BUDGET 2016: Education response
Academies
The regional schools network, SCHOOLS NorthEast, today said converting every school in the region to academies must be carefully managed to avoid mass disruption to pupils’ education.
SCHOOLS NorthEast said 80% of the 1,250 schools in the region are currently not academies and will need to change their status by 2022 to meet the Government’s programme of academisation.
Mike Parker, Director of SCHOOLS NorthEast, said: “The Government has been vocal for some time now that it will end the era of local authority involvement in education. A number of schools have already chosen to take greater control of their own destiny, while some underachieving schools have been converted to academies. But, this only accounts for 1 in 5 of all schools in the region. Logistically, turning around 1,000 schools into academies is a huge undertaking that will have to be carefully managed to avoid mass disruption to pupils’ education.”
NOTE: SCHOOLS NorthEast is a registered charity, set up by schools, for schools, in 2007, to help schools to work collaboratively to ensure the best possible outcomes for children in the region. It is system-agnostic – supporting state-maintained schools, academies, free schools, independent schools and UTCs – regardless of size, scope or which part of the North East they are based.
Sugar levy funding for schools
The Chancellor’s plans to levy a sugar tax which will be ring-fenced to increase in primary school sports and which secondary schools can bid to fund opportunities for pupils at the end of the school day were welcomed.
Mr Parker said: “The health and wellbeing of pupils is a focus for schools. Levying funds from sugar-laden soft drinks and reinvesting it in school sports and associated activities is very welcome. Schools will need confidence that this funding will materialise. Evidence of so-called ‘sin taxes’ abroad suggests limited impact so it remains to be seen if the Government will raise the expected £0.5bn and how it will support schools in the long run.
“If the Government uses funding to give secondary schools the option to offer to engage and support pupils beyond the core day then that is a positive move. If it is demand driven, it opens the opportunity for schools to drive innovation, particularly to support pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds to succeed.
“It is essential the Government ensures there is sufficient capacity to stretch the school day without harming the wellbeing of people working in schools, particularly at a time when the country is facing a worsening teacher shortage. We are already seeing some schools in the region asking teachers to take classes in more than one subject to cope in areas where they struggle to recruit. If more is expected of existing teachers it will cut into marking and lesson preparation time and create greater workloads.”
Northern Powerhouse education report
SCHOOLS NorthEast backed the Chancellor’s move to appoint Sir Nick Weller to produce a report on driving up education standards across the Northern Powerhouse region.
Mr Parker said: “The Government has repeatedly stressed its commitment to the North. Our concern has, to date, been that the Northern Powerhouse doesn’t appear to stretch much beyond the M62 corridor. SCHOOLS NorthEast was created in 2007 to give schools a voice in regional and national strategies and we will support Sir Nick Weller in his work to ensure there is strong North East representation.”