Anger as observer barred from viewing academy poll count
A LEADING trade unionist is angry that an independent observer has been barred from attending the count of a poll on whether or not a Derby school should become an academy.
Dave Wilkinson, who is the city branch secretary of the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers, said that he had asked the interim executive board at Sinfin Community School that an independent teller be allowed to view the responses and this was rejected.
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Dave Wilkinson, who is the city branch secretary of the NASUWT.
He said: "What has the board got to hide from parents in refusing to allow an independent teller to be present when their responses are counted?
"Parents, the staff and the wider community will be sceptical of any claims of transparency from the board over the outcome of the consultation."
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A consultation over the change was carried out after the Government parachuted an interim executive board into the school, ousting the governing body, to oversee possible academy conversion. The consultation ended last Monday.
A series of meetings has been held over the past four weeks and parents and stakeholders had been asked to vote over whether the school should become an academy under sponsors Greenwood Dale Trust or stay in city council control.
The board is due to report the outcome of the consultation to Secretary of State for Education Michael Gove next Friday.
Mr Wilkinson said: "I have asked for a copy of this, but I am told that this is a matter for the Secretary of State.
"If the board or the Secretary of State refuses to release the report, it is yet another example of Sinfin parents, staff and pupils being ruled by secret central government diktat."
Mr Wilkinson said that parents had expressed concern over the safety of the responses and whether they would be reported fairly.
No-one from the trust or school was available to comment on the situation.
11 Comments
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by Bernithebolt
Friday, February 08 2013, 2:35PM
“Rob09
There was simply no poll count to observe!! It was a wide ranging consultation in many forms. The dodgy practice is asking to observe something that doesn't exist and then when you cannot observe claiming anger and that there is something to hide. That is the depths that this individual is prepared to sink to.”
by Rob09
Tuesday, February 05 2013, 12:45PM
“The lack of transparency inevitably leads one to believe that some dodgy practices are taking place.”
by Bernithebolt
Tuesday, February 05 2013, 11:23AM
“NeilT60.
Clearly not! However, two points, to call an Academy sponsored by Greenwood Dale Trust corrupt is ridiculous. An alternative does not have to be evil or corrupt. The second point is that the current provision is simply not working on many fronts. The most important evidence here is the parents. They are simply voting to go to other schools. A lot are leaving mid year and there are a lot less than 100 first choices for next September. At this rate the parents will have made the decision to shut the school, nobody else!
It is coffee smelling time.”
by NeilT60
Sunday, February 03 2013, 6:43PM
“Berniethebolt:
"Debates over freedom, power and local accountability are meaningless hot air compared to the real issue which is the best possible education for every child."
Really, so you're saying that any system, however corrupt, which delivered good results would be OK?”
by RockofAges
Friday, February 01 2013, 8:50PM
“A sad day for democracy”
by Bernithebolt
Friday, February 01 2013, 8:30PM
“The point is there isn't a poll what would they be observing? It would be like trying to catch steam!”
by JustMyOpinion
Friday, February 01 2013, 6:24PM
“Instead of putting personal attacke on her towards Mr Wilkinson, why isn't anyone focusing on the fact that an independant observer was rejected, surely we should all be questioning why? what are they hiding?, even electorial votes have an independant observer in there..... what are Gove and his cronies trying to hide, are they too scared of being beaten at the poll?”
by Bernithebolt
Friday, February 01 2013, 2:05PM
“NeilT60
You miss the points completely. Firstly the schools are not run from London they are run by themselves directly accountable to their community and in particular the parental community. Do a bad job and they go elsewhere which is exactly what is happening at Sinfin at the moment. This is not centralisation it is further decentralisation!
Secondly, the biggest issue is not who runs the school it is how well it is run and that is where Derby City Council have fallen well short. If the school had been doing well this debate would not be happening! The main reason for this happening is to improve the education for the students. Debates over freedom, power and local accountability are meaningless hot air compared to the real issue which is the best possible education for every child.”
by NeilT60
Friday, February 01 2013, 1:33PM
“For many years, schools in this country were controlled by local councils who were accountable to the local people in elections every few years. Now schools are being turned into academies controlled by an agenda set nationally by Mr Gove and supported by private companies and charities who are accountable to no-one except their shareholders or trustees. And this is being done in the name of giving schools more freedom and parents more power. I can't see how having every school run from London by Mr Gove and his cronies actually achieves either of these aims.”
by Bernithebolt
Friday, February 01 2013, 11:22AM
“Well said Independent!
Mr Wilkinson is hiding behind the term "parents". There are millions of parents, indeed he might be one. No parents at all raised this issue at the official consultation meetings. Apparently they have only raised it with him! This was a consultation in many forms exactly how would an independent observer work?? He is talking nonsense (yet again). The parents had not been asked to vote as part of the consultation! Apparently they were given voting forms at the meeting organised by the unions that hardly any Sinfin parents attended. Is this what Mr Wilkinson calls an election? Mr Mugabe ran better elections than this! The real transparency is the motivation of politically motivated union officials whose jobs are subsidised by funds that should be spent on the education of children.
On the other hand Mr Wilkinson could be an undercover agent of Mr Gove as his actions and words present a very strong case for the school becoming an Academy. If this conspiracy is true I need to say he is doing a fantastic job for Mr Gove. The vast majority of the parents of the school are sick of the teacher unions and their actions. Who could possibly blame them!”