The Live Wire



Press Release

'Masive investment in school buildings eradicating the 80's legacy of neglect of decay' says NASUWT

7 September 2009

Commenting on the announcement by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) of the target of 200 academies being reached, the removal of the £2million sponsorship requirement for academies and the 120 Building Schools for the Future schools now open, Chris Keates, General Secretary of the NASUWT, the largest teachers' union in the UK, said:

"Buried in the hype around the academies' programme is the real good news story of hundreds of schools being refurbished and dozens of new school buildings being opened today.

"Thousands of pupils and staff will now have state of the art buildings and facilities befitting 21st century schools. Massive investment in education in the last decade is at last beginning to eradicate the legacy of dilapidated, neglected and decaying school buildings which characterised the education service in the 1980s.

"There is, however, much less cause for celebration about the announcements surrounding academies.

"The removal of the £2million sponsorship requirement simply formalises the recent practice adopted by Government. The meeting of the 200 target of the number of academies is old news.

"Revamping the selection criteria for sponsors provides an opportunity for the Government to add the long overdue requirement for sponsors to abide by the national framework of teachers' pay and conditions of service and to recognise trade unions.

"However, it is time to remove the rose tinted spectacles which politicians from all parties appear to wear when they look at academies. There is no evidence to demonstrate that academies do any better or worse than the generality of schools or that handing over governance and management and previously public assets to sponsors makes any material difference to the standard of education.

"The Brown Government has had the courage to reign in some of the worst aspects of the academy programme and it should now take the final steps necessary to protect the future of state education."



Press releases, papers and documents published on this page are the intellectual property of an organisation unrelated to Central Lobby. We promote their parliamentary and political campaigning activities as they are subscribers to the Central Lobby service.

As such, Central Lobby does not edit, endorse, or attempt to balance the opinions expressed on this page. The content of press releases and other such types of content are the responsibility of the originating organisation.

More from Dods

© Dods Parliamentary Communications Ltd