BREAKTHROUGH! Governors agree to defer academy consultation
and conversion plans at all THREE schools in the Prendergast Federation
STRIKE
ACTION WITHDRAWN FOR JUNE 3/4
Over the last few months NUT members and other
trade union colleagues at the Prendergast Federation, together with students
and parents, have mounted a tremendous campaign to oppose the damaging academy
conversion proposals. Demonstrations, strikes, meetings – and now legal
challenges over Government Regulations – have all helped to keep up the pressure
on Governors to think again – and now they have! They have now agreed to defer both the consultation and conversion
proposals at ALL THREE SCHOOLS in the Federation.
This is a major breakthrough for the campaign.
It reflects the pressure that has built up over months, culminating in legal
challenges that have left Governors with little option but to pull back from
their plans. Every NUT member and SAIL campaigner should be proud of themselves
for standing firm and refusing to accept that the academy steamroller was unstoppable. The
campaign has shown the lack of public support for academies and the lack of any
evidence that academies help education.
This is
not yet a final victory. The DfE will want to rewrite their Regulations so that
the Prendergast Federation and other federated schools can start over with
their plans. However, we hope that Prendergast Governors will resist DfE pressure
to do so and instead win back the goodwill
of the school community in the interests of education. As parent Ned Boulting
said, quoted in the Guardian, “governors have created a rift [that] will raise
questions with teachers as to whether they want to stay on at the school”.
Regrettably, he understood the dangers better than Governors.
Unless
or until the Governors withdraw their academy plans altogether, then the
dispute still continues. However, for now, the proposed strike action on June 3rd
and 4th has been withdrawn. We are confident that, boosted by
today’s news, staff, students and parents will be ready to continue their
campaign if necessary.
Martin Powell-Davies, Secretary, Lewisham
NUT - June 1 2015
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