen to become academies to date.
‘Becoming an academy does nothing to address a chronic shortage of teachers and a need to provide more good school places. These reforms are an irresponsible and undemocratic distraction at a time when schools face huge challenges from falling budgets.’
Stockport Labour Group supported a cross-party motion at the Council Meeting on 7th April which opposes the changes, calls for the Secretary of State for Education to think again about the proposals, and invites the views of Stockport’s MPs.
The Conservative Government published a White Paper ‘Educational Excellence Everywhere’ on 17th March which indicated widespread changes at a time of mounting pressure on schools to deliver the best education for local children.
Whilst the Government claim to be ring-fencing the schools budgets, the independent Institute for Fiscal Studies recently published analysis showing how spending will be cut 8% per pupil in real terms over the next 4 years. Nationally the plan to convert every school to an academy is projected to put a £1.1 billion black hole in the education budget.
Councillor Foster added ‘The reality of these plans is that Headteachers will be taking resources out of the classroom to be spent on a Government obsession with promoting academies. The focus needs to be on driving up standards, not on school structures.
‘Putting types of school up against each other in competition is not a pathway to school improvement, nor is undermining the invaluable role of Parent Governors and making schools less accountable to the communities they serve, and nor is leaving Councils with the responsibility for provision of places whilst ‘freeing schools from local authority control’.
‘A better education is what change to the schools system must be focused on, not on ideological proposals threatening the quality of teaching and outcomes of young people.’
A recent poll by the National Union of Teachers found that 93% of Headteachers and their Deputies think it is ‘inappropriate’ for the Government to enforce academisation on schools.
The Labour Party is assisting the ‘Hands off Our Schools’ campaign in calling on the Government to halt the compulsory academisation of schools, devolve powers for school improvement, provide sustainable extra funding to support a Greater Manchester School improvement challenge, and abandon plans to remove parent and community Governors.
A day of action is planned across Greater Manchester for Saturday 23rd April.