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AIBU?

To be shocked by running schools for profit

25 replies

sleepylampost · 09/02/2013 22:38

Tomorrow's front pages

twitter.com/suttonnick/status/300332600009060352/photo/1

The government have overspent on academy conversions by £1billion - yep that's right 1 billion!! Crazy amounts of money. So now they want to allow academies to be run for profit. I don't feel comfortable with profiteering in the classroom. Everything nowadays seems to be able big business maximising profit- from horsemeat lasagne to schools.

Good schools are being forced to become academies using bullying tactics by the department of education. tinyurl.com/saveroke

When is this madness going to stop? Am I being unreasonable?

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Sirzy · 09/02/2013 22:47

I can't read what the article says but how is a school meant to make a profit? Are we going to see businesses sponsoring schools now?

The focus should be educating children not making money.

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sleepylampost · 09/02/2013 22:59

They want to allow all academies to be run for profit. They are forcing schools all over the country to become sponsored academies. Apparently by 2015 they want all schools to be academies. They are using Ofsted to rubberstamp this by making inspections so tough that at least half of schools will fail and be forced to become academies.

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JenaiMorris · 10/02/2013 07:09

YABU to be shocked. I wouldn't put anything past Gove - he's a loon.

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ohfunnyhoneyface · 10/02/2013 07:27

I felt sick reading that.

How will parents be able to trust schools?

Where is there profit to be made??

Outside catering rules out profit on food, school trips affordability should be paramount NOT making money from children, uniform should be appropriately and affordable- where is the opportunity for profit?

If we allow for businesses to 'sponsor' resources, what are the implications of that? If coco cola, for example, made text books, what effect is the branding going to have on children? If Nike sponsor the PE lessons, how will that change the content of what they are taught?

However- if schools use their existing resources for public use: renting out school grounds to the public, making new buildings multi purpose etc then perhaps profit could be generated that way? Most schools do this already though, and sometimes to the detriment of the running of the school (e.g school events can't happen as external bookings exist or classrooms are damaged or pitches unusable after misuse etc).

Scary times.

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corlan · 10/02/2013 09:11

Another one that thinks YABU to be shocked.

This was always the way the Academies program was heading. Ask yourself why a private company would want to run a school, if not for profit.

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sleepylampost · 10/02/2013 09:20

Yes my eyes have opened. I still think most people are still asleep on this issue. Do we really want the likes of Rupert Murdoch or Burger chains running our schools. I am totally horrified by the prospect.

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Pendeen · 10/02/2013 11:25

Not so bad as exclusive shools like Harrow or Marlborough receiving huge sums in tax relief as so-called 'charities' or embassy and army staff having private school fees paid.

That has been going on for ages.

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Jamillalliamilli · 10/02/2013 12:29

One sadly simple way of making a profit which a (state) school I was involved with did, is lease the building to a private company as part of their buildings portfolio allowing them to value their company higher for shareholders, and the school then rented it back paying more each time it was supposedly 'upgraded'.

The company's then responsible for maintaining it and can apply for public money for building contacts especially as the school was due agreed money because it was in such poor state.

End result was existing buildings falling to pieces, portacabin classrooms to cope with unuseable rooms, and new sports buildings going up on the cheap and rented out, new very fancy incredibly expensive disabled access built with different grant money, but created non wheelchair accessible, but caused schools rent increase, but wheelchair lift can't be fixed because no grant available, most of the buildings left disabled inaccessible as all grant money exhausted on non functioning entrance, but box ticked for disabled accessible. (not if your a child in a wheelchair, but in theory you can go) School now can't get more grants for years because it's had it's lot.

The company had nothing to do with the education of the kids, but poor management used the situation as an excuse for many things including not enough books for even one per two students.

They are now out of the rental contract but the debts left mean the teachers are being expected to spend less than standard non contact hours planning lessons so they can cover having a reduced numbers of teachers to try to lower the significant debts. War is declared, kids education only important for hostage negotiation.

Who benefits? The business. Who loses? Pretty much everyone else, as the ripples expand outwards.

Just one tiny way of how to make money out of involvement in a school without the feared branding direct involvement, but run down the staff, pupils, and actual value of the buildings in the process.

Another is you enlarge another school (2) to take school 1's pupils even though it's not walking distance. Then close school 1, even though there's already too few places in the area and a birth boom. You then knock down school 1 and build more housing using regeneration money, creating an even bigger need for places in a few years, but no available site for a school.


(for anyone who cares, something similar?s being done with many HA properties as well)

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AdriftAndOutOfStardust · 10/02/2013 23:12

The opportunity for profit is simple ohfunny

The school gets circa £4k-£5k per pupil per year from our taxes to educate our children.

If they cut the number of staff, use TAs more, reduce cleaning, reduce more expensive activities (anything creative, science equipment) and can get through the year spending only £3.5k-£4.5k, they would now get to keep the change as profit - whereas previously the budget was "use it or lose it".

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gordyslovesheep · 10/02/2013 23:14

YANBU to be upset but YABU to be surprised - education is big business to most of the companies running academies in the UK - it wont be long before they start going bust - and then the LEA will be expected to sort out the mess

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HollyBerryBush · 10/02/2013 23:17

Harris Academies are the template for this. Mainly in the SE but they are spreading likea dose of sypahills. Ruthless, both with staff and pupils alike. They are a number crunching machine to spit out statistics and results. Little pastoral care of staff or pupils.

not to mention the ridiculous Harry Potter uniform

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sleepylampost · 10/02/2013 23:40

This reply has been deleted

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sleepylampost · 10/02/2013 23:41

How do you know there is little pastoral care? hollyberrybush Where can I find out more?

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montmartre · 11/02/2013 00:27

What exactly did you think the academies programme was for, other than to make profits? (and break the teaching unions)

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ravenAK · 11/02/2013 01:32

Again - where the actual chuff did anyone think this was going?

.

PLEASE wake up.

I'm a teacher, & I think Michael Gove's an unpleasant clown. I'm also a parent, & on that basis, I loathe him on a pretty visceral level.

Gove Must Go Petition

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KateSMumsnet · 11/02/2013 12:12

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KateSMumsnet · 11/02/2013 12:14

[quote sleepylampost]
Please sign our petition
Hullo all,

Just a gentle reminder about our petitions noticeboard

(Had to delete the first post as forgot to format the link - oh the shame!)

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valiumredhead · 11/02/2013 12:15

This was always the way the Academies program was heading. Ask yourself why a private company would want to run a school, if not for profit

Yep!

All the schools where I live are academies, thankfully very good ones atm but I think it'll be a different story in 5 - 10 year's time.

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SPBInDisguise · 11/02/2013 12:18

While I tried to optimistic about the act, this has been on the horizon for a while. Our children's education is a money making exercise and academies are not accountable to local authorities so can get away with a lot more.

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feelokaboutit · 11/02/2013 12:24

Our school (in NW London) is also being forced to become an academy. Our Parent Action Group website is //www.savegladstoneparkschool.blogspot.co.uk (is it ok to have it here? is it just petitions that go on the petition board - though there is a petition within our website Blush).
As people have been saying on the Michael Gove Chinese Burn website, it is time for a revolution. We need to march on Parliament with as many parents and staff from as many schools as possible.

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Pendeen · 11/02/2013 12:25

"This was always the way the Academies program was heading. Ask yourself why a private company would want to run a school, if not for profit"

What's the education sector's biggest asset (if you are a tory or a potential private sector bidder for academies)?

The children? No!
The staff? No!
The opportunity to become involved in the education of future generations? No!

What is the attraction then?

Land

Lots and lots (and lots) of luvverly land

Oh yes, and quite coincidentally (of course) a significant relaxing of planning constraints and some nice juicy housing developments on the horizon.

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feelokaboutit · 11/02/2013 12:30

Yes it is frigtening and yes I think we (I certainly have!) been sleeping!

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FarBetterNow · 11/02/2013 12:30

The NHS is going the same way.
Businesses taking over the running of NHS Trusts (for profit).

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christinarossetti · 11/02/2013 12:45

The parents at Downhills school, North London, were making these arguments well over a year ago.

Because Gove cleverly introduced the forced academy programme under the banner of forcing intervention on 'failing schools', the great majority of schools went to great pains to distance themselves from those marked for forced academisation.

But in the word of Martin Niemoller , 'First they came for the 'failing' schools, but our school wasn't 'failing' so I didn't speak out.... etc'.

Rhonda Evans had just completed her film about 'Acad£mies and Li£s' - you can see it via this link

.
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FarBetterNow · 11/02/2013 13:04

Free Schools are another way of privatising education. They have sold it to us as 'choice', but Free Schools are not under the control of the Local Authority.
The teachers do not need to be qualified.
Oh and they can be run for profit.

The NHS is going the same way, with businesses taking over the running of Trusts.
Basically, businesses will be profiting from Education and Health Care, which are funded by the tax payer, ie the working 'man'.
No dount they will also avoid paying tax on the profts.

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