Save Our Schools

Apparently the misinformation factory has been active again. There is confusion amongst Ashburton parents because Steve Chalke has suggested that he might reconsider moving the Junior and Infants over to the secondary site. Some parents thought that this was a done deal.

The proposals by the council state quite definitely "the academy will include Ashburton Community School, Ashburton Infant and Ashburton Junior School following the rebuilding of the two latter schools on the Ashburton campus."

There is absolutely no doubt about this and little suggestions and hints that it might be something else are nothing less than a stupid attempt to pull wool over your eyes. It is quite clear that the parents of Ashburton Juniors and Infants are very pleased with their schools. If Steve Chalke really cares what parents think, then he will back out and campaign to leave the schools as they are. The same would go for Lord Harris who is obviously unwelcome at Haling Manor.

Much information about Academies is unavailable because they are exempt from the Freedom of Information Act. We asked Croydon Council for figures on exclusions from all the secondary schools because exclusions from academies are at least 3 times higher than from other schools (leaving the other schools to pick up the pieces). Croydon gave us the figures for all the schools except the Academies, telling us that Academies only have to report exclusions to the Government. This is not true. Academies have to report exclusions to the "home" authority of the exclusion.

This poses a very worrying question: is Croydon Council really monitoring the Harris and Oasis academies. Are they claiming them to be a success because they just don't know what is going on?

http://www.thisiscroydontoday.co.uk/news/Council-s-ability-run-Croydon-schools-questioned-Government-minister/article-767012-detail/article.html

Details of the consultation events are as follows:
• Monday 30 March: Ashburton Nursery & Infants School and Junior School
• Tuesday 31 March: Haling Manor High School
• Thursday 2 April: Ashburton Community School

Times to follow.