All three teachers’ unions – the National Union of Teachers, the Association of Teachers and Lecturers and the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers – are stepping up their concerted opposition to Michael Gove’s Academies Bill.
Campaigning on the slogan of “a good local school for every child”, they have written to the chair of every governing body to explain why the new Secretary of State for Education’s proposals are ill-conceived and Jon Trickett, Labour MP for Hemsworth, has tabled an Early Day Motion on the Bill.
NUT general secretary Christine Blower said: “The coalition Government is rushing legislation through Parliament which removes the need for governing bodies to consult
with anyone before applying to becoming an academy.”
The new Government is suggesting that schools rated “outstanding” by Ofsted could become academies by September. Ms Blower said: “The process put forward by the Government will be alarmingly simple – a head in an outstanding school registers an interest and a governing body simply passes a resolution. Outrageously, the Government is saying there is no requirement on head or governors to consult with parents, staff, pupils, the local authority or other local schools before passing a resolution. We think there should be full consultation.”
Elsewhere in the education sector, Sally Hunt, general secretary of the University and College Union, has attacked the Conservative-Liberal Democrat plans to cut university funding by £1.2 billion.
She said: “This is the last thing this country needs if we want to remain a major player in the global knowledge economy. Cutting jobs in further and higher education will leave behind a generation of learners – and come back and haunt this Government.
