Failing School lets maki it an Academy

City academy proposal for school

Why is it that when a school fails to produce results the government thinks that the way to change it is to spend loads of money on it and rename it an Academy?
Many of these failing schools are in deprived areas and no matter how much money is spent on them their pupils will still be failing. Unfortunately schools have an extremely rigid set of rules as to what is taught and at what age it is taught (National Curriculum). Some children are unable to keep up with this so get left behind, then start truanting.
The education system needs a radical overhaul so that children are taught according to their ability, not age.




http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hereford/worcs/6686555.stm

 

Ahh but if our current government spends money making schools like that Academies, then they can trumpet the fact that they are spending record amounts on edukashun and ignore the realities. The end result is just what they want, young people doomed to a life on state handouts voting for liebore to keep the boat from rocking.
Its Labour at its best my friend, and i'm sure that it is a long term plan of theirs!

 

I'm in complete disagreement with that last sentiment; that the Labour Party have a long-term plan to deprive pupils of an education so that they will remain ever dependant upon benefits and vote Labour. Such a stragety is only doomed to fail both the country and its people.

Also, if you take note of the third paragraph you will read that academies are touted as benefitting from private investment, so the Government cannot claim to be spending record amounts. Actually I'm rather in favour of private investments, if it means that a company can save the council money then perhaps the money saved could be spent refurbishing the local community.

What concerns me, is that the article remarks that the Teacher's Unions have criticised private sponsorship and do not approve of the idea; but the article doesn't explain why. I consider the opinions of teachers to be very important when discussing the education system, because its the teachers who are doing the educating.

My reservations about forming these academies is that we are trying to solve a problem by throwing money at it; a technique that rarely works. Also I would be interested to learn in greater detail what conditions the private sponsors would want to set in return for a contractual agreement. I don't believe there is ever such a thing as a free lunch, and businesses are rarely disposed to charity.

 

I don't think that having private investment will stop liebore from announcing from the rooftops that it is THEY that are spending more money Peter.
Personally I don't think that private investment should be allowed anywhere near our education system unless it is to donate equipment anonymously (sp?)

 

In principle I see little wrong with the rebranding exercise as long as there is a real change in the way the school operates. It has been established by demonstration that failing schools can be turned round by a combination of change in management and minor improvements in funding. As I understand it the added bonus of the Academy (as an aside the term Academy is traditionaly used in Scotland for our equivalent of a Grammar School) branding is that additional and appropriate course and facilities are added which ought to be in itself a good thing in these more deprived areas.

Of course the brand is at present some what tarnished wit it's association with the cas for honours thing, and the suggestion that sponsorship and private funding is fundamentally tarnished.

 

They changed the name of Swilley to North Prospect.
It's still Swilley though with all it's scumbags and chavs.
What's in a name?

 

You can't polish a turd eh Ling!

 

Maxi
To a Scot going to an academy means that you are going to attend a top educational establishment. However in England it means that you will be attending an educational establishment that has failed.

 

Damn right Bruv,
Wrap a turd in Christmas paper, but when you unwrap it............
It's still a turd.
Fat birds in party dresses take note