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Pow wow
over school row
A PANEL of education experts and politicians will
present an wish-list tonight (Thursday) at Camden Town Hall’s
council chamber.
Holborn and St Pancras MP Frank Dobson will be joined by Acland
Burghley head teacher Michael Shew, executive member for Education
Lucy Anderson, Gospel Oak governor and former Downing Street
aide Fiona Millar and Primrose Hill school governor Abdul Farah
to discuss their hopes and fears over the government’s
education bill.
Mr Dobson and Ms Millar have been vocal opponents of the government
plans – and now they have been joined by Mr Shew, an influential
head teacher in Camden, and the Town Hall’s own education
chief Cllr Lucy Anderson to put forward alternatives and attempt
to influence the government in making further changes to the
plans.
Cllr Anderson will reveal a plan of action so schools and the
local education authority can have a clear response to the government’s
plans.
She said the council’s cabinet of executive councillors
would be meeting in March to discuss how the proposals to allow
schools to become trusts, manage their own buildings and admissions
policies, would affect pupils in the borough.
She added: “The jury is still out. We believe the best
way to educate people is by supporting good community schools
managed by the local authority.”
Acland Burghley’s Mr Shew, whose 1,250-pupil school in
Tufnell Park is regarded as one of the best in Camden, says
he supports the government’s aims – but is wary of
some of the ways they want to go about raising standards.
He told the New Journal: “The white papers aims are to
raise standards for all, but especially for the most disadvantaged
– and no one can disagree with that.
“But the problem I have are how some of the proposals are
going to address that key aim.”
He said he was not yet convinced that turning schools into individual
trusts would help pupils across Camden.
He continued: “I have concerns that giving more schools
independence, particularly with admissions criteria and opening
up governing bodies so they are less representative of the local
community, will make schools less responsive.”
Mr Shew added: “I am concerned that when one school goes
it alone in Camden it will have a knock-on impact and that could
be unfair.” |
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