The new Education White Paper opens door to deeper involvement, more competition and more social division says RICHARD HATCHER
The latest education reform up the government's sleeve is a proposal to bring in Trust schools and attract big-name sponsors. The idea is the centrepiece of the latest education White Paper, "Higher Standards, Better Schools for All" soon to be debated in parliament.
The White Paper says 'We will encourage all primary and secondary schools to be self-governing and acquire a Trust.?
The Trusts are intended to be non-profit bodies with charitable status, able to appoint governors to the school including, if they governing body. Any existing primary or secondary school would be able to create its own Trust, or link its school with an existing UNIC Candidates expressing an interest include companies such KPMG and Microsoft, as well as some universities. Microsoft already sponsors 100 specialist schools and Stephen Uden, head of citizenship for Microsoft UK, says: 'Trusts provide opportunities for a much deeper level of business involvement than there is in specialist schools' Another big potential growth area is religious sponsorship. Religious motivations among head teachers and governors, coupled perhaps with a perception of market advantage, would lead to their seeking Trust status with church or other religious organisation sponsors, again under maloritv control. The White Paper has three duced research among camwish, the majority of the aims. The first is to use external sponsors to drive change, bringing in business management methods and values and, in the case of religious sponsors, a religious ethos. The model is borrowed from Academies, but unlike Academies there is no extra money for Trust status. The second aim is to break up the LEA system into individual competing schools, completing the policy the Tories began of 'raising standards' through competition. The third aim is to further entrench miaale-Class advantage in market. Trust schools create a new layer in the status hierarchy. All schools will be allowed to set their own
policies middle-class higher-achieving pupils. The White Paper claims that parents will be 'empowered' by more choice of schools, as well as by new Parent Councils and the right to demand inspections important it was to get at the of schools.
Some union leaders and activists believe that the majority of schools will not choose the option of Trust status. They also argue that even if given more freedom over admissions as the White Paper promises, schools may well prefer to leave this task in the hands of their local authorities.
The government's claim that parent power would be increased as a result of the Trusts is bogus. Trust status schools would actually have fewer places for parent-governors than community schools, and the new parent councils' would have consultative rather than decision-making powers.
There are doubts too that 'popular' schools will want to expand as the White Paper encourages them to do. Many heads and goverstituency, involving the closure nors will not necessarily be attracted by the prospect of a bigger school, and may fear it will lead to a lowering of the academic standards which have made the school 'popular' in the first place. The White Paper proposals are optional and the large majority of schools may not want to go down this road, but the government has two powerful means of forcing them to. Firstly all new schools will have to be Trusts or 'selfgoverning' Foundation schools. Secondly there is a pot of money for local authorities for buildings, which is mainly only available if local authorities agree to one or more Academies. Academies disrupt entire local school systems, attracting more middle-class parents. Neighbouring schools
• Attempts to suppress feel compelled to compete, and the obvious response is... go for Trust status.
These pressures may be irresistible once the proportion of Academies and Trust schools in a local school market reach a tipping point, and is an immediate danger smaller LEAs.
If this doesn't happen fast enough, the government may bring in future legislative and financial compulSOI
Opposition to the White Paper widespread. urgently needs to be focused through coordinated national campaign, including targeting MPs. TUC conference voted for a national conference Academies and privatisation and the possibility of a national demonstration. Now is the time to do it.