Great Torrington School takes steps to becoming a 'Foundation School'

A news release by Devon National Union of Teachers has revealed that Great Torrington School is moving towards 'Foundation Status'. They have produced a leaflet '10 things you need to know', which we are publishing here too. To get in contact and involved with the campaign to keep Great Torrington a community comprehensive school, you can email Dave Clinch, the secretary of Devon NUT, at Devnutsec@aol.com.

FOUNDATION STATUS AT GREAT TORRINGTON SCHOOL

10 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

The Head and Governors at Great Torrington School are moving the school towards Foundation status. This poses a real threat to comprehensive education at the school. It will effectively become a private enterprise. The process is irreversible. The legislation prevents the school from reverting to Community School status.

1 DEMOCRACY - Under the legislation the governing body will be less democratic and less representative. Governors elected by parents can be replaced by parents appointed by the foundation.

2 REPRESENTATION - The unions will be negotiating on behalf of members with an employer who may adopt different policies than the Local Authority at a future date.

3 LOCAL AUTHORITY ROLE - There will be a reduced level of support, advice and services. Foundation status is detrimental to the quality of education and the work of the local authority.

4 TERMS AND CONDITIONS - Teachers would transfer under Schoolteachers’ Pay and Conditions. The new arrangements could threaten those terms and conditions in the long term. Support staff are immediately vulnerable.

5 ADMISSIONS - Moving away from the Local Authority admissions procedure could lead to selection. We know that this is a real possibility from the actions of other schools which have taken this step. A good local school for all our children in every community means no barriers to entry.

6 TRANSFER OF PUBLIC ASSETS - The Government describes foundation status as a means to ’promote innovation and educational entrepreneurship’. Government has yet to publish any evidence that supports its arguments that the quality of education is enhanced by acquiring foundation status.

7 DIVERSITY - The proposers promote diversity between schools, which will lead in our view to potential divisions based on class and ability for example. The NUT promotes diversity within schools, in other words a good local school which serves the whole community.

8 FUNDING - The school would continue to be funded on the same basis as before, with the budget formula determined by the Schools Forum which has representatives from all school sectors, governors and trade unions. It is organised by Devon County Council’s school finance officers. There would be more financial requirements on the school and administration would increase, but it would not receive extra funding for this. If the school had a budget problem it would have to deal with it and could not expect extra support from the County Council.

9 LAND AND BUILDINGS - All land and buildings are transferred from the Council to the Foundation School Trustees and held in trust for the purposes of the school. Permission must be sought from the Council to sell off assets and the Secretary of State, who may decide that the local authority can share the proceeds. If the school were closed, ownership of the land and buildings would revert to the Council.

10 WILL THERE BE A BALLOT? - Will all interested parties in the local community be given both sides of the argument at the public meeting on Wed 4 June? Will they be ballotted? No indication has been given that a ballot will be conducted.

Devon NUT has offered to underwrite the cost of an independently run ballot of all 'stakeholders' following a debate, putting the arguments for and against foundation status. As yet there has been no response from the Governing Body. There is nothing in the legislation to say that a school cannot have a ballot.