We call on the governors, councillors, MPs and Lambeth Council to halt the academisation of St Luke’s, Christ Church Streatham and St Leonard’s primary schools. We demand that the consultation process begins again – meaningfully this time - and that all staff and parents get to vote on whether their schools become academies or not, in a full binding ballot.
Why is this important?
We do not believe that the parents, staff and community at St Luke’s, Christ Church Streatham and St Leonard’s were consulted in a meaningful way, as is required by The Education and Adoption Act 2016. We believe the schools failed in their duty to consult parents, staff and the community in order to inform their decision about whether to convert to academy status:
· Many parents were entirely unaware that the school was even considering converting to academy status, something that was due to have happened on April 1st, but has been delayed until May 1st, due in part to National Education Union action.
· Where there were meetings with parents about the plans to academise, many parents felt academisation was presented as a foregone conclusion. Parents were led to believe that the governors had already decided and there was no choice but to academise.
· We have seen no attempt to engage with parents for whom English is not their first language.
· Some parents and staff were led to believe that the schools needed to academise to protect their Christian character – we know that the Christian character of the schools is under no threat as Lambeth maintained Church of England schools.
· Staff were told that nothing would change – we know that terms and conditions for employees of the Southwark Diocesan Board of Education Multi-Academy Trust (SDBE MAT) will be worse than for those previously employed by Lambeth - we do not support the creation of a two tier workforce, where some staff have fewer rights than others.
· Staff unions have raised many questions about the changes to the schools and staff terms and conditions after academisation, these questions have been ignored and remain unanswered.
· Staff have asked for a meeting with Colin Powell (Chief Executive of SDBE MAT) and have had no response.
Again, we call for the plans to convert St Luke’s, Christ Church Streatham and St Leonard’s primary schools to academies to be halted and demand that the consultation process begins again. We call for the following steps to be taken to inform a decision about whether or not the schools should academise:
· Meaningful and accessible parent and community consultation should take place including: a series of well-publicised meetings, with translators for parents for whom English is an additional language, at different times of the day; the provision of written materials in the community languages of the three schools, explaining the perceived benefits and drawbacks of academisaiton and presenting it as an option, not a foregone conclusion.
· An open meeting between staff and parents with Colin Powell (SDBE MAT Chief Executive).
· A full and binding ballot of all staff and parents on whether to academise the three schools.
We, the community, demand to be heard.
