‘With academies showing a remarkable five point leap in GCSE results – including English and Maths – this year, three times the average improvement of all schools last year, it is clear that the programme has come of age. Of course, there are one or two academies that have not initially worked. It would be extraordinary if there were not. But the key point which the teaching unions need to recognise is that, taken as a whole, this is now proving to be the single most successful intervention in inner city schools of any government in recent times. The churlishness of ATL general secretary Mary Bousted on Today this morning was unbecoming, though, to be fair, she is on the moderate wing of union opinion on academies.
The real significance of today’s announcement was the welcome willingness of Ed Balls, the schools secretary, to start talking up this success. And when he did so, his Tory opposite number Michael Gove was left uncharacteristically floundering for something sensible to say’ – Conor Ryan, blogger at conorfryan.blogspot.com
‘With over 200 academies open it is hard to talk of the programme as a cohesive whole. Some have transformed schooling in very deprived areas; for others, there is no evidence of a significant impact. Importantly, success must not come at the expense of those from disadvantaged homes – any expansion of the programme needs to be mindful of worrying evidence that the proportion of children on free school meals in academies is declining.’ – James Turner, policy director at The Sutton Trust
‘City academies are a fantastic example of New Labour meshing social justice with individual opportunity. I believe passionately in devolving power as much as possible, be it to communities as a whole or the individual. And this is a case in point of trusting parents and communities to make the right choices for their kids.
Why should it be the case that only the prosperous in society are able to gain from the benefits of elite education? What I have never understood about the opponents of progressive change is that they seem to place rigid dogmatism ahead of results. If private finance or charitable donations can deliver a better standard of education for our children. It’s a nonsense to claim that academies system is a Tory policy in disguise. We should never be afraid of introducing properly regulated markets into the public sector, especially when the result is likely to be of disproportionate benefit to the poor of our country.’ – David Taylor, Clwyd West CLP
‘The academies programme is playing a significant part in raising standards in our schools. The government is right to focus on improving schools which face some of the greatest challenges.’ – Matt Rodda, Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for East Surrey
‘Academies are working and as long as they remain in the depressed hearts of the old towns and cities and, perhaps most importantly of all, maintain their all-ability intake then progressive thinkers on the left should not worry too much.’ – Mike Ion, blogger at mike-ion.blogspot.com
From “Labour Matters”
Ed Miliband MP has attacked the Mayor of Doncaster’s claim that global warming is a “scam”:
“I am shocked and appalled that the Mayor of Doncaster is describing global warming as a scam. We should trust science not prejudice and the science tells us that climate change is man-made. If left unchecked, it will have severe effects on future generations in Doncaster, and we know from the flooding of 2007 the misery it will cause. It is incredible that Doncaster’s elected Mayor can describe the single biggest threat to our planet in this way.
“Because we need to tackle climate change, it is right that we use renewable energy, including wind farms. Already they are providing the electricity for 2 million UK households, so the Mayor is just plain wrong that about wind energy. While of course there can be legitimate objections to wind turbines, the biggest threat to the English countryside is not the wind turbine but climate change.”
People reading this article may be wondering what has this article got to do with Academies.
Firstly a public inquiry into EON proposals to erect Wind Turbines onto the Yorkshire and Humber Levels (and the constituency of Ed Miliband) went against the thousands of constituents who objected to it in favour of EON and landowners. As a matter of coincidence on reading newspaper periodicals the partner of the above MP, was or has been a legal advisor/ barrister for EON. No surprises there. Many Thanks to Mike O’Brien.
The Mayor of Doncaster is an English Democrat whose son is a Conservative MP for Shipley in Yorkshire. Well, as people may or may not be aware the Vardy Foundation have an Academy in the same constituency (ex mining community) as the above said MP. In January this year a Conservative Peer was a appointed a Director of the above Academy and has been given the task by David Cameron as the person responsible for the Conservative North of England campaign…and have you guessed yet he is also the Climate change advisor for the Tories.
Finally. draw your own conclusions. Will the Rt Hon gentleman have a fight on his hands to keep his seat.
Don’t tell me that I never told you Ed.
A big thank you to Ed Balls and his Academy programme