By 2022 all UK schools will be Academies

[arista]

Academies

This is in tomorrows Budget
reported today on Radio5
Now the next Election is may 2020
and I do not like this plan.
As thats 2 years after the next Election

We need a new rule only do a plan
with the 5 year term Date
from now on.


Joey is that better?

[Kizzy]

All schools will be sponsored by Mc Donalds, no GCSEs other than burger flipping.

[Will.]

What's an academy?

[joeysteele]

Need to hear more on this really but initially I don't like the idea at all.

[Marsh.]

This is absolutely awful.

[DemolitionRed]

What's an academy?

Its a private for profits school that will be presently subsidised by the government but just like every other thing that is privatized, they cut back on staff to ensure the profit margins are good.

[Kizzy]

Feel sorry for anyone doing a teaching degree, I hear they've delivered whiteboard markers to the monkey house at London zoo...

[Firewire]

Not all Academies are private, at least in Scotland anyway.

[Firewire]

But it's a stupid thing to waste money on

[arista]

Need to hear more on this really but initially I don't like the idea at all.



They must not go over their bloody
5 year term
Next Election is 2020 May


To say by 2022 is wrong.

http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/Budget-Bristol-school-academy-3-30pm-hometime/story-28928555-detail/story.html

http://news.sky.com/story/1660531/education-pledges-at-heart-of-osbornes-budget

[arista]

What's an academy?


No more Going home at 3:30PM
for you.

To be announced today in the budget

[Ammi]

What's an academy?

..they're like most other things really Will, there are some great academy schools out there and some not so great ones, much the same as state schools...I think that it's inevitable that it'll go this way/to mainly academy schools in the future, simply because 'raising the standards' in schools can only be done if there is the funding there for it to be a possibility...it doesn't have to be a negative though because as there are more and more academy schools, the standards are being raised in them all of the time...

[Kizzy]

Thing is under performing state schools, like hospitals are put on 'special measures' (mainly inner city schools)their funding is reduced (further exacerbating problems) and then they're threatened with closure.
They are regulated into submission, yet as seen recently with the ' Trojan horse' scandal, some schools turned academy are dangerously under regulated.

[Ammi]

..the funding in all schools is being reduced and quite substantially, it's obviously going to make it impossible for those under-achieving already especially if they haven't been able to carry anything forward in their striving to raise standards...at least academy run schools may make it possible to have bigger budgets and may mean the funding that is needed becoming possible../we'll see, some academies are really working well, it's about having the right team/people in place....

[Kizzy]

And for those which don't have the right teams in place, where is the accountability?

[Ammi]

..there will still be accountability, there is always accountability..anyways, as I say..I'm going to watch with interest because many are working for the children and raising those standards which were much needed to be raised in a way that state funding wasn't doing...we are a good school with some outstanding features and yet still struggling on an ever decreasing budget so academies may be the way of the future, I'm optimistic....

[Cherie]

I'm not sure about this, if teachers are unsettled and leaving the profession now how will this help?

[Will.]

No more Going home at 3:30PM
for you.

oh

To be announced today in the budget

Its a private for profits school that will be presently subsidised by the government but just like every other thing that is privatized, they cut back on staff to ensure the profit margins are good.

..they're like most other things really Will, there are some great academy schools out there and some not so great ones, much the same as state schools...I think that it's inevitable that it'll go this way/to mainly academy schools in the future, simply because 'raising the standards' in schools can only be done if there is the funding there for it to be a possibility...it doesn't have to be a negative though because as there are more and more academy schools, the standards are being raised in them all of the time...


Ah ok, thank you both :)

[Will.]

My secondary school is called a "college" and we have to do extra activities after school until 4:30PM, sounds like some of the changes are what my school does.

[Cherie]

What if the Tories are turfed out in 2020 and the new government changes policy :idc:

[Cherie]

My secondary school is called a "college" and we have to do extra activities after school until 4:30PM, sounds like some of the changes are what my school does.

What is the age range Will, usually Colleges are for 16 plus?

[DemolitionRed]

Thing is under performing state schools, like hospitals are put on 'special measures' (mainly inner city schools)their funding is reduced (further exacerbating problems) and then they're threatened with closure.
They are regulated into submission, yet as seen recently with the ' Trojan horse' scandal, some schools turned academy are dangerously under regulated.

Yes of course they are because this new academy nonsense is just another wolf in sheep’s clothing. Academias don't empower local communities and nor do they improve standards for all. It’s a corporate experiment that risks the vital years of our children’s education.

There is no requirement for staff or parents to be consulted and so once again, the public and the workers never got a say in yet ANOTHER privatization process. In my world that’ comes under undemocratic privilege by the seats in Whitehall, but the idea of academies was never about raising standards in education; its about separating the wheat from the chaff and putting money in the pockets of the free marketeers who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing."

[Will.]

What is the age range Will, usually Colleges are for 16 plus?

11-18, there's also primary and Nursery so 0-18 :laugh:

[Ammi]

What is the age range Will, usually Colleges are for 16 plus?

..our feeder school is a college, they used to be called upper schools in the three tier system where there were middle schools as well..there are still a few areas here who haven't yet gone over to the two tier system yet, but our colleges take children from 11yrs old, with 6th forms from 16yrs old...

[Cherie]

13-18, there's also primary and Nursery so 0-18 :laugh:

You and your fancy College Will, I don't know what that means for you then I guess it might become an academy :think:

[Will.]

You and your fancy College Will, I don't know what that means for you then I guess it might become an academy :think:

Maybe, Academy reminds me of like a game and you go and train to become a warrior or something in an academy. :laugh:

[Cherie]

..our feeder school is a college, they used to be called upper schools in the three tier system where there were middle schools as well..there are still a few areas here who haven't yet gone over to the two tier system yet, but our colleges take children from 11yrs old, with 6th forms from 16yrs old...

We haven't had a three tier system for years, primary 3 to 11, then a mixture of secondary schools including comprehensive, academy and grammar, sixth form colleges and a college which is for 16 plus and offers NVQs and BTechs as well as A levels, what will happen to grammar schools under this new policy :think:

The private school has a lower, middle and upper though

[Marsh.]

Maybe, Academy reminds me of like a game and you go and train to become a warrior or something in an academy. :laugh:

Beauxbatons Academy for Witches and Wizards?

[Cherie]

Maybe, Academy reminds me of like a game and you go and train to become a warrior or something in an academy. :laugh:

My sons school changed to an academy around year 9 it didn't make any difference as far as I could see, the parents did get to vote for the change

[Nicky91]

so Academies are for children with Rich parents only, or am i wrong?


Academies are where children wear school uniforms, right

[Kizzy]

For Labour, shadow education secretary Lucy Powell accused ministers of ignoring a warning by the Chief Inspector of Schools Sir Michael Wilshaw highlighting "serious weaknesses" in academy chains.
"How the Government can plough ahead with the wholesale academisation of all schools in light of his evidence beggars belief. We want to see robust accountability and oversight of all schools regardless of type," she said.

"It's about time the Government came forward with a comprehensive plan for school improvement for all children, in all schools up and down the country, and a serious strategy for raising standards for the next generation."

Writing in the Independent, shadow Chancellor John McDonnell said: "There is no economic justification for the Chancellor's cuts. He has made a political choice to impose them. That has meant putting his own ambitions on the Tory leadership ahead of what is good for the country."

Mr McDonnell accused the Chancellor of planning to target the most vulnerable to plug the holes in his economic plans.
"This constitutes a new low. Labour will insist that he steps back from the brink," he said.'

https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/george-osborne-unveiling-1-5bn-080351700.html

[_Tom_]

so Academies are for children with Rich parents only, or am i wrong?


Academies are where children wear school uniforms, right

No, I went to an academy. :laugh: They closed down three local secondary schools in my area when I was in Year 9 and built a large academy and merged all students and staff.

The day was 8.45am - 2.45pm, but older students could have an extra lesson ending at 4.15pm. Lessons were a lot longer, usually 1 hour and a half. I remember in its first year some lessons were 3 hours long. :umm2:

[Nicky91]

No, I went to an academy. :laugh: They closed down three local secondary schools in my area when I was in Year 9 and built a large academy and merged all students and staff.

The day was 8.45am - 2.45pm, but older students could have an extra lesson ending at 4.15pm. Lessons were a lot longer, usually 1 hour and a half. I remember in its first year some lessons were 3 hours long. :umm2:

okay :laugh: , now i know you are not from a wealthy family :joker: :laugh:


i really thought that, because some academy's are private, right


awkward moment for me :facepalm:

[user104658]

I have no idea why the government continue to Shylock education... it's THE most vital part of a healthy economy, surely.

Unless, of course, what they want is the majority of people going into unskilled labour or vocational trades with only those who can afford private education going into academia or careers that require a higher level of education. That couldn't possibly be what they would like to see though, right?

[Will.]

Beauxbatons Academy for Witches and Wizards?


:laugh:
My sons school changed to an academy around year 9 it didn't make any difference as far as I could see, the parents did get to vote for the change


Ah ok.

[Denver]

Should be grateful they have a school to go to :idc: the kids of Africa would love a academy

[Kizzy]

I have no idea why the government continue to Shylock education... it's THE most vital part of a healthy economy, surely.

Unless, of course, what they want is the majority of people going into unskilled labour or vocational trades with only those who can afford private education going into academia or careers that require a higher level of education. That couldn't possibly be what they would like to see though, right?

Called it... :(

[Ammi]

We haven't had a three tier system for years, primary 3 to 11, then a mixture of secondary schools including comprehensive, academy and grammar, sixth form colleges and a college which is for 16 plus and offers NVQs and BTechs as well as A levels, what will happen to grammar schools under this new policy :think:

The private school has a lower, middle and upper though

..yeah, we've been one of the later counties to adopt the two tier system and when we did, there was a lot of concerns/opposition from parents who felt that the 'soft and gentler easing' through a middle school was the way but I don't think that I've spoken to any parent since who has that same view and still thinks that it wasn't a good idea...there will undoubtedly be exceptions, I'm sure but on the whole, it's been a great thing...the interesting thing about academy schools as well is that we've created a 'network' to go around and look at some academy schools with some of our local state run schools because we were sceptical as well and so far..(we've visited 5 I think and met to discuss them because I think the only way is to actually see something up and running/see how it works for ourselves..)..it's all been really favourable stuff, things that we would like to implement ourselves in school but we're not able to because of funding...both staff and pupils seem really happy with their academy school and for good reasons...we also have one locally which hasn't been 'tested' yet as it's still being built but already, there are many pupils in the local community college who are hoping to and eager to transfer there when it opens because of what it's offering compared to what they have available to them atm....

[arista]

4:30PM for Will to go home from School

Extra Hour to be added
to Match South Korea and China

http://media.skynews.com/media/images/generated/2016/3/15/452923/default/v1/new-day-1-992x558.jpg

[rubymoo]

My girls go to a secondary school academy, last year the deputy head told the students they were bankrupt, so they were trying to think of ways to make extra money, however they have just kitted out the computer suites with brand new computers with windows 10, this winter my girls have had to sit in classes with their coats on because the heating has been turned off, something tells me that maybe they aren't running this school as well as it should be, and why aren't academy's changing school holidays and sticking to state school holidays, the difference of a holiday a week before and after the summer hols are considerably lower, i'll be glad when my 2 leave the school system behind!

[Ammi]

My girls go to a secondary school academy, last year the deputy head told the students they were bankrupt, so they were trying to think of ways to make extra money, however they have just kitted out the computer suites with brand new computers with windows 10, this winter my girls have had to sit in classes with their coats on because the heating has been turned off, something tells me that maybe they aren't running this school as well as it should be, and why aren't academy's changing school holidays and sticking to state school holidays, the difference of a holiday a week before and after the summer hols are considerably lower, i'll be glad when my 2 leave the school system behind!

..I just read that as 'knitted out' their computer suites, Ruby..I was thinking how inventive and clever that was..:laugh:..(it's because I was having a knitting (ish) conversation with someone at the time..)...mind you, we've sat with our coats on at school/no heating many, many times and we're not an academy school....

[Nicky91]

..I just read that as 'knitted out' their computer suites, Ruby..I was thinking how inventive and clever that was..:laugh:..(it's because I was having a knitting (ish) conversation with someone at the time..)...mind you, we've sat with our coats on at school/no heating many, many times and we're not an academy school....

well i feel so stupid, Ammi for thinking a academy school is only for rich children


really awkward for me thinking that :facepalm:

[bots]

well i feel so stupid, Ammi for thinking a academy school is only for rich children


really awkward for me thinking that :facepalm:

Academys used to be private schools, so its no surprise its confusing

[Nicky91]

Academys used to be private schools, so its no surprise its confusing

thank you, i feel slightly less awkward now :laugh:

[Ammi]

well i feel so stupid, Ammi for thinking a academy school is only for rich children


really awkward for me thinking that :facepalm:

...awww, don't feel awkward Nicky, I wouldn't know how the education system in The Netherlands fully works or in many other countries either...academies aren't new as such but they're on the rise atm so we're all pretty much in the learning stage with them....

[Nicky91]

...awww, don't feel awkward Nicky, I wouldn't know how the education system in The Netherlands fully works or in many other countries either...academies aren't new as such but they're on the rise atm so we're all pretty much in the learning stage with them....

well here we got normal education i think, here in the Netherlands they make it overcomplicated :laugh:


and thank you, Ammi, you are such a good friend on this forum :)

[rubymoo]

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/bc/2e/a9/bc2ea9b770261e3efbf7a9b0bc531e7e.jpg

This is related to Ammi's post above :laugh:

[Cherie]

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/bc/2e/a9/bc2ea9b770261e3efbf7a9b0bc531e7e.jpg

:joker:

[Nicky91]

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/bc/2e/a9/bc2ea9b770261e3efbf7a9b0bc531e7e.jpg

:joker: :joker:

[user104658]

If you want to further confuse matters - the school I went to was called "[Town Name] Academy"... but it was NOT an "Academy" as described here - it was just a normal state High School. Dunno if the naming standard differs between Scotland and England but it's certainly got me confuddled :joker:. In fact, all of the state high schools I can think of "up here" are called "[blah] Academy"...

[Ammi]

...Ruby..:laugh:..

[Kizzy]

No whistleblowers thank you...

Parent governors are to be scrapped from school governing bodies in favour of professionals with the “right skills”, the government has announced.

Until now there have been places reserved for elected parents on school governing bodies, but under plans outlined in the education white paper published on Thursday those roles will now disappear.

The new emphasis will be on the skills an individual brings to a school governing body, rather than stakeholder representation. The government says it wants to change the way parents have a voice in the school system.

http://www.theguardian.com/education/2016/mar/17/parent-governor-role-scrapped-schools-teacher-qualifications

[Kizzy]

Hehehe... The petitions have begun, and the weight of public opinion is unavoidable.

Hold a public inquiry and referendum over turning all schools into academies.
Including both petitions, that’s a rate of over 2,000 signatures an hour, counting the time most British people are sleeping. Both petitions reaching 100,000 signatures means there will be double the mandate for this policy to be debated in parliament. It is government policy that all petitions reaching 100,000 signatures must be ‘considered’ for debate.

And the pressure is mounting.

These petitions are accelerating exponentially following an uproar on Twitter, strong condemnation from the Labour party, and the UK’s teachers and pupils themselves. This unrest is spreading like wildfire, and coalescing within the Anti Academies Alliance – a campaign group made up of parents, pupils, teachers, MPs, councillors, and trade unions.

As The Canary reported, this forced move away from local government and local accountability amounts to widespread privatisation of schools nationwide:

http://www.thecanary.co/2016/03/21/breaking-governments-forced-privatisation-schools-just-hit-serious-turbulence/

[Daniel-X]

Two schools in my town are both academy's and out of about 20-25 schools in the local area, those two have the worst reputation by quite some way. I think both were forced into academy status though after the government called funding off due to depleting percentages in pass rates, so I think they already had a bad reputation before hand.

[Kizzy]

Teachers will descend on Westminster to march in protest against the Government's plans to force all state schools to become academies.

Members of the National Union of Teachers and the Association of Teachers and Lecturers said they would stage the demonstration outside the Department of Education on Wednesday.

Mary Bousted, general secretary for the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, said: “Against all logic, and evidence, the Government is promoting its ideology to fragment the education system.

“There is no evidence academies improve children’s education. All the evidence shows the quality of multi-academy trusts (MATs) is highly variable.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/teachers-to-march-on-westminster-to-protest-against-forced-academies-a6944431.html

[Tom4784]

Grim, with a bit of luck we'll have a different government by then that'll abolish that crap. Academies are a terrible idea.

[Ammi]

Two schools in my town are both academy's and out of about 20-25 schools in the local area, those two have the worst reputation by quite some way. I think both were forced into academy status though after the government called funding off due to depleting percentages in pass rates, so I think they already had a bad reputation before hand.

..they would get some government funding, even if they were Academy Schools, Daniel but it sounds as though they maybe should have considered being in a multi academy, rather than stand alone ones..if they're stand alone academies, then yeah I do think that they're going to struggle a lot, regardless..as you say, they sound as though they were under-performing before and I think that multi academy trusts can be specially good in that situation..the whole purpose in them really, to be able to pool and draw from resources/staff etc of those higher performing schools and raise the standards of the under-performing so that all children in the trust from varying individual school performances are given the same, equal opportunities...

[Ammi]

Grim, with a bit of luck we'll have a different government by then that'll abolish that crap. Academies are a terrible idea.

..if done well Dezzy and with full support and dedication/commitment from higher performing schools, multi academies can really help under-performing schools, which is really what it's all about, the children and raising standards for them...giving them opportunities that they would never get as a stand alone school...

[Kizzy]

How about they don't tie funding to educational attainment of students which keeps inner city schools in areas of high socioeconomic deprivation underfunded, should the answer to this be to share teachers? :/

[DemolitionRed]

Two points about the staffing of academies:
1 They do not have to use the School teachers’ pay and conditions when appointing staff.
2 They have more flexibility to appoint unqualified teachers.

Teachers will be expected to undertake activities, like accounting, admin, basic HR, contract management and myriad other things – for which they have received very little training, had not chosen to do and had no special skill to undertake.

No one thinks stand alone academies can work. The economics of them just do not make sense. So all this is really about is creating the opportunity for academy chains to be created from which in due course profit can be extracted. But as there is no profit extraction now that must eventually be at cost to our children. - See more at: http://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2016/03/21/the-academy-programme-makes-no-economic-sense-unless-privatisation-is-planned/#sthash.E1qtptjY.dpuf

[Kizzy]

Two points about the staffing of academies:
1 They do not have to use the School teachers’ pay and conditions when appointing staff.
2 They have more flexibility to appoint unqualified teachers.

Teachers will be expected to undertake activities, like accounting, admin, basic HR, contract management and myriad other things – for which they have received very little training, had not chosen to do and had no special skill to undertake.

No one thinks stand alone academies can work. The economics of them just do not make sense. So all this is really about is creating the opportunity for academy chains to be created from which in due course profit can be extracted. But as there is no profit extraction now that must eventually be at cost to our children. - See more at: http://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2016/03/21/the-academy-programme-makes-no-economic-sense-unless-privatisation-is-planned/#sthash.E1qtptjY.dpuf

Thanks for that DR will have a good look at that tomorrow :)

[Jay28jay2]

I go to an Academy currently, and it changed from a Community School to an Academy the same year we joined in 2012. What does it even mean and what is the difference? I have never known.. Is it a bad thing or what :umm2:

[Ammi]

I go to an Academy currently, and it changed from a Community School to an Academy the same year we joined in 2012. What does it even mean and what is the difference? I have never known.. Is it a bad thing or what :umm2:

...(just a quick reply Jay because I don't have a lot of time../work day etc..)...it would be impossible to say any differences to your own school because I have no idea what the hopes of achievement were in changing to Academy status ...but a general thing..?...schools will still have government funding as they do now/those who aren't academy schools atm...but they'll have more control over how their funding is spent...there are certain things for instance, that schools have no choice in/that are provided centrally by their local education authority..even though they may not 'offer best value/or a good service', they still have to use them in knowing that they're not providing the best...and the crazy thing as well, is even if they choose not to use them because they don't believe in them, they still have to pay that annual subscription to not use them out of their very limited budget.../crazy, crazy....they're also often longer contracts as well to keep schools tied into them as opposed to having more flexibility over things like that...'well we'll try this for a year etc and see what we feel about it, if you've offered us what you promised and if not we'll see what else is available to more suit our school's needs'.../that type of thing...because quite often as well, local authority 'no choice' contracts are changed at will and schools just have to accept those changes/they're given no choice but aren't being given what was first promised as it were....

...as I say, in terms of your school specifically, I have no knowledge but personally I'm more in favour of multi academy schools than stand alone academy schools because for instance..?...our school is a high performing school and always has been...so if we became a stand alone academy, I doubt anything much would change in terms of it's performance, we would probably still perform well and still be a school which has waiting lists...but if we became part of a multi academy, we would have so much to offer some of the under-performing schools in our area in terms of resources/teaching staff...they also would have things to offer us because just because they're overall under-performing as a school, doesn't mean that they may not have great resources in specific areas that we don't have...maybe in Science equipment/IT or etc..?...so it's basically helping each other in trying to raise standards and making schools more equal...teachers who specialise/excel in specific subject areas, will more be able to concentrate on those areas so giving the children more in their lesson....anyways, this is just a very quick answer because of time, but I hope that it's explained it a little bit/in a bite size way, type way...

[Kizzy]

I go to an Academy currently, and it changed from a Community School to an Academy the same year we joined in 2012. What does it even mean and what is the difference? I have never known.. Is it a bad thing or what :umm2:

https://www.gov.uk/types-of-school/academies

[Kizzy]

Nicky Morgans eyes...

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/teachers-punk-band-writes-anti-academies-protest-song-about-nicky-morgan-a6947671.html

[user104658]

Nicky Morgans eyes...

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/teachers-punk-band-writes-anti-academies-protest-song-about-nicky-morgan-a6947671.html

It's catchy! "Jizzing in Nicky Morgan's eeeeye, nehnehneehnehneneneh neh neeehhhh". Is that it? :shrug:

[Kizzy]

It's catchy! "Jizzing in Nicky Morgan's eeeeye, nehnehneehnehneneneh neh neeehhhh". Is that it? :shrug:

That's what she said..... #inbeforeLT

[user104658]

in before LT

That's what he said.

[Kizzy]

On Thursday afternoon, just as most people were getting ready for the long Easter weekend, the government quietly published the findings of an inquiry into a chain of Academy schools in Birmingham.


The story was an embarrassment because the Tories are planning to turn all primary and secondary schools into Academies, claiming this will raise standards.

But if the Birmingham investigation is any indication, it also illustrates what happens when schools face less scrutiny, as Academies do.

The investigation found that a Birmingham academy trust, which runs five secondary schools in the area, paid nearly £1.3 million to a business which then paid a “second salary” to one of its headteachers.

It revealed that the Trust made payments of £1.297 million over two years to a business called Nexus Schools Ltd, which itself sub-contracted another company called Liam Nolan Ltd, whose sole director is Liam Nolan.

Liam Nolan is also one of three executive headteachers at Perry Beeches The Academy Trust, and its Accounting Officer and Chief Executive.

http://politicalscrapbook.net/2016/03/why-the-government-quietly-buried-news-of-a-big-academy-schools-scandal-yesterday/