Rhodesway teachers and parents, supported by colleagues from other schools, staged a silent demonstration at a Council meeting at City Hall on June 26th. Councillors turned their attention to the public gallery as banners and placards were held aloft.

“ Rhodesway School Not For Sale”

“Public Money, PrivateProfit”

were the messages on the banners. This goes to the core of the teachers’ and parent’s objections to the plan to turn the school into an Academy.

Academies in general have not, to date, performed well in terms of improving results or behaviour. But even if they had (and they ought to have given the vast amount of public money spent on them), and even if none of them weeded out many of their more difficult pupils (who then go to other schools), and even if none of them taught “Creationism” as Science, there would still be serious concerns about accountability. If turned into an Academy, Rhodesway would effectively be taken out of local democratic control and handed over to a group of unelected individuals.

Please send messages of support to the NUT reps at the school: Chris Cheetham and Denis White.