There are some worries that need to be addressed with regard to the academy and the effect on other local schools. An academy works under different rules to a normal school and as such it makes it easier to exclude pupils permanently. This then puts the pupils in the care of the LEA. The LEA is then forced to place these pupils in to a school that they have control over even if it is already full. This allows the academy to throw out kids not performing, being disruptive or for any other reason for the most trivial ‘offence’.

 This will therefore put pressure on all of the other local schools, being forced to take on the pupils that Douggie doesn’t want, and also creating more problems for the likes of Walney, Dowdales and St Bernards. This really is not good for them or the kids in them.

The following is an extract from a person in the know regarding academy procedures.

Academies have a different governing body – a small group of directors – expect little or no input from teachers, parents, local elected councillors.

The LEA has no power over the academy. You can only complain to the directors who always back the Principal – so complain to the DCSF. The funding agreement states what the academy has to do – DCSF don’t like it if the academy does not keep to the agreement.

A lot of DCSF rules state that academies should have ‘compatible/similar’ policies to state schools. Trinity always used this to try to do things differently, openly saying it was entitled to be different. Expect a lot of arrogance to cover the bluffing.

It is very difficult to get information on academies – they are free from most requirements of the Freedom of Information Act. I only got some exclusion data because the Liberal Democrat spokesman on education asked a parliamentary question and got a written answer !

Exclusion is easier for academies with no LEA interference. Educational Welfare Officers (EWO) are allocated to academies but usually ignored over exclusions. Schools and academies have to have permanent exclusions (expulsions) checked by a panel of governors/directors. The LEA will send an officer to a state school panel to offer advice and see fair play. This does not happen in academies which exclude twice as many pupils as state schools. If the expulsion is upheld there is then a right of independent appeal for parents. An LEA arranges the appeal  at a state school but academies arrange their own. Trinity tried to avoid giving parents a chance of independent appeal. LEAs monitor exclusions at their schools but not at academies. Academies pressurise pupils to leave before being expelled. The LEA is not aware that they are not in school as the academy fails to tell them and they slip through the net. Some pupils at Trinity left this way and worked for their parents from age 14 with the LEA unaware.

Academies often try to avoid taking special needs pupils and those with behavioural problems because they will not contribute to raising exam results. They can resist LEA pressure about special needs provision.

Teachers should beware. If you sign up with the academy the conditions of service are totally different, even if the pay may be slightly better. Trinity removed a number of staff for apparently no good reason with little notice. Some got pay-offs but signed silencing agreements to not comment on what happened. Teachers are often expected to work in holidays/at weekends. Trinity runs detentions on Saturdays/in school holidays. Trinity expects children who take holidays in term time to make up the time during school holidays – so teachers are needed to supervise them.