The Conservative County Council’s plan to hand over Unity School to an academy run by Mr David Ross is due to come to the County Council’s cabinet this month. With the council’s plans to transfer Weston Favell school to an academy collapsing in chaos with the government pulling the rug from the United Learning Trust, many questions now remain over the proposal to hand over Unity to the David Ross foundation.

Lib Dems will continue to make the point that academies are being imposed on Northampton schools by a Labour Government and a Conservative County Council without the support of the people who use the school. It is time our schools were given the support and the stability to do the job without constant meddling from outside.

The County Council’s plan to hand over Unity college to an academy run by Carphone warehouse boss David Ross is subject to consulatation this month (November). Dates include:-

11th November Public information open day

17th November Public consultation meetings

27th November consultation ends

8th December Cabinet decision on the issuing of statutory notice of closure.

9th March 2010 Cabinet decision to close school and open an academy

You can email your views to the County Council at nccacadconsultation@northamptonshire.gov.uk and for more information visit www.northamptonshire.gov.uk/unity

Unity (formerly Trinity) School has been through years of disruption caused by external interference. Firstly, Kingsley Park Middle school was closed and incorporated in the school. Then it was decided to turn the school into a Church school led by the Church of England, then the old Trinity School was demolished and the new school built over two years. With all of this change, the school’s performance has deteriorated, but most recently with a new head teacher exam results have started to improve. What Unity now desperately needs is a period of stability to create a stable learning environment for its pupils.

It’s time for the County Council to show confidence in the leadership of the school, not force yet another upheaval

The founder of Carphone Warehouse, David Ross has won the competition to take over Unity College as an academy.

Andrew and Richard have both spoken against the plans pushed through by Conservative County councillors at the first opportunity since they were re-elected. ’The Conservatives have shown little interest in the views of parents, pupils or teachers at the school’ said Richard Church.  Mr Ross already runs one school in Grimsby which is performing little better than Unity. How can we have any confidence that he knows as much about running a school as selling mobile phones?

Despite overwhelming opposition from pupils, parents, teachers; governors and the local community at Unity College, the County Council are going ahead with the next stage of fast tracking Unity to become an academy.

I attended the meeting, together with parents, pupils and teachers, where the Council’s cabinet member for schools, Conservative Councillor Joan Kirkbride made the decision to go ahead. There were many excellent conributions from those who spoke, and no-one had a good word to say about the proposal, or the botched consultation that has happened so far.

With the support of at least 7 other councillors, I am going to ask that the decision is ‘called in’ for examination by the councils scrutiny committee.

With a new head and new buildings, Unity desperately needs a period of stability in which it can work to improve. Now is not the time to be fast tracked into another organisational shake up with little evidence that it will achieve anything that cannot be done under the current arrangements.

Andrew Simpson and I attended a meeting for parents and residents about plans to turn Unity College into an academy. This means the school would close as a Church of England Secondary School funded through the County Council and re-open as a Church of England Academy.

There was strong opposition to the plan from the parents present, who spoke in support of the existing head teacher, who has been in post for less than a year, but would be replaced under this proposal. There were also concerns (voiced by both Andrew and Richard) that the proposal would weaken the schools links with the local community , and that it was being proposed only to tackle a large defecit in the schools budget.

See my earlier post for more info.

Plans have been announced to turn Unity College into a Church of England academy school. Consultation is underway on these proposals, and they can be viewed at www.pcaaun.org . A campaign opposing the plan has been established, and their website is http://www.saveunitycollege.org.

There is a public meeting on the proposal on 7th January 6pm-7.30pm at the school.

I have written to the County Council to object. The proposal is that 50% of places at the school will be reserved to children whose parents express a preference for a Church of England education. I believe this is divisive and discriminatory against those of other faiths and none. Only 600 places will remain for the whole of central area of Northampton for those who want to send their children to a local mixed sex school and who do not express a wish for a specifically Church of England based education.

Kingsley needs a good local secondary school which treats everyone fairly, regardless of their religious faith. We need a school which serves its local community, that children can access without having to be driven miles across Northampton.

You can take part in the consultation on thse plans whether you are a parent at the school or not.

The County Council has decided to market the site of Raeburn Special School after the school has moved to its new site at Tiffield. Local residents are campaigning to keep the site for community use. There are no childrens play areas or community facilities in the area. The Focus team are supporting the campaign and Richard Church has spoken up at a recent County Council meeting in support of a petition presented by local community activist Karen Lennon.