Council defends academy proposals

A council, responding to a union claim it is being "blackmailed" into opening an academy, said such schools "must be part of a wider solution" for pupils.

An NASUWT secretary said he understands Staffordshire County Council was told unless there is an academy, a bid for school funding may not work.

Bill Howell, the union's Staffordshire secretary, was speaking after its annual conference looked at the issue.

The council said no decisions have yet been made.

In a statement, it said: "Academies will form part of the consultation process for the BSF (Building Schools for the Future) programme but as yet no decisions have been made about specific options.

"Academies must be part of a wider solution that offer improved options for young people that help to transform education in Staffordshire."

Voted to condemn

Mr Howell said: "The national Schools Commissioner approves any bids for Building Schools for the Future money.

"He is reported as saying that it is unlikely that any bid from anywhere will succeed unless there's an academy. That's an open secret.

"The government have denied there's any connection between academies and BSF money."

Delegates from the union voted to condemn the government's programme to expand the number of these schools at its conference in Birmingham.

The NASUWT claims some councils are using school reorganisations as a "Trojan horse" to bring in academies.

Its conference agreed staff in schools set to become academies should ballot for industrial action if they opposed the change.

The teachers' union opposes academies' independence from pay and conditions agreed for teachers at a national level.

They say switching a school to Academy status puts public assets into private ownership, reduces local accountability, allows private sponsors to dictate areas of the curriculum and threatens union representation.