Thomas Telford School head backs Conservative academy plans

Top Shropshire headmaster backs academy plans

The head of Shropshire’s showcase Thomas Telford School today claimed there will be “considerable enthusiasm” among state schools to become academies.

Sir Kevin Satchwell welcomed the announcement by new Education Secretary Michael Gove that he was writing to all state primary schools in England, inviting them to apply for academy status which will take them out of local authority control and give them greater freedoms to choose how they operate.

Sir Kevin’s school was founded in 1991 as a pioneering City Technology College and is consistently the top performing comprehensive in the country.

It is the main sponsor of the Madeley Academy in Telford – the former Madeley Court School.

Subject to parliamentary approval of the coalition Government’s Academies Bill, the first of the new academies are expected to open in September.

Sir Kevin said: “I believe that there will be considerable enthusiasm for this initiative.

“Outstanding schools by their very nature have outstanding heads who thrive on greater independence and autonomy.

“They deserve to be trusted and in my view will be able to do so much more to progress their own and other local schools who may need support.”

View more: Thomas Telford School news.

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Peter

May 27, 2010 at 17:09

Well he would say that, wouldn’t he?
Whilst it can’t be denied that the Thomas Telford school has been a success, there have been concerns for a long time that other secondary schools in the area have not received a fair share of resources in comparison.

There is no evidence to suppoprt the idea that academies are automatically successful – many have not been, but the fact that they are taken out of any local authority control, and that in many cases they have an element of private sector control about them, surely reduces accountability to parents.

In some cases, academies have been funded by religious zealots who are condoning the teaching of religious beliefs, such as Creationism, under the entirely inappropriate heading of science. We should be looking to have fewer schools indoctrinating our children with superstitious beliefs – not more of them.

In truth, this latest policy is about government shedding responsibility for education provision, and in their true dogmatic style, attempting to privatise it wholesale. Looking back at other public services that have been privatised, can you think of one that actually generally gives a better value for money service to the public as a result? Railways? Electricity and gas suppliers? Water companies? I think not.

As in all aspects of business, there will be winners and losers in this. The winners will be those children lucky enough to get into the successful schools (and who knows truly how these academies select their pupils) – the losers will be those who don’t.

Are you prepared to take that risk to support Michael Gove’s dogma?

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