Anger at moves for private takeover of East End state school
Education unions are uniting in London’s East End to oppose moves for a state secondary school to ‘opt out’ of Local Authority control.
Governors at Bethnal Green Technology College are consulting on a proposal to turn it into one of the government’s new academy schools.
It would mean the campus would no longer be part of Tower Hamlets Local Authority, but become an independent State school directly funded and controlled by the government and run by a private sponsor.
The funds to run an ‘academy’ school would be taken away from Tower Hamlets’ hard-pressed budget, the unions point out.
“The government wants to break up and privatise local education,” said Tower Hamlets NUT secretary Alex Kenny.
You may also want to watch:
“Allowing schools to become academies is the way of doing this.
“Education in the East End is successful and improving—precisely because schools work together under the guidance of Tower Hamlets Local Authority.
Most Read
- 1 Poplar MP acquitted of Tower Hamlets housing fraud
- 2 Jury sent home for the day in MP Apsana Begum's trial on housing fraud charges
- 3 Home Office pours £1m into tackling drug-related problems in East End
- 4 Unlocked rooms created 'radiation exposure risk' at hospital, inspectors report
- 5 East London travel disruption round-up for the week ahead
- 6 'Vexatious charges': MP turns on accusers after acquittal in fraud trial
- 7 Apsana Begum's ex-husband may be behind housing bids, trial hears
- 8 Poplar MP tells court: 'I fled home when brother said I was possessed'
- 9 Jailed: Cyclist who rode off after fatal collision with 'gentleman', 72
- 10 Mum plans to use Raine's Foundation site for new East Park church school
“There is no way we would have achieved such success if schools had all operated individually.”
Ownership of the school buildings and assets would transfer from the public authority to the new privately-run company that would be established to run it, the unions point out.
Bethnal Green Technology—formerly Daneford Comprehensive—has just been completely refurbished in a programme funded by public money and overseen by the local authority.
“It seems outrageous that after all this work the school can be handed over to an outside agency,” Mr Kenny added.
Unions are concerned that academy schools could damage public provision of education and undermine the success of education in Tower Hamlets.
They are contacting parents to explain their concerns about the academy proposal and the arguments for maintaining all schools under public control.
