Swanshurst School in Birmingham (Image: Google Earth)

Major change at Birmingham schools sparks petition as parents say 'disaster'

14 Nov 2024, 16:41 by Stephanie Balloo, https://www.facebook.com/MissBalloo/ · Birmingham Live

Concerned parents fear a major change to Birmingham schools will lead to a "disaster for the community" and create "soulless exam factories" in the city. Parents have launched a change.org petition in a desperate bid to stop three schools becoming an academy amid an ongoing row.

Swanshurst School near Kings Heath, Kings Norton Girls' School and Hall Green Secondary School will form West Midlands Academy Trust following almost a year of discussions with staff, parents and the wider community. Earlier this year, Swanshurst staff held strikes over possible 'threats' to employment conditions as a result of the school becoming an academy.

And now, furious parents are fighting back against the plans urging people to sign a petition named: "Stop the Academisation of Swanshurst School." The petition had been backed by nearly 500 people as of November 14, including many who worry the schools will be 'run like businesses' after the change.

Kirstie Paton, who started the petition as her child attends Swanshurst, wrote: “The academisation of the school will be a disaster for the community. It will see the ownership and accountability of our school handed over to a private and unaccountable Multi Academy Trust (MAT).

"There are too many examples of MATs turning our schools into soulless exam factories rather than a place for children and young people to be curious, to learn and enjoy their school experience…There is no evidence to suggest MATs improve the quality of education compared to Local Authority schools.

"We want Swanshurst School to remain a community school, supported by the Local Authority, working in collaboration with schools in the locality, and accountable to its community.”

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Mary Bowen, a retired teacher from Birmingham, added: "I consider Swanshurst to be doing an excellent job and as a former teacher I do not have good experience of schools converting to academies." Jane Zetter added: "I’ve seen what academisation has achieved: higher pay for the Headteacher, more and unnecessary layers of management, increased levels of exclusions, less democratic oversight and a likelihood of being swallowed up by a big MAT. This is privatisation of public assets and just plain wrong."

Hitting back at the claims, Swanshurst School said it was "saddened" by the online petition. A spokesperson for the school said: "We were saddened to see this petition as we have engaged extensively for nearly a year now with parents, staff, and the wider community on our plans to become an academy and be the founding members of a new academy trust with two other like-minded schools.

NEU members gathered with placards outside Swanshurst School in September (Image: NEU)

"It is incorrect to claim that becoming an academy or joining an academy trust is privatisation; academies are state schools like any other, and are accountable to the DfE, to Ofsted and to parents.

"We are proud of the culture and ethos we have built at Swanshurst – one in which students thrive not just academically but as individuals discovering their own passions and talents. As we move into this next phase of our development, we will build on this to ensure that Swanshurst continues to be the special place that it is, and that we continue to provide the very best education that we can, working collaboratively with our partner schools."

Have you been affected by this? We would like to hear from you. You can contact us by emailing stephanie.balloo@reachplc.com