[mrjonathanr]

I was interested in a question posed by a commentator to Michael Rosen's latest education blog in the Guardian, here.

It's quite startling in its specificity, so I thought I'd quote it in its entirety before ask the great and good of UKB their views on wherein exactly lies the benefit of the academisation which the DfE is forcing through.

HeronsFlight
04 March 2014 8:21am


 Michael Rosen:

This week we have heard that up to 10 academies are are having to be relinquished by one of the academy "chains", and you are looking for new sponsors.

A genuine question.

Under Gove's Academy programme, the land, buildings and assets of the school are transferred - at the taxpayer's expense - into the ownership of whoever runs/sponsors/owns the Academy.

At the school my nephew attends, for example, immediately it became an Academy last September a substantial chunk of the school grounds was sold to Sainsburys for a reported £21 million.
The Academy where my partner teaches is now owned and managed by two limited companies - one which operates the school itself, and the other which manages and markets school facilities to external organisations such as fitness clubs, football teams, adult education providers etc. The current head is the CEO of both companies and a LibDem councillor second in command.

What happens to all this land and assets, then, if the Academy needs to be brought back under the wing of the LEA or a new sponsor is sought?

The accounts of ARK Academies state that "excess funds" are transferred to the Cayman Islands by a stockbroker which just happens to be owned by ARK owner Stanley Fink. According to ARK's accounts, 60% of their funds are now held in the Cayman Islands where they are managed by yet another member of the ARK group, AMML. Fink says these are "underspends", but surely there shouldn't be an "underspend" in an education budget, or if there is why is this money not being returned to the taxpayer?

So, my question is, if an Academy fails what happens to the assets that it now owns, and what if they have been sold off or the money transferred overseas?

There still seems to be a perception that the Academy process is designed to "improve" education whereas it seems the deeper you dig it is little more than an under-the-counter asset transfer swindle

Any thoughts?

[Sloper]

Is there a difference between the current government's Academy regime and the one developed by Labour which included the delivery of education by people who believed in creationism? (genuine question)

As for the question posed, it is simply bizarre to allow what were state assets (unless of course the school was a Church school) to be disposed of as indicated, however I wouldn't treat the Guardian as exactly unbiased!

Whether you agree with the current education policies of the government & Gove it is clear that we have serious problems in the education system and while not every reform will succeed it is clear that doping nothing was not and is not an option.

[gme]

Sloper

What do you suggest we dope? The kids? The teachers?

Surely anything involving dope would be a left leaning policy.

[Offwidth]

Why cant we be more like Finland? Conservative policy hell for sure but it seems to work.

http://www.educationnews.org/international-uk/the-global-search-for-education-a-look-at-a-finnish-school/

[Sloper]

Why cant we be more like Finland? Conservative policy hell for sure but it seems to work.

http://www.educationnews.org/international-uk/the-global-search-for-education-a-look-at-a-finnish-school/

I seem to recall reading something about all things not being quite so rosy in the Finnish garden, but that aside, the reasons why we can't emulate the Finnish or indeed other Scandinavian models is that our society is wholly different.

As for the point about dope, allowing drug use is a libertarian policy which is anathema to the models of social control of the left, of course prohibition has a long and complex history, but it's interesting to note where decriminalisation is happening i.e. Washington & Colorado and the shift in the debate elsewhere.

[Offwidth]

Ah, I see, its our UK culture to accept more interference in education by politicians who dont really know their elbow from their proverbial. I never said Finnish education was utopia, just that it was doing really, remarkably well. Chatting to a Finn last week, the fame has apparently generated more political interest and hence interference..... ho hum.

[Sloper]

Given that we're now TEFL to 'natives' it seems our education system is not entirely beyond reproach; while many politicians are not exactly top drawer it seems that many teachers / schools are distinctly sub optimal.

Or do we for once impose a degree of personal responsibility and blame the parents (or Thatcher depending on your stance)