Parents to lobby East End school governors against switching to ‘academy’

Parents and teachers are lobbying school governors tonight (Weds) to try and stop Bethnal Green technology College opting out of local authority control and becoming the first ‘academy’ school in London’s East End.

They are turning up at the school where the governors are due to vote on the controversial plan on whether to switch to an ‘academy’—in the face of opposition from teacher unions and other East End schools.

It follows a public meeting on Monday at St Hilda’s community centre in Club Row when parents from the school and teachers and campaigners from all over the East End voted to condemn the plans.

Tower Hamlets Mayor Lutfur Rahman spoke of his anger that the governors wanted to quit the ‘family of 97 schools’ after he had backed the �20 million investment from public funds to redevelop the Technology college.

Mr Rahman, a qualified lawyer, had benefited from Tower Hamlets education when he was growing up in the East End, he pointed out.

The NUT has been thinking of a legal challenge and is currently engaged in a similar process in Islington.

But the Law gives the governors the final say after public consultations, Monday’s meeting heard.

Teachers’ union regional secretary Alex Kenny pointed out there was ‘no guarantee’ that academy status would get the school through its ‘falling rolls’ crisis—whereas under the Town Hall it would get support.