That this Council:-
(a) notes the publication of the Government’s White Paper, “Educational Excellence Everywhere”, and its intention to force all schools to become academies by 2022;
(b) welcomes the White Paper’s focus on those parts of the country still lagging behind in terms of educational attainment;
(c) however, believes that wasting £1.3 billion on an unnecessary top-down reorganisation of schools is the wrong approach, particularly at a time when funding per pupil is set to fall in real terms;
(d) notes that around 85% of local authority maintained schools are good or outstanding, and believes the Government’s proposals are not supported by any evidence that academy status in and of itself improves standards of education;
(e) believes these proposals do nothing to address the pressures being faced by schools today - huge teacher shortages, real terms cuts to school budgets and major overhauls to curriculums, assessments and exams - and could actually make these problems worse;
(f) notes that when all schools are academies, national arrangements about the running of schools will not apply;
(g) notes a recent report by the National Audit Office showing that teacher shortages in England are growing and the Government has missed recruitment targets for four years, and believes these plans will do nothing to improve the problems around teacher recruitment and retention;
(h) acknowledges the work Learn Sheffield is doing to tackle teacher shortages in Sheffield, including working with partners to develop a strategy which makes it easier for individuals to identify the best route into teaching for them and support schools in retaining teachers;
(i) believes that parents and local communities should be at the heart of the school system and was therefore disappointed to see that 50,000 parent volunteers could find themselves removed from governing bodies following the Government’s plan to scrap the requirement for schools to have parent governors;
(j) notes that the proposals have attracted widespread opposition from parents, school staff, governors, headteachers and MPs and Councillors from across the political spectrum; and
(k) will therefore work with other councils, trade unions, parents and governor groups to oppose the provisions in the White Paper.
Minutes:
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Government White Paper; Educational Excellence Everywhere |
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13.1 |
RESOLVED: On the Motion of Councillor Ben Miskell, seconded by Councillor Jackie Drayton, that this Council:- |
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(a) notes the publication of the Government’s White Paper, “Educational Excellence Everywhere”, and its intention to force all schools to become academies by 2022;
(b) welcomes the White Paper’s focus on those parts of the country still lagging behind in terms of educational attainment;
(c) however, believes that wasting £1.3 billion on an unnecessary top-down reorganisation of schools is the wrong approach, particularly at a time when funding per pupil is set to fall in real terms;
(d) notes that around 85% of local authority maintained schools are good or outstanding, and believes the Government’s proposals are not supported by any evidence that academy status in and of itself improves standards of education;
(e) believes these proposals do nothing to address the pressures being faced by schools today - huge teacher shortages, real terms cuts to school budgets and major overhauls to curriculums, assessments and exams - and could actually make these problems worse;
(f) notes that when all schools are academies, national arrangements about the running of schools will not apply;
(g) notes a recent report by the National Audit Office showing that teacher shortages in England are growing and the Government has missed recruitment targets for four years, and believes these plans will do nothing to improve the problems around teacher recruitment and retention;
(h) acknowledges the work Learn Sheffield is doing to tackle teacher shortages in Sheffield, including working with partners to develop a strategy which makes it easier for individuals to identify the best route into teaching for them and support schools in retaining teachers;
(i) believes that parents and local communities should be at the heart of the school system and was therefore disappointed to see that 50,000 parent volunteers could find themselves removed from governing bodies following the Government’s plan to scrap the requirement for schools to have parent governors;
(j) notes that the proposals have attracted widespread opposition from parents, school staff, governors, headteachers and MPs and Councillors from across the political spectrum; and
(k) will therefore work with other councils, trade unions, parents and governor groups to oppose the provisions in the White Paper.
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