Schools maintained and run by Swindon Borough Council, or academies with their own management will not be pushed, or even encouraged to join up with other s in multi-academy trusts.
Swindon Borough Council’s Conservative cabinet had been expected to discuss and vote on a report which recommended supporting what was seen as central government policy that all schools become academies and part of what Whitehall called “ a family of schools.”
But after an apparent softening of that line by the new Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi, and a letter to the council by the head teachers union the National Association of Herd teachers asking it to rethink, the cabinet report was amended.
Instead of saying the director of children’s services David Haley should: “support the Secretary of State for Education policy decision for all schools to be part of a family of schools and to plan implementation for maintained schools in conjunction with the Regional Schools Commissioner by 2024/25”, the report said Mr Haley should now: “continue to work with schools to explore options and opportunities of school governance structures that will benefit children and young people of Swindon and support a stronger school-led system.”
Having faced a demonstration of members of the teachers’ union the NEU before the meeting against the plan, leader of the council David Renard said it had not been the intention of the council to force any schools to become academies or go into9 multi-academy trusts against their wishes. He said: “We want to take a strategic approach and work with all maintained schools and single academy trusts to look at all the options that are available.”
“We want this to be a partnership approach where no school feels left out and there will be plenty of time to run through any questions or feedback from school leaders.”
Debbie Brown the district and branch secretary of the NEU and a teacher in the borough said: “We don’t want schools to be forced to join MATs. They don’t need to.
“We want our schools to be controlled locally. they are Swindon-based we want them kept local.”
Ms Brown said she and her members were: “Slightly pleased the council has stepped back, a little, but there has not been consultation with the unions. This was presented almost as a fait accomplis,. We’d like it taken of the table completely so a consultation process can go through.”
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