Teachers march against academies

Chris Osuh

December 02, 2007

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Teachers have their say on academies

TEACHERS have marched in protest against academy schools.

They paraded down Oxford Road in Manchester brandishing banners, voicing their opposition to plans to create seven new academies in the city.

Academy schools are built largely with public money but are run independently of the local education authority through private sponsorship.

Manchester Academy, the city's first, replaced struggling Ducie High School in 2003.

But teachers' unions believe it makes more sense for the government to commit to improving comprehensive schools, rather than farm out education to big business.

Campaigners fear putting education in the hands of private sponsors takes power from school governors.

They are concerned that academies have higher exclusion rates and can select their intake. There is also a worry that the sponsors have no educational experience. Avis Gilmore, the NUT's north west general secretary, said: "We have had tremendous support across the region wherever we have opposed the introduction of academies."

The city's new academies are expected to open in 2010. Five of them will replace existing high schools in Wythenshawe and north Manchester, with two new ones in Beswick and Harpurhey.

Each will be linked to a major employer and will specialise in vocational training.

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Leo B (03/12/2007 at 11:44)

Are the teachers scared that the academies will show them up?

AH, Manchester (03/12/2007 at 15:04)

big companies want the best people working for them, so it makes more sense for them to shape the future.

Stuart Paulley (03/12/2007 at 17:01)

The two comments below show ignorance of the academy arguments. Academies don't improve standards and no school should have its curriculum determined by the sponsors - what happens if your child has to go to an academy where his or her talents are not appreciated by the sponsor?

A conercerned parent, Manchester (05/12/2007 at 14:21)

I would like to address the following comment to; " Sir Richard Lees" of Manchester City Council.
Is it a fact that recent consultations at N.M.Boys & NM for Girls and also Plant Hill High School were actually only school closure consultations and nothing at all to do with the proposed academies. From the fragment of information available it appears that there are no real building plans being considered, it may be after the three school closure notices "go out" the pupil numbers will fall dramatically over the next two years leaving no real need for three new schools. Consider the recent case of Radcliffe Riverside school in Bury.
With three schools wiped off the map in North Manchester where would you put 2500 pupils?

A Howard (20/02/2008 at 15:29)

These academies are a threat and not just proposals as we had a drop in meeting in charlestown 19 february to discuss the plans and these council people say it is early days but residents in the local area are very much against these proposals especially those living in the high rise flats as many are elderley and are used to living in a secluded area away from gangs of youths hanging around which will surely happen if these academies are built and also destroying much of the wildlife and trees of which some of the wild life are protected species ie bats for one.

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