IN A desperate move to revive Labour’s failing private academies scheme, education secretary Ed Balls has announced that the government is dropping the £2 million sponsorship criteria.
Previously, academy schools were expected to get their private sponsors, ie rich business figures, corporations, religious charities, even other private schools, to ‘invest’ £2 million to finance the building of a new school while the government stumped up another £25 million or so. In return, the sponsor can choose most of the school’s governing body and also control its ‘ethos’ .
Academy schools seem to be ‘failing’ at as high or higher rate than ordinary secondary schools they are meant to replace.
Academy sponsorship is an even worse idea now during the recession. In June, the socialist reported that 60 of the 85 privately sponsored academy schools that were financed under the original academies deal had not received the funds expected from their private sponsors.
New Labour’s privatisation schemes in education or other public services have been a disaster for workers and the public alike. We need a new workers’ party that says no to academies and fights for a well-financed, publicly run and financed education system.
