United: the GMB Southern Region’s two days of strike action have forced Red Gates School governors to abandon academy plans
Staff at a Croydon special school are claiming a victory after the board of governors dropped its plans for academisation.
Red Gates School in South Croydon, which specialises in educating children with severe learning disabilities, received a Good/Outstanding Ofsted rating as recently as March this year.
But the governors wanted to hand over control from the local authority to the Pegasus Academy Trust, which has no background in running schools for children with SEND – Special Educational Needs and Disability.
The Pegasus Academy Trust currently operates seven schools, including Whitehorse Manor, Atwood and Ecclesbourne primaries.
At Red Gates, the chair of governors is Anne-Marie Brown, appointed by the local authority in 2021 having previously served on the board of governors at two other Croydon schools. “I am committed to the journey with Red Gates School as we move into the future,” Brown says on Red Gates’ website.
Organised by GMB Southern Region, union members took two days of strike action at Red Gates earlier this month, and with support from a public petition, the governors have now U-turned over the academisation.
“We do not want Red Gates School to be taken over by an academy,” one school staff member told Inside Croydon. “We love our school and want what is best for our pupils.”
The staff said that they feared for their job security if the school was handed over to Pegasus, with some suggesting that they faced having to re-apply for their jobs, but at considerably reduced terms and conditions.
Success: but campaigning GMB members will be monitoring the Red Gates situation
Red Gates management have been given “acting” job titles, meaning the governors, or any academy, could change the school’s management structure any time.
“Pegasus Academy have not got SEN experience,” the union member said. “We feared for the wellbeing of our pupils and for our school as a whole.”
The school’s staff, and trade unions, will be monitoring the situation carefully, even after the governors’ change of mind.
“The board of governors have had a weak presence at Red Gates. When meeting and making decisions about the academisation, they chose to exclude people who have extensive knowledge of the school and would have given valuable insight and advice.
“Our governors have ignored our questions and failed to handle our grievance correctly. We have lost faith in them and their judgement.”
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It seems that part times attempts at budget saving by trying to offload an outstanding school has failed. Is this only a temporary respite? In March 2022 the then education secretary and only ever Chancellor who had to give up his role in Government because of tax fraud stated all council schools have to be academies by 2030. Since then this matter has become quiet.
Is it because this ramshackle administration don’t take anything stated by Zahawi as policy anymore or are they trying to forget any promises that will lumber themselves with greater expenditure.
As with the dynamic indolence of part-time does anyone know where they stand with this inadequate mob in position at Central and Local Government.
https://schoolsweek.co.uk/government-to-set-2030-target-for-all-schools-to-become-academies/
I have to admit to some surprise. Governors are made up of staff appointed Governors, Parent Governors and obviously LEA Governors. Along with the head they form the Governing body.
So how did matters get to the stage it was at in Red Gates? Some of the quotes are frankly very worrying also and require responses.
Especially
1“The board of governors have had a weak presence at Red Gates. When meeting and making decisions about the academisation, they chose to exclude people who have extensive knowledge of the school and would have given valuable insight and advice.
2“Our governors have ignored our questions and failed to handle our grievance correctly. We have lost faith in them and their judgement.”
On item one I would expect that one parent Governor who had a SEND Child at the school to be very much involved as should a staff appointed Governor and an LEA Governor at the least and a technical/medical specialist also.
On item 2 how does a parent and a member of saff ignore their own questions?
Perhaps there were others ”unknown” guiding that process for other reasons/objectives?
SEND schools by their nature are quite difficult and expensive to run – was this move an underhand method to reduce cost, make savings but ignore that it actually neeeded to be fit for purpose also?
Was this a Council again caring nothing for employees and residents including their statutory duty for the sake of a few quid?
Was this not something that a Councillor should also have been involved in sorting out?
Is that not under Selsdon and Forestdale?
Is this a systemic issue?
I do believe that many Councillors should be asking this Mayor questions about thisat the least!