I spoke in the House of Commons about the changes to Education which were made in the 2016 Budget. I am concerned about how schools, particularly rural primaries, will function away from LEA management and whether the administrative burden on undertaking all aspects of school management will be too great and will detract from teaching. I am also concerned about more upheaval at a time when both primary and secondary schools are getting their heads around current changes which have been asked of them. I do, however, welcome moves which will allow secondary schools, such as Claverham and St Richards which are ranked by Ofsted as outstanding, to decide for themselves whether to open 6th Forms. Only one of my five secondary schools has a 6th Form and the lack of competition and choice is a concern for me.
My speech is copied below. The written speech was longer than the video of the delivered speech due to time constraints from the chair. It is right that Parliament scrutinises the implications of breaking up the LEA structure for schools who have not, to date, opted to become Academies. I intend to spend time going through the White Paper and making recommendations as a result.
http://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/84aace73-5756-4b3b-b291-206bee25c97e?in=16:00:11&out=16:05:07
Written Speech (Thursday 17 March)
Whilst the Budget has caused various headlines, the real change of note for me was the decision to force Academy Status on our Schools.
Since being elected as the MP for Bexhill and Battle constituency in East Sussex, I have visited a 'School a Week', which gives me the opportunity to discuss with heads, staff and children what they want from their schools. I have visited almost 50 schools already and I do not recall this being a particular ask of them. Of my five secondary schools, only one is an Academy. This previously failing school has made me somewhat open-minded about Academies. When constructed 6 years ago, it was decided to build classrooms (or pods) for 90 students. In such a large space students needed a microphone to ask a question. Being situated in a ward which is ranked within the bottom 5% of the country for deprivation, where access to good education is key, one has to question the wisdom of this design. It soon became clear that this method of teaching caused some pupils to shrink in to themselves and for behaviour to deteriorate. The situation became so bad that, thanks to our new Head, a visionary leader, £6m was awarded by the Department of Education to turn the pods into smaller classrooms (just six years after the new-build was completed). This money from the Government was welcome and, under the new Head, the school is being transformed. However, I feel this should never have been allowed to happen. The £6m would have been better spent improving the ageing facilities for my neighbouring schools which are ranked as outstanding despite their buildings being poster-children for the 1950s.
This is not to say that I do not recognise the virtues of schools operating outside of LEA control, I just happen to be an advocate of choice. I also happen to believe that, call it a Free School, LEA School or Academy, the key is having the right leadership in place and the good times then tend to follow. Prior to moving to East Sussex 10 years ago, I spent 5 happy years as a Governor of the Phoenix High School in White City. This school, where there were over 50 different languages of first choice and a high proportion of free school meals, had just 9% of its pupils achieve 5 grades at A-C compared to a national average of over 50%. Our new head, William Atkinson, was empowered by his team of Governors to transform the school and he did so by strong leadership, discipline and an expectation of excellence from staff and pupils. I spent many an hour dealing with disciplinary procedures as another child would be excluded for a period of time. That Head transformed the school from one which a parent would not wish to consider to being a centre of pride. The GCSE comparison went from 9% to over 60% and the head is now Sir William Atkinson. I recall that we did not have too much time for the services offered by our LEA and it was no surprise that our school became an Academy.
I make this point because it is proof that some schools work brilliantly as Academies but they should not be seen as the silver bullet. The need for a good leader, excellent staff, a committed board of governors and support is key for any school to thrive. East Sussex County Council has a good recent track record for delivering for its schools. A recent decision, in a part of my constituency with falling rolls, has been made to keep two small village schools open by remodelling resources from larger schools. I will be interested to see how these same small schools can operate without their LEA being able to move money from one model to another.
Ultimately, however, I am excited by the ability of schools to make their own decisions. Of my five secondary schools, only one has a sixth form. Two are ranked as outstanding but their pupils have to leave at 16 years old. One of these schools, Claverham School in Battle, requires its children to leave their town at 16 years old and travel long distances to study A Levels. I would like these schools to be able to make their own decisions on expansion and not be told by the LEA that they have to fit to a wider model. If Academies allow this to happen then I can see the positives. However, we should be mindful that the considerable support, which a good LEA can provide, will need to be found from elsewhere, particular with our small primary schools in mind. I look forward to scrutinising the White Paper to this end.
Yesterday I happened to be meeting pupils from Herstmonceux Primary School straight after the Budget and was able to tell them the exciting news that they may be required to study Maths until the age of 18 years old. I did not detect a huge amount of excitement at this news but I do recognise the desire, fuelled by feedback from our employers, that our young people should have the basics of maths and education covered when being ready for the workplace. Much is made of this country learning from attainments from South East Asia. However, this is not Singapore, it is Britain. As well as my children mastering Maths and English, I want them to explore the creative subjects which has allowed their fellow countrymen and women to become global leaders, inventors, entrepreneurs, explorers and pioneers. I am concerned about the squeeze in the curriculum for creative subjects such as art, drama, design and technology. I hear this repeatedly on my 'school a week' visits and I experience it with my weekly homework sessions with my own children.
Ultimately, and I would say this as a son of a teacher, if we could give heads and teachers more freedom to do their jobs and inspire our children, we may surprise ourselves and find the need to dictate to become less of an imperative. Having said that, I recognise the need to ensure that every school delivers the best for its pupils. I failed my 12+ and went to a secondary modern, as opposed to the grammar school next door, and the lack of aspiration is something which I will never forget. The ethos seemed to be that we had failed so there was little point in aiming high. I was fortunate in that I went on to study at 6th Form, got my As and went to University and Bar School. Many of my peers were not as fortunate and were written off academically. The Department of Education should always be there to ensure that schools do not have the freedom to write off their pupils' hopes and dreams but this should not mean that the creativity of teaching in good schools is suffocated by central diktat. If Academies are a nod to that direction then I will be a supporter.