Category Archives: Action

Lets do things

Submit your response to the Prendergast consultation

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With just 2 days of the consultation left we've got a job for you...make your voice heard!
If you think the risks of LSFed becoming a MAT outweigh its proposed opportunities, submit text from the next slide into the consultation form to send the LSFed governing board a clear message
"I stand by the brilliant learning support staff and teachers. I pledge my commitment to equality of opportunity for all. I demand a say in teh future of our community of schools. I vote NO to LSFed Prendergast Schools MAT! For collaboration and governance: find another way. Lewisham Schools; Stronger Together!"
This campaign started with a petition demanding a vote on the proposed academisation of LSFed Prendergast schools. Over 1000 have signed so far! The board of governors are denying this democratic right. Make them listen!
Thank you for your support so far! Keep sharing, spread the word and make our voices heard! Thank you!

An urgent message from the parent-led Protect Prendergast Campaign:

With just 2 days of the consultation left we’ve got a job for you…make your voice heard!

If you think the risks of LSFed becoming a MAT outweigh its proposed opportunities, submit text from the next slide into the consultation form to send the LSFed governing board a clear message:

“I stand by the brilliant learning support staff and teachers. I pledge my commitment to equality of opportunity for all. I demand a say in the future of our community of schools. I vote NO to LSFed Prendergast Schools MAT! For collaboration and governance: find another way. Lewisham Schools; Stronger Together!”

This campaign started with a petition demanding a vote on the proposed academisation of LSFed Prendergast schools. Over 1000 have signed so far! The board of governors are denying this democratic right. Make them listen!

Thank you for your support so far! Keep sharing, spread the word and make our voices heard! Thank you!

Submit your response to the consultation now and tell the governors we say #handsoffprendergast

Consultation form here: http://www.lsfedmatproposal.com (scroll to bottom of the page)

Please follow the Protect Prendergast campaign on social media:

Twitter: www.twitter.com/keepprendergast

Instagram: www.instragram.com/protect.prendergast

Further campaign links and resources: linktr.ee/protectprendergast

Don’t Privatise Prendergast – March and Demonstration on Saturday 22nd April 2023

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Poster advertising the March and demonstration, with text featured on poster included in the text in the body of the post. Includes an image of a silhouette of three protestors holding placards, on a yellow background with a semi transparent map of Lewisham. Stop Academies in Lewisham, GMB Union and National Education Union logos displayed at base of poster.

Don’t Privatise Prendergast – join us on a March and Demonstration at 11am on Saturday 22nd April 2023.

Assemble at 11am at Loampit Vale next to Prendergast Vale, marching to Hillyfields via Prendergast Ladywell. Bring homemade placards and noisemakers, wear your Hulk costumes and practise your chanting.

Pledge to march here: https://forms.gle/JwaQRk9PHpRLvGAb6 and you can also click attending on the Facebook event here: https://facebook.com/events/s/march-against-prendergast-acca/930092098132136/

Supported by Stop Academies in Lewisham (SAIL), Lewisham GMB and NEU Lewisham, Protect Prendergast Campaign.

Childeric school under threat of academisation

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Governors at Childeric Primary School, New Cross are exploring becoming an Academy as part of a Multi Academy Trust with three schools in Southwark. With no evidence to suggest academies improve educational attainment, plenty of horror stories of financial impropriety and worse conditions for staff, why would Childeric governors want to go ahead? Why would parents and the local community want to lose their say in how Childeric is run? Why would John Donne in Southwark want to take over a Lewisham primary? What’s in it for them?

Come and hear the case against academies. Once a school goes, there’s no going back so come and hear.

Tuesday 30 January 2018

7:00 PM – 8:30 PM GMT

New Cross Learning 283-285 New Cross Road SE14 6AS

Speakers include: Vicky Foxcroft MP and speakers from education unions and the local community

Please register through Eventbrite at : https://www.eventbrite.com/e/childeric-the-case-against-academisation-tickets-42097597046

 

 

Write to your councillor

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Opposition is growing. The Lewisham Deptford Labour Party passed a resolution in opposition to academisation and free schools. But at the end of the day, the decision will be made by the councillors. So writing to them is very important.

The list of councillors is available on on website at https://stopacademiesinlewisham.org/who-to-write-to/

Below is a suggested wording, feel free to edit, copy or make your own points!

Dear Councillor ____________,

I am writing to you as a parent of children who go to ____________ school in your ward because I am very concerned about the proposals in the Education Commission’s report to the Mayor and cabinet. As you are probably aware the report encourages schools to consider becoming part of Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs).

If a school becomes an academy all democratic control is lost. Academies do not have to have parent governors or indeed any governors except those they choose to appoint and they are not controllable by the council. They are answerable only to themselves and Ofsted. I want to have a say in our school, I want to be able to contact you about our school and for you to be able to have influence over what happens at the school.

The Parliamentary Select Committee on Education found, there is no evidence that academies raise educational outcomes and indeed Sir Michael Wilshaw of Ofsted recently criticised the value for money that seven of the top MATs provide.

When schools become academies, our public property is transferred to a private organisation, they pay nothing for it. It is not only a privatisation but a privatisation with no financial gain for the public.

Finally, no matter how seemingly benign the academy or MAT, once a school is an academy it can change control quickly and easily to another academy, less friendly and less benign. Once a school is removed from LEA control it is impossible to return it.

Every school we lose to being an academy makes it harder to sustain the LEA and puts more pressure on other schools to consider academisation.

Given all of the above I would ask you to do everything in your power to oppose the Commission’s report and further academisation in Lewisham.

Thank you for your consideration of these points.

Yours sincerely,

Public Meeting – No more Academies in Lewisham

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june_meeting

Lewisham Council is discussing the prospect of council supported Multi-Academy Trusts and Free Schools.

We are determined that this will not be the future for our children’s education or for our schools autonomy. We want locally accountable, creative & fully inclusive schools with qualified teachers for ALL our children.

We do not want our schools run by MATs – even if the MAT is encouraged or chosen by some local Councillors.

We see risks in this proposal that include schools becoming academies without a democratic decision by all parents and staff involved with each school and a tacit acceptance of the ideological narrative by government, that wholesale privatisation of education is neither desirable or acceptable.

The NUT will be taking strike action on 5th July over changes to their pay and conditions, we believe this will have a serious effect on recruitment and retention of high quality teachers, be they in local authority or academy schools.

The leaflet is available to download, please share

 

Get writing – defend our schools!

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The Council is currently proposing to embrace academies and support the setting up of free schools across Lewisham (available on the Lewisham Council website).

We are determined that this will not be the future for our children’s education or for our schools autonomy. We want locally accountable, creative & fully inclusive schools with qualified teachers for ALL our children.

We do not want our schools run by MATs – even if the MAT is encouraged or chosen by some local Councillors. We see risks in this proposal that include schools becoming academies without a democratic decision by all parents and staff involved with each school and a tacit acceptance of the ideological narrative by government, that wholesale privatisation of education is neither desirable or acceptable. Our response to the proposals is on our website.

The Council Education Select committee met on Wednesday 8th June to discuss the Lewisham Education Commission Report, after only 90 minutes of ‘scrutiny’ it will now go to the Mayor and then full council on 20 July, so there is not much time

There are a number of steps you can take to ensure YOUR voice is heard.
Join us to protect & defend our schools, our teachers and our children’s education.
  • Write to your local Councillor or to the leader of the Council to protest. The list is available on our website).  A number of Councils elsewhere in the country have already expressed their total opposition to any plans for forced academisation; there is no reason why Lewisham Council cannot do the same.
  • Raise awareness of this issue with other parents/carers at your child’s school .
  • If you’re a teacher, talk to your colleagues. The NUT have made their opposition to academisation plans clear and are currently balloting members for strike action.      
  • Ask your Governing Body to make it clear they will not join a trust before proper consultation of and with the wholesale agreement of parents and staff.

Martin Powell-Davies has provided an excellent top ten reasons why academies should be opposed

Lobby Lewisham Council

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NO MORE ACADEMIES IN LEWISHAM

  • Date: Wednesday 8th June
  • Time: 6:30pm
  • Venue: Catford Town Hall

The Lewisham Education Commission Report, due on June 1st is likely to be proposing, council supported Multi-Academy Trusts and Free Schools.

The shambolic handling of Sedgehill does not bode well for either students, teachers or staff at other Lewisham schools. Prendergast schools, defeated in their attempts to academise this time last year are clearly lining up to take advantage of new legislation.

But, there is no appetite for academies in the borough, teachers, students and other staff are determinedly against. Alongside this are the massive PFI costs any incoming academy would have to bear.

At a time when the Tories are on the back foot and when the national Labour Party are firmly opposed to academies this is not the time to roll over without a fight.

Support the Lobby of the Children and Young People Select Committee

Download the Leaflet for Lobby of Council

Meet the Governors (and tell them what you think!)

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You might be forgiven for missing the announcement at the end of last term that the Governors will be available to “make representations in person”. Details are:

  • Hilly Fields School – Monday 13 April (7pm)
  • Ladywell School – Tuesday 14 April (7pm)
  • Vale School – Thursday 16 April (7pm)

This will be an ideal opportunity to see whether they have actually come up with ANY arguments in favour of their proposals.

The detailed response by the campaign to the proposals if you want some bedtime reading before the meeting is available at SAIL response to the WP.

Hope to see as many of you as possible.