We have great pleasure in announcing that the Leathersellers’ have rescinded the academy orders for ALL THREE SCHOOLS in the Prendergast Federation.

Over the last few months NUT members and other trade union colleagues at the Prendergast Federation, together with students and parents, have mounted a tremendous campaign to oppose the damaging academy conversion proposals. Demonstrations, strikes, meetings – and now legal challenges over Government Regulations – have all helped to keep up the pressure on Governors to think again – and now they have! This is a major breakthrough for the campaign. It reflects the pressure that has built up over months, culminating in legal challenges that have left Governors with little option but to pull back from their plans. Every union member who has struck, every student that has demonstrated and every parent, SAIL campaigner and letter writer should be proud of themselves for standing firm and refusing to accept that the academy steamroller was unstoppable. The campaign has shown the lack of public support for academies and the lack of any evidence that academies help education. Although this is not yet a final victory. “The DfE will want to rewrite their Regulations so that the Prendergast Federation and other federated schools can start over with their plans. “However, we hope that Prendergast Governors will resist DfE pressure to do so and instead win back the goodwill of the school community in the interests of education” As parent Ned Boulting said, quoted in the Guardian,

“governors have created a rift [that] will raise questions with teachers as to whether they want to stay on at the school”.

Unless or until the Governors withdraw their academy plans altogether, then the dispute still continues. However, for now, the proposed strike action on June 3^rd and 4^th has been withdrawn. We are confident that, boosted by today’s news, staff, students and parents will be ready to continue their campaign if necessary. Let’s savour the moment

Thank you – Striking Teachers and Staff

Picket Line – Prendergast Vale

Thank you – Defiant Pupils

Strike at Prendergast Hilly Fields – 4th March

Thank you – Feisty Protesters

After the Leathersellers’ demonstration

Thank you – the local community who came out marching

Marching April 2015

Thank you – our Legal Team

no photo’s – but you know who are!

With the Consultation closing on Monday 8th June, a big push is just what is needed to keep the pressure up on the Leathersellers’ and the Council, backing up the legal action that has taken place.

The breaking news on Friday that the Federation has rescinded the academy order for Prendergast (Hilly Fields) was very welcome news. However, the decision to carry on regardless with Vale and Ladywell Fields is confirmation (in spite of their protestations to the contrary – of being undecided until the consultation has completed) that the Governing Body is hell bent on this conversion.

The order was rescinded because of a challenge to the academy order for Prendergast Hilly Fields by a parent, that because the Staff Governor had not voted in favour – the order was invalid.

But I hear you say – how can the academy orders for Vale and Ladywell be valid – well of course the answer is – that is that they are not – they just haven’t got a legal challenge against them.

If the Governor’s had any decency they would have admitted they have been caught out and withdrawn the applications from Vale and Ladywell Fields.

So why have they carried on?

We already know from the MAT Working Party report that they have taken advice from the DfE South Division, Academies Group. The letters between the Federation and the Department of Education which were posted on the Federation website gives us an insight into this advice from an impartial civil service.

Barrow writes to the DfE at 3pm rescinding the academy order.

.Less that 90 minutes later, the DfE write in response to the letter from Barrow saying

“It would appear that our policy has progressed since the legislation was laid. I will inform the governing body about how they should proceed with this as soon as possible”

The DfE further advise that they should continue to proceed with the orders for Vale and Ladywell and add.

“It is disappointing that this issue has delayed the academy conversion of a school when the majority of the governing body voted in favour of the applications.”

Now, we have been told repeatedly that the issue has not been decided until the Governing Board meet in June after the consultation, do the DfE think that the conversion takes place irrespective of the consultation?

In spite of the DfE and the Governors knowing that the process is flawed they continue anyway.

The letters indicate that the DfE will bring changes to the law, to remove the requirement that a staff governor or parent governor have to vote in favour.

Looks like a job for our recently elected MPs. We would also like to know how many other schools have been converted where the legislation has been followed correctly.

DON’T FORGET TO KEEP THE SUBMISSIONS TO THE CONSULTATION COMING IN, see our Consultation Guidance.

The deadline for responses to the consultation is 8 June. We have prepared some guidance if you are stuck for words. To respond using the feedback form at http://www.leathersellers-federation.com/206/mat-consultation-papers or just want to email directly at consultation@leathersellers-federation.com (if you do please put Academy Conversion Question in the email header), or by writing to The Clerk to Governors, c/o Prendergast School, Adelaide Avenue, London SE4 1LE.

The guidance can be found at Consultation Guidance Document