• Todmorden High School
    The school has been promised money from both the council and the government again and again and they have still received nothing. Schools in Halifax have great facilities and yet Tod High is consistently ignored. The school has recently received 'Good' from Ofsted and has moved from being in the bottom 5% to the top third of schools in the country in just two years. This year the school is being asked to make £150,000 of cuts - How is this possible?
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    Created by Chloe Beale
  • STOP THE DEMOLITION OF MARLBOROUGH SCHOOL, SW3 (Draycott & Sloane Avenue)
    BREAKING NEWS! The Department for Education have advised that NO application was made by the Council for disposal of school land. The School Assets Team has informed us that they have now written asking for an application to be made. The original planning brief was to upgrade the existing school but now the council has approved plans to demolish it entirely and build offices and shops on a large part of the land. These offices and shops will account for up to 75% of the additional m2 created (compared to 25% additional m2 for the school) and will generate revenue for the council. The Architects Appraisal Panel has strongly advised against this use of the space. The Victorian Society objected, as did Resident Associations and other campaigners spearheaded by Julian Lloyd Webber to have Marlborough listed, but the Council ignored them and granted planning permission anyway. English Heritage, in their report, say that they received representations against listing Marlborough from both the local authority and the planning developers. Julian Lloyd Webber said: "This is dreadful news. It will be a crying shame if this beautiful and historic building is demolished because the listing came too late. Once it's gone it's gone. It is a truly desperate situation and indeed a murky one as far as I'm concerned. When you have a company as big as John Lewis involved who already have a phenomenal amount of power in that area, my suspicions are raised. It shouldn't be about big business which prices everybody but the Russian Oligarchs out of South Kensington. "The plans for the new school are completely out of character for the area. The existing Marlborough school building is beautiful and totally in keeping with the area. And what about the children? For four years, which is one child's whole primary school life, they will have to go to an interim school on the clearings site. This is far from ideal. It is a murky business." James Hughes from the Victorian Society said: "In terms of an official response, I would express our deep disappointment at the outcome of the Committee discussion. The building is handsome, impressive and expresses the pride inherent in a structure that was intended to serve a public good. It has functioned adequately for over 130 years, and could very well continue to do so. The decision is short-sighted and one that in time will be regretted. It is a building which should be used and cherished and this part of London will be architecturally poorer and less interesting for its loss." IT HAS BEEN REPORTED THAT JOHN LEWIS HAS ALREADY CASHED OUT OF THE CLEARINGS DEVELOPMENT, THIS HAS ALLEGEDLY BEEN BOUGHT BY MIKE ASHLEY. FOR PRESS & BLOG ARTICLES, PLEASE CLICK ON LINKS BELOW: http://www.kcwtoday.co.uk/2015/06/17/local-residents-and-parents-fight-to-save-marlborough-primary-school-building/ http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/news/west-london-news/petition-halt-demolition-victorian-school-9294290 http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/news/local-news/victorian-school-demolished-after-john-6333737 http://fromthehornetsnest.blogspot.co.uk/ https://savemarlborough.wordpress.com/
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    Created by JANE SOLOMON Picture
  • Save Trade Union Studies in Stoke
    For over forty years thousands of dedicated trade union members have benefited from the educational opportunities provided to them by the Trade Union Studies Unit at Stoke on Trent College. Not only have the courses students have undertaken benefited them personally they have also benefited countless thousands of their colleagues in hundreds of workplaces across North Staffordshire, regardless of whether they are trade union members or not. The training has led to safer workplaces. Where well trained health and safety reps are present accident rates & fatalities at work are considerably lower than in workplaces with no health and safety trade union rep. What could be more important than protecting your health and safety at work? It's not something to take for granted and it requires dedicated well trained volunteers, like trade union reps to make sure that it happens in your workplace! Industrial relations are better & disputes avoided where you again have well trained, confident trade union reps in place able to work directly with employers. This saves millions of pounds every year to our economy by avoiding unnecessary conflict. This couldn't be achieved without reps having access to quality training. As things stand we face the very real prospect of losing a vital local cog not only in adult education but also one that directly benefits the economy of North Staffordshire and plays an indirect part in helping to deliver safer workplaces for us all. Without the Trade Union studies Unit at Stoke College it will be far more difficult for reps, who have your best interest in the workplace at heart, to access training. Reps will have to travel much further afield to gain the skills & knowledge they need which will be a significant barrier to their learning which not only lets them down but also lets their colleagues down. Colleagues no doubt like you. With the imminent closure of the Trade Union Studies Unit at Derby College the area along the A50 corridor from Stoke to Derby and beyond will also have no dedicated facility for the training of trade union reps. Rather than closing the unit at Stoke the college should be actively seeking to secure it's long term future and embracing the opportunity to fill the void which will be left when the unit at Derby closes. Please don't allow the management of Stoke on Trent College to shut what is such a valuable education resource. Without it your life and livelihood could be put at risk.
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    Created by Justin Ashton
  • Save Totton College for local students!
    Totton College has announced it is stopping A'Levels as of this September, obviously this affects both current students and new intake meaning locals will need to find new courses at either Brockenhurst, Tauntons or similar. This will of course involve an expensive bus fare and also affects staff who face redundancy and questions the future of the college as a whole.
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    Created by Joanna Tidbury
  • Protect Inclusion at Norfolk Nurseries
    Nurseries who have children with additional needs can apply for funding to provide that child with additional support such as a one-to-one. Funding was applied for in advance of the term so the setting secured finances to employ staff as required. However from the summer term 2015 the panel will not be held until much later in the term, this term it will be June. This puts not only a financial burden on the nursery to provide the support necessary but there is a financial risk as it is not guaranteed that funding will be granted or they might not receive the level of funding applied for. Therefore nurseries might decide they can no longer offer places to children with additional needs. My 4 year old son has Downs Syndrome and has one-to-one Support as he is not verbal and communicates with sign. He also has no concept of danger and will run if he senses freedom so to have that allocated adult to supervise him is essential. However his nursery is a charity and doesn't really have the spare funds or profit to employ staff for most of a term and the financial risk of having children with additional needs must be a factor for their future. We have friends who have children with additional needs who had issues with the level of support their child has as the nursery have not been able to secure the full level of funding. If nurseries feel unable to offer places to children with additional needs then they miss out on valuable experiences and friendships with their peers and preparation for transition into school. Children in the nursery miss out on the joy of interacting with diverse abilities and experiences. Parents of children with additional needs miss out on important down time to recharge and get things done. The only benefit is keeping money in the council coffers for a few months. At what cost I ask! Please take the time to sign so all children can access nursery in Norfolk.
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    Created by Anne-Marie Nicholls Picture
  • SAVE CASTLE NURSERY SCHOOL
    Both my sons went to Castle Nursery School a few years ago and I can't tell you how amazing this nursery is, they gave my boys the very best start to their school lives and Ofsted rate them as 'outstanding' too. Our children deserve the best as they only get one chance. Every parent should have the choice to send their children to and outstanding provider if they wish. But not only this Castle Nursery is also in the Arboretum Ward which is the most disadvantaged area in Derby and currently does not have enough childcare places for the children living in the ward. Derby City Council should be making residents aware that they can access this oustanding nursery not taking it away just because families don't know about the nursery or don't know they are entitled to 15hrs free childcare. Please help me make Derby City Council accountable for their decisions and make it known that we are not going to let them take away yet another invaluable provision just because they have mismanaged their budget. Thank you
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    Created by GM Hall
  • Make sign language part of the National Curriculum
    Making sign language part of every child's experience will help to reduce the exclusion of deaf and speech impaired children and adults, but the benefits will be to all children e.g. on brain development, vocabulary, empathy and expressiveness and to society generally e.g. more inclusion, increased understanding between deaf and hearing communities and individuals.
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    Created by Susan Brain
  • British Sign Language to be taught in Schools
    I have created this petition because I believe BSL should be taught as a language in school. My daughter was born profoundly deaf she is 11weeks old and I would love for her to grow up in a world where hearing people are more excepting and understanding of deaf people and deaf culture. Why should it be deaf people that have to struggle to lip read, be left confused when people around them are talking, risk major surgery to stand a chance of some hearing threw implants, when we could so easily fit into their world by learning to sign. Help make this happen, stand up for the deaf community, accept deaf people have a right to fit in and be understood. Make a better future for my daughter and all deaf children like her. Thank you.
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    Created by Laura Cowden
  • Save The Vic
    The Vic Studios is the only public building with a recording studio kitted out with it's own equipment in; with the pending removal of music from the National Curriculum, it is imperative that other means of accessing music is available to young people. Also see https://www.facebook.com/groups/savethevicstudioswrexham/ for updates.
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    Created by Ethan Jones
  • SAVE HACKNEY'S OLD BOATERS' SCHOOLHOUSE!
    It is important to celebrate and commemorate the social history of the past and the community education of the future. The site has English Heritage and National Lottery Funded support to proceed forward with a preservation project and more support is forthcoming! The freeholder and Hackney Council promised the site as a Heritage and Arts Centre as early as 2009, but are now reneging on that promise in acquiescing to the freeholder's desires to profit from the site's transfer to residential use. If you have time, register your support in favour of saving the building for Heritage Community use to: [email protected]. And - if you are a Hackney resident - write to your local ward councillor! Stop the Greed! Save the Schoolhouse!
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  • Stop Cuts to Funding for Grammar Schools in Southend
    Four outstanding grammar schools in Southend (Southend High School for Boys, Southend High School For Girls, Westcliff High School for Boys, and Westcliff High School For Girls) are facing an urgent funding crisis as budget forecasts show that they will not be able to cover costs of all their lessons in the next few years due to loss in government funding. This means young adults of high academic ambition and excellence from all backgrounds in the local area are having their education negatively affected. These four schools, as well as many other successful schools around the country, have long accepted a lower rate of funding because of their grammar school status. All schools have regularly received 'Outstanding' Ofsted reports and this success is in jeopardy. These schools are facing severe cuts and have had to introduce cost cutting measures including increasing class size, reducing class equipment and staff and reducing the number of subjects taught to pupils. These schools have survived and prospered for over a century and through two world wars. They have produced some of the brightest talents in the country in various industries. We must fight to keep up this prestige and continued excellence in some of our best schools. Forti Nihil Difficile (To the brave, nothing is difficult)
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    Created by Mitchell Smith
  • Save the Post-Compulsory Education and Training (PCET) course at UWE
    If you value the quality of further education in Bristol and the South West then we need to save this fantastic course that routinely develops and delivers excellent new teachers. These Level Seven graduates find employment within our local colleges, some of which include: 
Bridgwater College City of Bath College City of Bristol College- All campuses SGS Filton/Wise Swindon New College Weston College Wiltshire College The proposed closure of this course at the University of the West of England means that not only will local graduates have to travel further afield to Cardiff or Plymouth to take this course, but that our local colleges will have less and less highly qualified new teachers to employ within the area. Unfortunately it is not a government requirement to hold a Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) to teach in FE colleges, but more and more colleges are seeking this in new staff so that their students get the BEST teachers. Please sign this to show your support for QUALITY education from QUALIFIED teachers. Thank you very much, your support is heartily appreciated.
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    Created by Liberty Tavener