Another Tory u-turn - this time it's schools

nabby

No. That's a big assumption I just wanted to understand some context to your non-plussed position on this. Are your kids in academy schools? Do you have a position on academy schools in general?

Member 581642

My kids are no longer at school but my girlfriend is a teacher in an academy, and through my work with the CIC i am regular contact with academies.

However my point wasnt about academies as such just the language used when talking about Government decisions, we ask them to take notice of public opinion but then use it as a stick to beat them with should they then change position to reflect this.

I have mixed opinions on Academies as i have seen the mess LEAs can make, as well as well run LEA schools. However comments like @Pisto_Grih about a land grab add nothing to the discussion when it is factually incorrect.

nabby

And if the Government had made a considered decision after consulting then I'd be happy.

I have a child in a foundation infant school that is rated outstanding and another that will start at the same school in 2 years time. My wife is also a governor at a local secondary school that is LEA controlled (the only one in the borough now) and the school has been recently rated as good by OFSTED.

I just don't see the benefit of Government making decisions about education on the fly, throwing out a policy and defending it to the hilt for 6 weeks then suddenly dropping it because they have made an error. If we all ran our lives like that, whether at work or at home, it would be farcical. We should hold the Government to higher standards.

Member 581642

My point however is still at least they did change. Maybe that's a way forward in politics

IronGiant

The school my children attend chose to become an Academy, and even as a parent,  if you didn't know, you wouldn't notice any difference from when it was LEA run.

pandemic

Nobody would really care if the u-turn was a one off, but there have been loads. We're probably number well over 50 since 2010.

tapzilla2k

They don't have the votes to carry this through the Commons (and probably not the Lords either) so it's a pragmatic decision to avoid the hassle and humiliation of losing a vote on the issue to Corbyn's Labour and Tory rebels. I expect they will attempt to reintroduce it at a later date in a revised form.
So therefore it is a U Turn and a sign of what's to come for the leadership of the Tory Party if they can't get Tory MP's on board or opposition MP's to vote for controversial policies.

la gran siete

I have to say I dont mind a government doing a U turn if its an acknowledgement that they have a got particular policy wrong, which it undoubtedly was given the weight of opposition

Enki

Wow, no wonder there is no money to invest schools or to pay teachers their true worth, £150,000 plus a year to pay senior staff in academy schools, believe one is getting £440.000. Free schools alright free to print money as well.

Academy trusts use public money to pay “unjustifiably" high salaries to bosses, MPs warn

domtheone

Yup. Outrageous at the top isn’t it.  Be it public or private.