Just whisper it but have you seen the Evening Mail?
Not a quote, not a titter, not a sound bite, not an exclusive.. even the Evening Mail's comment boards have fallen eerily silent.
What does it mean?
A few short days ago we had pages and pages of 'Doug Dribble' and the odd quote from Queen Anne but now nothing. It's all very weird almost like the calm before the storm.
More proof not that it is needed that Ed Balls is as bad at sound bite politics as his big mate Gordon...
Let's be clear I do not think Douglas Blackledge is worth £2500 a week. He is on a lot more money than Tom Campbell and he has responsibility for running the whole of the borough not a school.
Many more people I know think the wage is not justified but they say 'what I think doesn't matter' and so they go back to their daily grind annoyed but subdued.
Here is a more accurate account....
Please pay attention to these statements.
I have just listened to the Radio 4 programme you and yours and I am spitting feathers that this woman can get away with lying on a public Radio station like BBC Radio 4.
She sounded like she was reading from the exact same book as her boss, who is apparently on sick leave due to the stress. Silly woman.
I and hundreds of Barrovian parents are stressed out by this your scheming Mrs Swann but we don't hide away on the sick we have to work for a living and try and knock some heads together to make people see what you are really up to in our 'own time'
UPDATE 01-07-09
Moira Swann is actually on holiday not sick leave!
Mrs Attwood is by some measure the most vocal and forceful of the three
Academy sponsors. She has been silenced of late for whatever reason but
she is the key player in every 'decision' that has been made to date.
Mr Kelly by contrast has been less vocal, more deliberate and much more
uncomfortable in the public meetings. He hasn't commented in public, by
which I mean the Evening Mail of course, as often as Mrs Attwood and he
too has been silent of late.
There are many reasons why Douglas Blackledge is not the right man for the job, in my opinion, but as I've discovered this weekend there are lots of reasons why he was the ONLY man for the job.
One of the latter is Mr McQuoid's desire to get him 'out of Trinity and by default Emmanuel Schools Foundation's hair'
This weekend I heard a lot more about the principal appointment process and how it was carried out.
In the first run, when the wage was just £100,000, there was a local head
who applied but didn't get an interview and was rejected
along with every other applicant as being unsuitable. I am not going
to name them as I regard them as an excellent head getting good
results in the most challenging of circumstances. A second local head may have applied as well although I cannot confirm this. If they did they too were rejected!
Anne & Dave then mysteriously decided that the problem must have
been the cash so they upped the wage by a massive £35,000 and improved 'the package' and
re-advertised.
Mrs Attwood and her governors grand plans have to be modified, in other words scaled back and made affordable, for her College to get some dosh from the LSC before it goes out of existence.
Who?
Well this man is as devout a Christian as Osama Bin Laden is a devout Muslim. Difference is of course Mr McQuoid doesn't hide in desert caves urging people to kill infidels!
It never ceases to amaze my how badly wrong Anne Attwood and Dave Kelly have got this Academy bid. Neither possess the necessary skills to make it a success and their choice of principal shows a severe lack of people skills, man management, human resource procurement and due diligence.
However let's continue with a lighter tone...
Has this story. The Evening Mail doesn't
Why?
I have looked at a large number of Expression of Interest documents all of which are full of pointless and meaningless chatter because the authors simply say the right things that the DCSF minister is expecting to see. The 'facts' a lot of which seem to be dubious at best and totally bogus at worst never get checked by the DCSF.
A major failing to me when a government department hands over the publics cash on the strength of these documents but what does my opinion really matter, Mr Hutton?
However they all have one other thing in common. They all contain the same kind of language.
The DCSF 'Academy Speak Guidance Sheet Number 1' has been used to compile every one.
If anyone fancies sponsoring an Academy please get in touch and with an hour or two I could knock you out a brilliant Expression of Interest document that would fly past the DCSF and you would get your millions to build your school, guaranteed, even if what you end up creating bears no resemblance at all to what is said in the document itself that won't matter you will at least get a few thousand to blow on a 'management company' and a few other odds and sods!
To the press association. She lets Mark Nicholson speak to the Mail while she talks to the press association.
Sorry I am taking the Year 7 Graffiti art topic and it's rubbing off!
What I meant to say was look at what these school governors did because THEY HAD SERIOUS CONCERNS.
... because it isn't good enough.
There is a business case for extra funding to improve the equipment levels and
the fabric of the existing buildings in ALL schools.
There is even a
business case for removing some buildings dating from the sixties and
seventies that are now worn out and it would not be economic to maintain
for much longer.
But unless the schools are staffed by capable confident teachers who do
not live in fear of losing their jobs and the children going into the
secondary schools do so to get an education that is relevant TO THEM not because 'the law says they have to' no
amount of public money handed over to a company without the expertise
will make a blind bit of difference.
State of the Art schools are not what's needed. State of the Art sponsors ARE!
There has been much written about Douglas Blackledge. For a man who has
only been in town since the end of February he is certainly racking up 'column inches'.
I have received all manner of information about this man by ear and
by eye. Some of it is just spoiling, some of it is sensationalism and some
of it is from dubious sources.
I like everyone else have my own opinions about him and what he can do for my sons education so here they are.
It would seem so.
I have it from a reliable source that the full curriculum is now complete after numerous re writes and additions caused by basic and a couple of MAJOR errors and it should have been released to 'teachers with a job' two days ago.
At present it is still sat on a hard drive somewhere in Furness College and isn't yet in the hands of the people who are expected to begin delivering it in September.
Why hasn't a been released on time?
What is the delay?
Is it true it is being handed out to teachers loaded onto an ipod so they can plan their school days whilst they are on holiday?
For answers to all these questions and many others see Friday's Evening Mail.
It seems that not all adulterers are the same. Some can do the decent thing... in the end!
Don't say anything out loud but...
Have you noticed that Doug hasn't had an EXCLUSIVE in the Evening Mail for a day or two. Odd don't you think?
You couldn't turn a page in Friday or Saturday's papers without reading about his vision and ethos. Now nothing not even a moan about people who are not parents handing out leaflets!
This could of course just be coincidence but equally it could be playing the PR game the MC2 way. Flooding the 'press' with positive spin around the day of a planned in the open public protest!
Incredible how easily the Mail can find the room at such short notice.
That tactic only works when the Mail is told what the protest is going to be and when it is going to happen.
Lets see how MC2 and the Mail 'cover' a protest that they won't know about until it is happening!
The Academy was moved to the 'feasibility' stage by a DCSF minister in 2008.
The Expression of Interest document is dated 22-April-2008
Trying to find out who exactly is ACTUALLY stumping up the cash for Barrows Academy scheme after Big Dave Kelly appears to have forced the two businessmen backers Tinkler and Scowcroft off of the boat I came across yet another unknown name.
Sue Wilkinson
Here is definitive proof that Parkview is not and never has been an INNER CITY SCHOOL!
As any of you who read the pages of this site will know I believe that the Barrow and indeed Cumbrian academy schemes are built on presumptions and assumptions which are then 'backed up' with lies.
These are spun by the vested interests of an almost bankrupt and almost totally inept County Council and a Government which is hell bent of proving to anyone who cares, and precious few do, that they invest more money in education than the Conservatives did.
Lunatics and asylums
Have always gone hand in hand. Education has until recently been free
of such an association. At least it was until 'canon Tony Blair' brought in his 'great vote
catcher' the Academy school.
It is now really, really easy for the
lunatics to 'spread their message'.
Here are some reports from across the years showing what is possibly in
store for Barrow if Furness Academy gets funding from Vernon Coaker MP.
Here is the proof that the Evening Mail is in real difficulty when it comes to its readership numbers.
As you can see the sponsors of this Academy take their time and plan.
Our 'educational' sponsors honestly don't haven't a clue.
Yes there are so many it's unreal. The Evening Mail tries bless it but people simply don't trust that it will actually print what they are telling them.. can't think why but.
Here's the full transcript of Tony Brookes speech to parents in Barrow Town square last Friday. This is important as he has known Douglas Blackledge for FAR, FAR longer than anyone in Barrow including Anne & Dave.
Whilst searching for any information about the Furness Education Organisation I came across this interesting article from 2007.
Here is another dilemma that may have been faced in the past couple of years by not one but a group of 'local figures'.
Here I present a fictional moral dilemma that has many many solutions to it. Please have a read through it and supply your answer in the comments.
***WARNING*** Please refrain from posting any profanities or bizarre sexual solutions as they WILL BE DELETED immediately.
So dive right in!
Well, well well.
Dougie makes all Academy announcements via the Evening Mail Exclusives! so here is an ACADEMY WATCH EXCLUSIVE.
Hot on the heels of my previous DOUGIE TO BE REPLACED BY GORDON BROWN...EXCLUSIVE!
Banner were the real winners in the uniform farce.
Who the hell are Banner?
I hear you asking.
Sixth Form college numbers on roll
2004 826
2005 744
2006 703
2007 793
2008 799
Furness college numbers on roll
2004 827
2005 944
2006 971
2007 938
2008 1116
Read this letter handed out to pupils who took the 'I don't want my child to take part in any Academy business' and you decide what he is.
CORRECTION courtesy of Bob in the comments below, many thanks Bob.
Just for the record, Mr Wilson did not hand out copies of the letter to
pupils who took the other letters in. He actually handed out a copy to
every child that attends Thorncliffe school.
There are three graphics
The first is the letter that the pupil took in, except it was signed and dated of course.
The second is Mr Wilson's reply.
Third is a comedic, great chance to use this word, take on the situation.
I personally think he has been assimilated.
'We are sleepwalking into a disaster in September' but we will carry on because it's the only game in town, apparently..
I hate numbers. They don't ever lie but the people using them make them lie. Just look at how many big companies have gone out of business recently because human beings made numbers lie.
With that said here are some very revealing numbers which prove, at least to me that the, the human beings behind this scheme are lying.
As anyone who has the slightest interest in Cumbrian affairs will realise Richard Rose, the first of the Cumbrian fast track Academies descended into chaos within weeks of it opening.
It received and emergency Ofsted intervention and the two 'top men' were either asked to leave, were sacked or they simply walked away. It doesn't matter which they were proven to be incompetent.
This week the trickle of pictures has turned into a flood. Keep them coming because although this situation is deadly serious there is always room for a little light humour.
Please do not send any more slightly or extremely pornographic pictures. They are very well done and very funny but morals matter on this site!
UPDATED 10-35 AM 22-06-09
UPDATED 12-55 PM 22-06-09
Before we begin keep these questions in mind whilst reading through this short document that reveals an awful lot about how the clowns got this scheme past the head in the sand Barrovians who I used to belong to!
Why weren't we the great unwashed involved in the construction of this pre consultation document?
Why weren't the towns teachers asked to be involved?
Why weren't the towns pupils asked to be involved?
Why weren't the towns parents asked to be involved?
Brian Scowcroft has made a bob or two from what exactly?
He may be well known in Carlisle but that city is at the other end of Cumbria so what do we know about him?
Not a lot really. So it was off to Google and I found out all this!
There has been a lot of rumour, most of it contained within various County Council publications, that BAE is actually involved somewhere along the lines.
Not of course in the fabled Barrow Business Consortium which has never ever existed but actually involved in the running of the Academy scheme itself. Here we are less than 12 weeks away from the apocalypse and still there has been no definitive word from the global Defence company, it's spokesman, spokesperson or even a spokeswoman!
For my money they have had nothing to do with it. If they had been involved it wouldn't be the shambles it is.
You will by now have gathered that I know that the Evening Mail is like all other newspapers very selective in what it does and doesn't print. Unlike most other newspapers it has it's Editor sat on the board of Furness College governors which is one of the three sponsors of the Academy and he joined it in October 2008.
It has to be more than coincidence that the paper now subjects it's readers to a torrent of 'what is going to happen' dogma suddenly spewing forth from Attwood and Blackledge on the days surrounding the parents protest.
No, no new scandal, you naughty people!
What were you thinking?
After having a couple of conversations yesterday over the 'telling bone' it's a wonder Trinity Academy ever employed Mr Blackledge given it's 'Distinctive Christian Ethos'.
But that is as the DCSF, John Hutton MP and Anne & Dave have pointed out is 'private life' and the private life of a principal has NO effect whatsoever on the working life of a school principal even if he is working on his private life in school time!
They do have one thing in common though.
They both love to 'talk the talk'. One is an ex drama teacher and the other a musician so they love to
perform in front of other people and this is exactly what they are
doing performing.
Their ego's are so massive that they wholeheartedly believe they are on an 'evangelical' mission to raise the standards of the great unwashed.
Today was brilliant. Weather was decidedly dodgy, it is Barrow in the summertime!
Despite that over 250 people attended. So well done to everybody who got off their backsides.
There was one teacher from Parkview and one from Dowdales, well done to both of you. Moira Swann, Dougie and Anne obviously have a greater power than anyone outside of the three schools realises, or rather they believe they do.
As a close family member of a teacher I feel the need to comment. I
have become so passionately against this mess through seeing their
upset for several months.
I feel such anger and sadness when I hear how teachers have become the target of some parents rage.
I say this after spending many an evening comforting them when they
have shed tears over the impending disaster. Never once have they cried
over their position, but the absolute destruction of the education
system and a great school so dear to them - a school which is going
from strength to strength, pupils with whom fantastic bonds have been
made.
It is this that has led to many tears indeed.
They feel frustrated, defenceless and powerless - A signal has yet to
come from the unions regarding strike action, the threats of discipline
from the county council if teachers dare to speak their mind, comment
boards such as this being monitored for such reasons, paranoia within
schools regarding 'Whistle blowing', and yes, at the end of the day
mortgages still have to be paid, there is worry of losing pensions they
have paid in to for years, job losses (realistically, how many teaching
posts will be available in the local area asides from the academy).
It is the Governors and the County Council that can put a stop to this,
and as you say, there are many intelligent individuals within these
groups who have chosen to say nothing. All we currently have is Craig
Foster telling us how great it will be.
I can state with all honesty he certainly does not speak on behalf of
all Governors. But, I find it so hard to comprehend why those Governors
that realise what a disaster this will be do not publically come
forward and say so. What do they have to lose?
As regards to the protest today, I am afraid I don't hold much hope
that many teachers will take part, as much as they are so desperate to.
I can already see the comments pouring in as to how 'lily livered' they
are. I do not think that the general public could really know the full
extent as to what is currently going on within schools. If teachers
could make a stand, do you not think they would?
They know education will suffer for many years, and they know their
rights will diminish. They also know that ultimately, as far as the
County Council are concerned, the blame will fall at the feet of the
teacher if the academy fails. IF the academy goes ahead (and I very
much hope it does not) it will be up to the teacher, despite all
struggles, to make a difference from within the classroom. This will
not be possible if they lose their jobs for 'rocking the boat.
Nobody can know what many teachers have already tried to do 'behind the
scenes' to try to stop this happening. If you did I doubt those
teachers would still be in a job. So please, before you criticize, walk
a mile in their shoes and you may think differently.
In tonight's extremely well timed Evening Mail 'EXCLUSIVE' Mrs Attwood continues to peddle lies about her "vision".
How shambolic does this have to get before the people involved who know these are just lies stand up for themselves and the children of Barrow instead of just 'going with the flow'?
I know who most of you are and you are doing yourselves no favours.
This page will reveal why Doug Blackledge is here in Barrow telling Barrovian parents about his brass band days, his ethos and vision when all the time everyone listening to him knows he is on an enormous wage of £135,000 a year courtesy of Anne and Dave's apparent lack of 'people skills'.
You have to ask WHY the Evening Mail haven't reported this as it took me all of five seconds to find this information earlier this morning.
I have just been told what Doug Blackledge told Year 6 parents yesterday evening at the hour long 'meet and greet' at the Forum. The crowd of management ladies from Mouchel and MC2, the latter who was incidentally was late due to 'traffic' on the M6, apparently and of course the pair of brand new VP's who don't even know which site they would be operating from, YOU CANNOT MAKE THIS STUFF UP, took an hour and a few cups of coffee in small breakout groups to tell the sceptical parents what any normal person could have got over in 10 minutes.
Thing is people get paid by the hour so you might as well get your money's worth!
Now I know I was in Barrow for the whole of 2005-07 except for a three
weeks away in every August but I heard NOTHING about a Secondary
Schools organisational review. Despite my lack of consultation or any information from anyone that it was even
going on I was safe because my point of view was being represented by
'community leaders', whoever they are!
I'm honestly guessing here but I think they are referring to
Councillors of one form or another but seriously I wouldn't have a clue
that Barrow actually had 'community leaders' would you?
Here we see Moira at her very best. She has obviously been to the Anne Attwood school of Higher Speaking as you can see for yourself by reading this article from
It has been a tumultuous week for a lot of people in our fair town. Tomorrow will see the biggest demonstration in Barrow for many a long year if everyone who has pledged to turn up does.
What it's affect will be on everyone involved remains to be seen.
However what would be good for all concerned especially those who have just lifted their heads from the sand would be for those on both sides of the divide from Ed Balls downwards to the parents of the Youngest year 6 to actually write a short comment that they can put on here so the rest of us can see why you think it is a good or a bad idea so if you are on this list please take ten minutes to enlighten everyone else on the list and the readers of this blog and there are well over a thousand unique visitors.
I checked my stats and I know the difference between HITS and UNIQUE visitors unlike Mrs Attwood who just believes everything that MC2 tells her.
I have just had a conversation with two good friends who I have known for at least 30 years. It was amiable and friendly as it always is but inevitably it got round to the Academy At All Costs.
A lot of people from all sides of this fiasco have told me that the
County and its sponsors want to end the 2008-09 term two weeks
prematurely and start the 2009-10 term 2 weeks late.
At first I was
cynical and just assumed they were rumours deliberately put out to
divide and conquer by making the opponents focus on different
things every week.
However the trickle of information has now become a flood. They great
and the good ARE planning to try and extend this summers school holiday by 66%.
Why are they having to do this if everything in the Academy At All
Costs is going according to plan, being on time and on budget?
You know who you are.
You don't vote because there is 'no point'
You do not 'get involved' because there is 'no point'
You moan like hell when a decision is taken by others that has a
negative effect on your life... and then put your head in the sand
You berate councillors in private but won't say 'boo' to them in public in case they answer back
You know that something is being done the wrong way, you know a better way, you choose not to do anything about it
You don't believe YOU have any responsibility
You always blame others
You ALWAYS leave it to others to sort out
YOU ARE THE SILENT MAJORITY THAT LETS 'THEM' GET AWAY WITH IT!
I used to be just like you.
I never wanted to 'get myself' noticed
I never wanted to be seen to 'upset the apple cart'
I never wanted to take part
I believed that 'they' always got their own way so there was no point to doing anything
I knew who councillors were, what they looked like, where they lived but never asked them a question
I knew that there are civil servants in both councils who are just bad
at their jobs but I never told a councillor what I thought
I always assumed councillors never listen or take any action on what people tell them
I always let others deal with the situation and would sooner put my head in the sand and get involved
All that changed for me on May 22nd 2009 when my two sons came in from
Parkview because some incompetent made the decision to pull teachers
out of lessons and hand them a plain piece of paper signed by a brass
bandsman that they didn't have a job in his new Academy.
This little man then expected the teachers to walk back into class and carry on as normal because they 'are professional'.
My two sons are at school to be educated about life so perhaps they
actually had their best ever life lesson that afternoon as they saw
first hand just how bad people can be.
I went out and bought a domain, downloaded some software installed this
blog and began to look for reasons why the sponsors and their principal
decided that such a course of action was justified as they believe that
they have my children's best interests at heart.
It didn't cost much, it didn't take long to do but at that point I grew up and left the silent majority behind for good.
Silence is the ONLY reason why Barrow and it's people get so many barmy
half baked schemes that never bring the benefits they are supposed to
forced upon us all.
So I am telling you the individual who is still part of the silent
majority lift your head from the sand and take a peek at what these
people are wanting to do to the children of Barrow in your name.
You don't have to act if you still feel you are incapable or it's not
your right. But please just have a look at what you are allowing to go
on simply by hiding away hoping that THEY will actually make things
better.
I am not asking you because asking makes you think it isn't that important.
The true importance of what THEY want to see happen once they get three
schools wiped from the face of Barrow is truly shocking.
The three secondarys are the tip of the iceberg.
What THEY want to do with Barrows Primary and Infant schools is
devastating. They would be doing it now but the Government is strapped
for cash.
If you believe that children don't really matter then fine by all means
leave your head in the sand because we live in a democracy and it is
your right not to get involved in anything but by the time it dawns on
you that a little bit more of that democratic way of life has slipped
into the hands of the few because you didn't get off 'the couch'...
well it doesn't bear thinking about does it?
Update 07-07-09
I have been informed by e-mail that these
investigations into Pennington school Admissions have revealed that
NOTHING untoward has been going on in the admissions policy. It seems
to have been just a coincidence that involved a unusual surname for
this area. I wish to state that I have had no contact whatsoever with
the parent who asked for the admissions policy to be checked and would
like to apologise to Mrs Aveyard for any distress this blog post may
have caused her.
I would like to point out though that had she or her partner Mr Blackledge got in
touch direct with me by e-mail which is readily available on this web site as soon as they realised that this blog
post was published and informed me it contained incorrect information I could have removed it much sooner.
Derek
But some of these are too good to leave unpublished till Sunday.
Keep em coming!
As I to use an Evening Mail phrase 'exclusively' revealed 6 days ago Identity the towns sole uniform supplier has 'won' the uniform contract. I take no credit for this as I have spoken with many people who said Identity staff were openly talking about this in April & May 2009.
UPDATE 12-30 17th June 2009
The £60 voucher is only going to CURRENT Parkview, Thorncliffe & Alfred Barrow pupils NOT Year 6 pupils moving up to Year 7!!
And you primary parents thought this Scheme was 'well thought out'!
Concluding the short three part 'What makes a sponsor a sponsor series' we arrive at Furness College.
It is fair to say that the principal of Furness College has been the
most vocal sponsor of the lot. She is an ex drama teacher and she
believes a bit of 'theatre' can do wonders for any situation but let's
not forget SHE is not the real sponsor, the college she works for is.
Hasn't changed since 11-00 pm yesterday!
74% in favour of the protest
26% against.
Either it's another bit of 'duff web site code' or maybe it is being manipulated. Surely not!
Perhaps they have sacked their 'web team' or someone is off sick who can say?
Continuing with the 'What makes a sponsor a sponsor series' we turn our attention to Big Dave Kelly's Barrow Sixth Form College.
The College came into being in the badly handled and totally
unnecessary 'reform' of secondary education in Barrow carried out in
1979. Amazingly the scenes we are now witnessing were played out for
the first time 30 years ago and it seems nothing has been learnt even though the current college principal was part of the last great revolution!
All I have been able to find out about Mr Craig Foster is;
He is the current Chair of Governors at Thorncliffe.
He drives a taxi in Barrow
He lives in Barrow
He ignores letters from parents
He will give interviews to the Evening Mail
He has said NOTHING in public about the academy scheme since it was first announced in Oct 2007.
So why has he now replaced The sponsors and Dougie as the latest Academy evangelical?
Personally I think that this is part of an orchestrated plan to divide and conquer the opposition. Lets not forget the sponsors are spending YOUR MONEY on a PR company and a MANGEMENT company.
Nobody ever does something for nothing.
Well I seriously doubt that that statement is totally true as people
who REALLY do something for nothing don't go around shouting about it.
They just get on with their lives.
With that said just what made the the two colleges and the University
decide to sponsor an Academy?
Anne Dave & Neil were hiring Doug tomorrow would they have employed him?
Much has been discussed and denied about the financial stability and financial abilities of these three sponsors. My research into their finances has come up with three smoking guns which cast real doubts on their ability to control finance efficiently.
I've put the evidence into pictorial format instead of loads of text so you can quickly decide for yourselves if you would really trust these three institutions and their head 'honchos' with £45 of your own money let alone £45,000,000 of the cash strapped public's money.
Notes of the consultation meeting held with the public on Thursday 15th
November 2007, 7.30 pm at BAE Sports and Social Club, Barrow.
This time we have the now ex-county councillor Jack Richardson in the chair, the same fools from the County. Fools is an apt description for this is what these consultations are proving the CCC officialdom and Roger Alston to be.
Read through this one if you ignore all the others because by this stage they are so jaded as they realise that no matter how it is spun there is NO SUPPORT for their ideas and beliefs.
Doug kindly sent me a copy of the Year 6 Parents meetings invitation and the Parents group have done the same.
They are copied here for those directly affected and those that are just flabbergasted by the whole carry on to read.
No comments from me at all, for a change.
Mr Lee became a governor of Furness College in October 2008.
Nothing wrong with that almost anyone can become a governor if they are willing to put the hours in.
It just strikes me as being a tad 'fortuitous' that the Editor of THE ONLY PAPER in town is drafted onto the Furness College Governors just as the College is embarking on some controversial decisions in relation to it's sponsorship of an Academy
It's decision to close one of the most successful children's nurseries in the town.
It's attempt to demolish 17 year old buildings, close roads and build a '21st century learning environment' on the Channel side site.
Taking the college millions of pounds into debt as a result of a failure of the LSC and the credit crunch.
As I say just a bit odd as the Evening Mail as a title is now open to all manner of public criticism and editorials like this do not help allay those criticisms, in my opinion of course. What do you think?
Notes of the consultation meeting held with the public on Thursday 8th November 2007, 7.30 pm at Forum 28, Barrow.
Continuing the same series we see the same CCC crew and a different but still lone Cumbria County Councillor in the chair
Notes of the consultation meeting held with the public on
Thursday 1st November 2007 at 7.30 pm in the Town Hall, Barrow.
For some strange reason this document doesn't record 'who' actually provided the replys. hows that for open and transparent government.
As you can see there is but ONE elected County representative at this meeting!!
Here is the latest comment to arrive at Academy Watch towers.
It is quite clear who wrote the letter and it contradicts the 'accepted' view of what went on in Parkview on 1st & 2nd June.
If any teacher or member of staff or pupil would confirm this version of events or indeed contradict it please feel free to do so below.
Name Doug
e-mail anon@anon.com
It's that easy
Updated 12-10 14th June
The sad thing is I have yet to see anything from the Sponsors, in public and in private, their chosen Principal or the County Council, either Councillors or Moria Swanns department that suggests they have learnt from the mistakes that forced Ofsted to put the Richard Rose Academy into special measure within weeks of it's opening.
I was going to annotate it in red but frankly it's pointless as the document speaks for itself. It is about as bad as it can get and the only guaranteed way to prevent the same mistakes from affecting your child is to stop this Academy fast track right here right now and get a better plan in place that has the full backing of all concerned not just a cabal of 'professionals' many of whom were heavily involved in the creation of the Richard Rose Academy.
I ask each and every one of you reading this to show it to any parents you know as it is vital they get an insight into what happens when the 'professionals' GET IT WRONG!
Over the past week a few more people have supplied a comedic take on the situation. I've always wanted an excuse to use 'comedic', sad or what!
Keep em rolling in as it provides a bit of levity in what is a truly chaotic situation for everyone involved.
Here we have one of the most respected education journalists there is telling those that care to listen funding will be cut in some parts if not all parts of the education budget because of the financial pressures caused by the recession.
On top of last years forced removal of 'the best men for the job' (according to Moira Swann), at Richard Rose, this years 'neutral' act of suspending two senior managers at West Lakes Academy because of bullying, one of whom who Moira Swan gave her full backing to, we now have this story which NEVER made into the Evening Mail despite it's relevance!
Worries in one ear and out of the other
This was sent into notnwemail site and is worthy of a read. The writers suggestion would certainly get CCC's attention.
What do you think?
There has been much talk lately about the numbers of people who answered the initial public consultation built to give the right answer by Cumbria County Council and Roger Alston.
John Hutton MP has also stated in his 'Evening Mail EXCLUSIVE' that the clear majority wanted a two site Academy.
So here are the ACTUAL figures published on Cumbria County Councils web site so you can CLEARLY see who is lying and what they really mean by a 'clear majority'.
Today has seen the first couple of comments come in.
Thank you to Doug & Doug.
I've copied them into this post for your perusal.
***UPDATED 8-45pm 11th June***
Allegedly Identity in Barrow has the contract to supply the Academy 'uniform'.
I heard it verbally this dinner time from someone who was speaking to Identity staff.
It would come as no surprise given the furore over Price & Bucklands.
If anyone from Identity would like to confirm or deny then please use the comment form.
Lets gaze into the County Council crystal ball once more as they rely on this 'device' to justify almost all of their actions when it comes to Academies and education.
If the Academy comes to pass...
Either everyone involved in the destruction of three Barrow of Barrow's schools are all for the Academy.
Or
They couldn't care less
Or
They have put their heads in the sand and said 'it will happen anyway so lets get behind it'
Or
They are resigned to their fate
Or
The people who have signed up to all the various Facebook groups think they have done enough
Or
I am a lone parental voice against the plan
Or
OSANFS have been wrong from the start
Or
YOU all really believe that what is really going on is perfectly acceptable behaviour from 'educational professionals'
Or
Moira Swann really has more power than Saddam!
Because nobody, not a single soul has told the rest of us what they think.
Shameful. No wonder Barrow is in the state it is.
Leaving the powers that be to run things may be easier than standing up for yourself and taking some responsibility but what if the 'powers that be' are proven to be next to useless?
Even if you think that the Academy is all things to all men PLEASE TELL ME
If YOU know someone is telling lies on either side of the divide PLEASE TELL ME
If you think that your child will be well be better educated at the Academy PLEASE TELL ME
If you think I am wasting my time PLEASE TELL ME
Come on Barrow your silence is truly deafening.
From today's Independent.
It seems that we are definitely not alone. Almost every single existing Academy has been forced through in the teeth of local opposition and yet we do not see any conclusive proof that each one has actually achieved any of their common aims.
All we get are snippets. smoke, mirrors, vagueness and confusion. Given the governments propensity for crowing when they actually get something right their lack of crowing about Academies speaks volumes about how bad they really are!
There are no Year groups gaining anything from the proposed Barrow Academy but it's the children who are currently in Year 6 are in the most vulnerable position of all.
The sponsors claim to have everything sorted and the reason for the speed in rushing towards Academy opening in Sept 2009 is simply to avoid confusion and make it smoother transition.
And if you are a parent of a Year 5 and under then watch out for another post later today when I will reveal exactly what the County Council has in store for your children whilst they are still in primary of nursery school.
This government doesn't seem to be capable of doing anything properly, especially when it comes to spending taxpayers cash to improve the taxpayer services Education and the NHS. The wrongs of an NHS where there are more 'managers' than nurses will be saved for another day.
Here the focus is on why we don't need to see £45M of our pounds blown on fatally flawed Academy scheme.
This lady is putting a well reasoned and logical argument against the closure of an iconic and successful Barrovian school and the chances of her point of view being acted upon are very remote.
It sound like deja vue as the County roll across Barrow and Furness on a path of closure, merger and destruction at a pace the Blitzkrieg Machine would have been proud of.
Continuing the walk through the lies and incongruence's that are contained within a document written by the 'educational professionals' or at least in their name and was good enough for the DCSF to throw £45,000,000 their way.
If I took this document to any bank, even the badly run ones, I would be quite rightly laughed at if I was using it as 'proof' that I was good for the money.
Yes they will become reality. I have gazed into the Cumbria County Council crystal ball and have seen the future.
There is overwhelming evidence that Cumbria County Council believes there is a golden opportunity to rid itself of yet more local schools and spend the £550,000,000 of Building Schools for the Future cash on 'other school projects'
As incredulous as it sounds the three head masters Dr Potts. Mr Wilson and Mr Swales know as little about the three sponsors Mrs Attwood, Mr Kelly and Mr Simcos 'plans' as we do.
There was a gathering on Monday with the heads and the LA where concerns were raised and went unanswered. The mood of the meeting was tense to say the least with the LA not revealing anything about anything.
Well unfortunately there does seem to be quite a few porkie pies that are in there to spin the document the FEC, County and of course The Sponsors way. Bear in mind when reading this document was put together by 'professionals' and in it they tell porkie pies and put their names to them.
Some blatant, some subtle but porkie pies nevertheless.
If they have no problem lying to Government what else may they be capable of?
Two of the members of the FEC are also sponsors so no chance of 'vested' interest colouring this document then!
I've pulled out the obvious porkie pies and if anyone cares to contradict what I am saying then please use the comment in the box feature at the bottom of the page.
This is a list of all of the members of the Furness Education Consortium which has apparently been in existence in Barrow for 20 years.
It has been one of Barrows most closely guarded secrets and the only time it came to public attention when it and the County decided to rush through the closure of three schools as quickly as humanly possible.
If you know any of them personally and you disagree with what they have done please ask them why and then add a comment into this page so we can all understand why they have condemned the three schools and put the education of a couple of thousand Barrovian children at risk.
It would have been nice if they had trusted the likes of me and you enough to really get involved from the start, especially as it is our children who are being affected by THEIR decision but no we are not worthy.
They hide away in the quango Furness Enterprises offices and plot and plan in secret.
As I've said before just because these people are 'professionals' doesn't mean that they are any good at what they do.
Should one or more of them care to enlighten the great unwashed and I cannot imagine they would stoop so low, they are free to comment anonymously on this post. I won't hold my breath because THEY have already made THEIR decision and are highly unlikely to reverse it no matter how much the sponsors are keeping the Heads of Parkview, Alfred Barrow and Thorncliffe in the dark.
The Silence is deafening.
The three schools staff have been forced into silence by a diktat from an unelected person on Cumbria County Council who are their employers.
The Colleges staff seem to be under the same sort of guidance.
I am now hearing that the EWO have also been silenced by the County.
Even the sponsors have been gagged by somebody.
So I am offering everyone who is under a gag order a way for them to get their point of view out into the public domain.
I am opening comments on this post and I will vet every one and if I suspect it is from a plant or a spoiler I will still post it but it will be surrounded by a warning that it may be a plant.
All you do is fill in your comment
put Doug as your name
put anon@anon.com as the e-mail address
and your comment will be posted here for all to see.
So if you are a pro Academy person, an employee at any of the institutions embroiled in this farce, a member of CCC , an employee of CCC, a DCSF employee, John Hutton, or in fact anyone who has an opinion one way or the other then please share it anonymously with the rest of us.
ALL ARE VALUABLE.
Any with profanities will not be posted
Any slagging off of named individuals will not be posted.
We live in a democracy and Freedom Of Speech IS ALLOWED unless it is against the National Interest.
Remember people we are talking about a planned school for 11-16 children not the inner workings of a nuclear submarine!
Not content with running 11-16 education in all manner of places the Independent Academies Association wants to take over many of the roles currently performed by social services.
This report on the TES web site shows exactly where the sponsors of the Academies want to go. It may be the principals who are doing the spouting but it is the sponsors as governors who are pulling the strings.
Do any of you want to see Anne Dave and Neils institutions running some of our social services?
As you may be able to tell I have profound doubts about the abilities of local authorities but at least every so often we the great unwashed can force a change. If the unelected sponsors take over the running of everything and make an 'arse' of it everyone suffers and none of us can do anything about them.
This might suit the 'head in the sand' majority who are terrified by responsibility but it isn't something I would like to see become reality!
These parents despite stating the exact same reasons as parents in Barrow are stating for the scrapping of an Academy plan were totally ignored by the 'powers that be' as they handed over Darlaston School to a millionaire evangelist.
Admittedly it was in special measures but this is precisely the time when schools are at their most vulnerable and the great and the good can pick them off with all kinds of 'assistance' including financial from the wonderful DCSF.
I have just done the following calculation and if each and every person in Barrow could spare £27.78 together we would be able to sponsor an Academy!
Seriously check my figures
Government sponsor money requirement £2,000,000
Barrow's population from 2001 census 71,981
£2,000,000 divided by 71,981 = £27.78
In this document we can see a possible future for any Academy that basically involves saying all the right things to comply with DCSF mantra and lo and behold the Academy gains extra funding from.... yes it's our old and dwindling friends The Taxpayer.
No proof that specialisms ever raise standards of course but by now it is clear that the DCSF or the County Council don't need real proof about anything because they can easily 'manufacture it by spin and we the masses swallow it because we are as the biggest group of individuals APATHETIC!
Still have a read and see one more time how the Academy scheme is held up by presumption, assumption and beliefs not hard fact, logic and common sense.
Try copying the 'argument' in this document the next time you try for a loan from a bank!
This document is unsigned and DOES not as far as I am aware represent the views of every teacher in Walney. The fact that it exists at all shows anyone who cares to read it that there are VERY real problems with this Academy plan.
The flaws are very real and everyone can see them except for 'the powers that be'.
There is a lot of talk of Plan B where Anne, Dave Neil & Doug take over from Moira and Cumbria County Council in some sort of federated Academy by the back door in September 2009.
To me this is the worst possible outcome because the abilities of the sponsors are not as good as they say they are.
Two out of the three are in debt.
None of the people running the sponsor colleges has had any experience of running a school
One of them went through the catastrophic process of a triple merger in the seventies and doesn't seem to have learned a thing.
Why would anyone in their right mind put these three people in control of such a project?
Edutrust is an ambitious faith based sponsor that has a publically stated desire to take over and run 20 schools in the UK as faith based Academies.
This is wrong in my opinion because if Edutrust was so good at what it does why doesn't it build and run it's own school network?
Well cash is obviously the biggest flaw with that ideal.
So there was a second protest today at Thorncliffe where 150 pupils took part.
Where was the Evening Mail coverage?
Parkview's protest was in the Mail the same day. Just what game are the Mail playing?
I have no idea if the level of vacancies at these three Academies run by evangelicals is typical of either an Academy of a state school but the number of positions that are empty would suggest that despite the teachers in Barrow being hamstrung by Moira Swann teachers as a breed are not that keen to become part of the wondrous Academies.
Would one care to e-mail me to illustrate why?
blog@furnessacademy.com
Incidentally it occurs to me that our children are being saddled with "educational evangelicals". Are they worse than religious evangelicals who am I too say?
The Internet really is wonderful because as I have shown many times on this blog it can reveal what people have said in the past and show you exactly how many have no problems making a personal U turn if it fits their current agenda.
However this time we can clearly see what could well happen in Barrow if these three sponsors get away with what they are planning.
Have a look at this.
For some weeks no I have suspected that the Evening Mails 'Today This Week' most read widget was being manipulated and didn't accurately reflect the popularity of individual articles based on page views.
Well today they are both identical which isn't possible. Now it might just be a dodgy and unreliable piece of javascript of course but in light of the way that the Academy scheme disappears off their pages very rapidly it makes you wonder.
Yes I know not everyone is interested in the rights and wrongs of the Academy scheme but it is still the biggest under reported story in Barrow. If anyone from the Evening Mail would care to enlighten me, even if they did it anonymously, I would be grateful.
So secondary school places are being drastically reduced by The Sponsors.
The Sponsors are doubling the capacity of their two colleges and so we come to the final piece of the jigsaw.
The University Game.
Ed Balls is a consummate politician who typifies everything that is wrong with our government and the way it conducts itself.
He was caught attempting to bury bad educational news, naughty, naughty.
Try as I might I am unable to find accurate figures for how many students either college can support. It must be out there somewhere but it eludes me. If anyone reading can enlighten me then please do at the usual address blog@furnessacademy.com
Right here we go with the next stage of the numbers game
From what Moira Swanns department would term 'a local'
Is this MC2?
Is this Mouchel?
Is this a Sponsor?
Or is this really a Parkview Teacher?
Have a butchers and then make your mind up. I for one hope it is genuine as we hear nothing publically from inside these schools and that is wrong.
It has always bugged me how the County Council rolls out the Number Game every time they want to close or merge a school.
They say that pupil rolls are falling and that is just supposition and presumption neither of which is a sound base for any effective action.
As we all know the County Council is employing someone somewhere to monitor the Facebook sites, the Bebo sites, any web site that is 'anti' academy, so there's an off chance they are looking at this one.
The reason 'they' are doing this is to try and figure out what the people who don't want this Academy to come into existence are going to do next.
Up to now the 'people' they have been monitoring have been children. Yes children protesting about school that isn't here yet and one that very few people want to come into existence.
This document highlights the problems that Cumbria County Council sees happening with staffing as schools across the county close and merge.
Astonishing but true. The County Council is going to be spending £3,000,000 of our ratepayer pounds expanding Walney to provide extra places. The scale of this investment means that OSANFS have been right all along and a lot of Barrovian mainland children currently educated on the mainland WILL be sent to populate the Island school.
Will your child be one of them?
Will you have any choice in the matter?
Apparently not if the Academy becomes real and if as Dave Kelly assures everyone it will be over subscribed.
In words and pictures here are some satirical takes on the situation.
Seriously.
This government has been forcing Academies on communities that don't want them since 2003 therefore there is a wealth of experience in how to force it through in spite of fierce local opposition.
Why then do these three Academy sponsors make such a total hash of everything?
Haven't they been on 'the course' or are their egos so large that they believe they are 'professional educationalists' and not the 'loathed' business people like Mr Scowcroft who sponsor other Academies, so they obviously must know a better way?
I honestly don't have an answer to this question. But the fact that an overwhelming majority of these schemes HAVE to be forced through is a fatal flaw with Blair's Scheme. If only Brown had the Balls to ditch them.
But wait he does.
Balls is still the 'head' of the DCSF because Darling wouldn't budge from the Treasury. Balls is spitting feathers, by all accounts. So will he grow some Balls and shaft Brown by calling a halt to all Academy spending?
Who knows but the three sponsors are doing a cracking job of showing us all their very real failings, even if their management company or their PR company have now silenced them in the media.
- Proposals to close maintained mainstream schools
This documents gives a very clear insight into the school closure process and how it is interpreted by Moira Swan and her cohort and this interpretation is then 'sold' to the County councillors who take the professionals advice instead of digging into the detail for themselves.
This has really got to change. Moira Swann and her cohort have too much power in education in Cumbria and Cumbria's children are suffering because of this. She needs to be put under much closer scrutiny at the very least.
Councillors are duty bound to act on your behalf so write to them and TELL them what you want to see happen.
Points to emerge for consideration by Mouchel / The Lead Sponsors
Here is a document which shows just how 'good' this combination of people really are.
See for yourself.
MEETING HELD ON WEDNESDAY 20 MAY 2008
Yet another group of 'professionals', councillors and 'interested parties' deciding what is best for OUR children without the involvement of parents or teaching staff!
The amount of 'work' going on behind the scenes in secret and privacy is staggering and must be costing a fortune. It really has got to stop and become more simple, more inclusive and more transparent if educational standards are to rise across Cumbria.
Moira Swanns department is looking like it really is no longer fit for purpose as it has it's fingers in all of these 'pies'!
Success of academy system questioned after LSE study compares GCSE results with nearby poorly-performing schools
This article shows that this Government is wasting billions of pounds when it could be better spend on incremental year on year improvements in existing schools to give every child a better education.
Remember this is an article that is written in a 'Labour' newspaper, The Guardian and is again not reported on by the Evening Mail even though it is very, very relevant to our towns children.
I met Pat Carr at the Monday protest and she is one brave lady because she works in Parkview and she is under the Moira Swann imposed 'don't speak your mind because you are a professional first and a human second' embargo and she has basically ignored Mrs Swanns 'advice'.
Good on her. I value the opinion of anyone on the inside of these three schools because they are the only other group of people who really matter with this scheme. The pupils of all three schools are the other group and they are making their feelings very obvious to Moira and her chosen sponsors even though as ever she and they choose to ignore them
Different Towns almost exactly the same problems.
Don't these clowns realise that the Internet exists and it is basically the biggest repository of information that anyone with a computer with an internet connection can access?
Read this and then remember what our crowd are saying about their dream and you can see that a;
'How To Speak DCSF... Fluently' book must really exist along with the
'How To Say The Right Thing To The Right People Without Actually Saying Anything' DVD course!
If anyone has a copy of either please send me one. I'll bet there's one of each in MC2's offices and Anne Attwoods office!
Nit picking about in the pages of the Evening Mail. Thankfully the
voters of Risedale didn't want him as their County Councillor which all
but guaranteed that our Kev got re-elected.
Decide for yourself who was closer to the mark OSANFS candidates or Jacko!
It has been a turbulent week in three of Barrows Secondary schools and here are the people who have had nothing to say about what went on, in no particular order.
Here is something that ALL Parkview Teachers and Pupils need to remind themselves of. Parkview still exists as a school despite today's 'Diggler Assembly', as the Year 10's named it!
Mondays' protest abided by this protocol.
Tuesday's and Wednesday's didn't
The assemblies and class meetings this week didn't
The impact of Moira Swann hasn't gone unnoticed by parents.
Had she stayed away on Monday and trusted Mr Swales and his staff to police the protest perhaps there wouldn't have been the need for any of the other protests and exclusions!
As it is she has made the situation far worse than it needed to be. Fit for purpose?
You decide for yourself.
Now that your days as Barrows MP are numbered and you are no longer a Defence Minister could you spare a day to come to Barrow and see the devastation being wrought in three schools in the pursuit of an unwanted new school by three 'educational professionals' and a small cabal of County 'educational professionals and their consultants'?
You are leaving for family reasons and that is all well and good but there are a lot of Barrovian families who need you before you go, quite urgently in fact.
You have it within your power to delay this Academy, stop it completely or fully endorse the actions of the sponsors and their principal if you so wish.
You also have it within your power to just come into town and listen to the ordinary people who are the only ones who really matter, the children of the three schools.
Not just a select group as met with Dougie but the entire school populations. Most of them will have never met an MP before and if you allowed them to voice their opinion to you it would mean that you gained a personal insight into what they want for their futures which would lead you to making the right decision for them.
I am not asking you to come here and stop it because I want you to. I am asking you to come and listen to the children free of their school minders, County meddlers and every other adult who has an opinion. Just hire Forum 28 for the day and have three sessions one with each school just you, a recording device and them.
If you would do this it would be of great benefit and would go a long way to showing these children that their opinion is really, really important.
Derek
There are also a lot of completely disillusioned people in Barrow and between them they have all but guaranteed that this town an County will be afflicted with another few years of idiocy courtesy of the County Council.
The irony is these the infamous 'silent majority' who never lift their heads out of the sand in case someone says 'boo' to them will be the biggest whiners when the County Council embark on their next 'big idea'. They will then get another chance to get off their backsides and vote in a couple of years by which time they will have their heads underground again.
Yes the County Council is useless, sorry ''adequate according to the Audit Office.
Yes the Labour party is almost exactly the same as the Tory party. Playing the party game.
Yes they always tell us what will be happening and never ask us what we want to see happen.
But when was the last time you stopped one of these Councillors in the street, in the park, in the pub wherever or knocked on their door and asked them what the hell do they think they are doing with our town?
You may not want to vote but even the laziest of us can ask a flipping question. So ask and keep in asking until you get an answer. We only end up with mad schemes like Barrows Academy because we leave the fools to it.
Don't let them get away with it any longer.
There is pen and paper.
There is e-mail
There is a fax
There is a phone
There is the spoken word
There is the written word
PLEASE USE THEM!
My year 11's friend was one of those fortunate enough to have a meeting with the 'main man' for once without his handler in attendance in Parkview school.
He prattled on about how the 'student voice', this really narks me they are school pupils not flipping students the idiot, really matters to him personally.
The Year 10 then asked him "Well if our, student voice really matters then why have we never had any reply to the last lot of questionnaires we filled in?"
Little Dougie then said "Next question!"
Needless to say the Year 10's saw nothing in this little man that gave them any confidence for their futures. He isn't liked. he isn't respected and yet he doesn't seem to realise it.
Why would he?
He is on £2500 a week so he can put up with an awful lot for that kind of dosh!
He will be 'found out' at some point but my big fear is that point will only come when Ofsted is called in for the inevitable emergency inspection in late 2009 or early 2010!
My Year 7 pulled the 'rabbit' from his bag today regarding the latest attempt to brainwash the children into accepting the inevitability of this Academy.
He and his peers are going on an all expense paid trip to St Martins College in Lancaster for what is euphemistically called an Academy Transition Workshop!
My Year 7 had an assembly yesterday with Mr Turner about the Academy.
He basically told them they were far too young and immature to understand everything that was going on and they should take a step back and let the adults deal with it.
I cannot believe how out of touch this man is. Does he really think that the kids won't tell their parents what is going on?
Who is he to tell these children they are 'too immature to understand'?
It is a classic divide and conquer routine that has come straight from the Moira Swann book of how to kill off all pupil protests. Disgraceful behaviour from a teacher and disgraceful behaviour from a 'professional'.
As it is it was a complete waste of time as my Year 7 and many of his peers took no notice and cannot wait for the next protest to take place.
When will these people get it into their skulls that no-one wants the Academy?
In case you are thinking I have lost the plot I can assure you I haven't.
Just have a quick read of this article and bear in mind we have had TWO sham consultations about the Academy plan and they were shams because like so much in local government the paid officials slavishly do things the way the government says they should.
This is another document which shows the options facing the County Council in 2006 and shows just how badly wrong the 'professionals' got it. Not only that the elected members either didn't understand the implications or worse they just went along with the 'professionals'.
As events in Carlisle last year and now in Barrow have shown there needs to be a better way and that BETTER WAY is hidden within this document. If the 'professionals' had the balls to stand up and say 'we got it wrong, sorry' it would go a long way to getting a system in place that is flexible and transparent and would benefit everyone, no matter what their age.
Guidance for Local Partnership Groups
1.0 Introduction
1.1 Although we accept that Cumbria has a mixture of communities, rural and urban, which
sometimes have very different needs, there are some principles which ought to guide
school organisation.
Otherwise we let these people back in!
Meanwhile, Jack Richardson, the Conservative candidate the Risedale
ward on the county council, has claimed whoever gets elected will be
able to do "nothing" in their role to stop the academy plan going ahead.
He said: "The decision to stop the academy can only be taken by the
Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (Ed Balls).
"The matter is now totally out of the hands of the county council."
Labour's Kevin Hamilton, who is defending the Risedale seat, agreed the academy plan is out of the county council's hands.
He said Mr Balls would be the one who would sign off the £45m funding if he is happy with it.
Just Go An Vote For Anyone But These Two Who Are Jointly Responsible For Inflicting The Academy Plan On Our Town... Along With Their Big Party Comrades!
My Year 7 came in today and told me and my wife he is now on his THIRD science teacher!
Bear in mind has only been in Parkview since September 2008!
A school is a really simple thing that done well is a very effective thing.
A school is not about money.
A school is not about buildings.
A school is not about equipment.
A school is not about 'ethos'.
A school is not a 21st Century Learning Environment.
A school is not something to be used for political ends.
A school is not about brainwashing.
A school is not a place to manipulate opinion.
My youngest son is in Year 7 in Parkview and he is witnessing at first hand how devastating adult stupidity can be.
He thoroughly enjoys being at Parkview and sees nothing wrong with his school. He is keen on learning as he has been throughout his primary education.
This is a story related to me in person by a Year 11 called Kirsty. She was protesting along with her friends and school colleagues on Monday, even though as a Year 11 who had done her morning exam, she was free to leave at any time... because Mrs Warbrick was not considered 'suitable' to be an Academy teacher and because Mr Swales had been 'got at' by the Council woman!
Here is what has to be a comment from a teacher. If she or he is reading this then please get in touch by e-mail, see first post.
and it seems strapped for able civil servants.
The moribund Learning and Skills Council has written to colleges including the two Barrovian sponsors of the Academy to tell them that they will now hear "later this month" if their bids for funds have been successful.
Incredible how inept some parts of Government really are. Root and branch pruning is required in my humble opinion if confidence and effectiveness is to be restored.
I've now come some 'reasons' why this plan is on it's fast track.
I cannot see any justification for any of them but as I've said my opinion doesn't seem to matter maybe yours does.
Cllr Dom McCavish joins Molly Lynch on my wall of fame for speaking out with common sense without bias about this appalling situation.
Well done sir.
I really cannot believe the rubbish that these people come out with. My son took part in one of these 'meet and greet' sessions with these two men from the County and he relates an entirely different story to theirs.
They are also deluding themselves if they think Monday was a full stop. They have failed to gauge the mood of the children and that unfortunately comes as no surprise as trying to engage with them at this stage of the game was always going to be doomed to failure.
There is without doubt 'spoiling' going on by both sides of the argument but these comments are just foolish and only pour oil on the fire.
That's my opinion. If yours is any different, and you are so moved, e-mail me your comments.
Try as I might I have been unable to nail down the REAL reason why Cumbria's Academy Scheme is being fast tracked.
There is all manner of pointers but no actual reason for the unnecessary haste. Barrow's Academy is on a much faster track than either of the existing Academies both of which are in difficulties due in no small part to the Fast Track process.
There are also many other reasons such as sponsors believing their own spiel and the County Council employees falling over themselves to offload 'problem schools' onto 'the right people' but essentially speed is a major factor in the failure.
If Barrow's Academy sponsors really were listening and learning they would have moved heaven and earth to get more time but they haven't. In fact the process has been speeded up perhaps because they believe that the funding may actually slip away if they don't 'get a wiggle on'.
If any of this article is anywhere near true then the only right thing to in Barrow is scrap all the current Academy plans and replace it with a much more flexible plan that removes competition between our towns schools and allows our children to all benefit from a much looser framework with a wide variety of options.
This would be a very brave thing to do but I for one think that it is the right thing. I however do not matter because I am not in a position to do much about it. You might be so what do you think?
This is a very worrying report given that two colleges are in the middle of the Academy scheme right here in Barrow. One of them very nearly went into the red to the tune of £14M and the other by all accounts is already in debt.
It's worrying because it is a meeting of Finance Directors from colleges across the UK.
If these people think the money isn't there the money really isn't there!
Educational sponsors are lauded by the county as the best sponsors but just because they are 'educational' in nature doesn't automatically make them the best for the job. What the Government really wants for its Academies are successful managers. Are the two colleges actually in this category?
Their principals say they are, the County believe they are, the government believes they are but what if the reality is they aren't?
We would only find out when the Academy went into special measures. Is that a risk anyone thinks is worth taking?
Why don't the Evening Mail report on this conference?
We have two colleges in Barrow both with ambitious and stalled aspirational plans and both with ambitions to lock in their customer flow from 11-16 education so you would think a story like this would be of interest to the people who learn and work in these colleges, wouldn't you?
Here's another Academy cock up. For once it's not here in Barrow. The similarities with what people in Barrow are experiencing is remarkable. The difference is Sheene School itself is taking action through it's governors to do WHAT IS BEST FOR SHEENE'S PUPILS!
There is no subtlety involved when the County Council NEEDS public backing for one of it's school closure or merger projects.
I just had to share this with you all in light of recent events in Barrow
When is this publication going to stop publishing comment and articles from 'county council spokesperson' or 'a spokesman for' or 'a representative of' etc etc.
If someone has something to say in print my e-mail or over the phone about anything no matter what, other than a letter to the editor. then surely they should have to give their name if it is going to be printed.
Or is there a network of channels whereby people in 'power' can have things said without them being attributed to them?
What do you think?
And it was in the Evening Mail.
Well done to Molly Lynch and well done for getting this past the alleged 'academy filter'!!
Here at last we have clear and irrefutable evidence that Cumbria County Council is the master of the double standard ploy.
My two sons came in today and told me precisely what this amounted to.
Both of their teachers were toeing the well trodden 'Oh well it's going to happen anyway so we might as will get behind it now' line.
Were the County Council and The Sponsors in school this morning or what?
Douglas Blackledge is revealing his lack of managerial experience with his latest comments in the Evening Mail.
Again he blames people who are not parents for a large part of the protest. If this means standing and applauding kids is 'being responsible' for the protest then he really doesn't grasp the meaning of the word responsibility!
What he is really saying but is frightened of actually saying is that OSANFS are the ones who are responsible for the protest. Has he put this assertion to the four girls who are REALLY responsible for the protest?
I've just re-read Moira Swann comments and I cannot believe what she is saying.
Have a look for yourself and make your own mind up.
Either the teachers and pupils are telling 'porkie pies' for their own nefarious ends or a Cumbria County Council employee is.
It really is that clear cut so have a read and decide for yourself and hold that thought until you vote on Thursday.
UPDATE 10-40 am
THE SCHOOL IS BACK IN COMMUNICATION WITH THE OUTSIDE WORLD, HURRAH!
UPDATE 10-30 am
STILL NO RESPONSE FROM THE SCHOOL!!
I have rung Parkview twice this morning and there is NO ANSWER.
This is quite worrying as I have a son in Parkview sitting another exam.
What the hell are these people playing at?
I first came across this name when I received the biased consultation document in October 2007. Mr Alston was the 'main man' whose work was used to help 'build' the document. He wasn't actually named in the document but he was credited in news reports of the time as being the person who had done all the research
Mr Swales is of course the acting head of Parkview school and he had met with the Police and said the protest by the Year 10's could go ahead yesterday.
Then he called two Assembly's in school to inform the pupils that it cannot now go ahead. My son was in one of those assemblies and he said Mr Swales looked very angry.
All of the pupils in Year 11 knew about the threat from Moira Swann to suspend the senior staff and run the school directly from the County Council.
If this is actually possible why on earth do they bother employing head's at all?
There is what is being said in public for public consumption and there is what is really going on behind closed doors.
Bear in mind all of this is supposed to be about producing a great education for KIDS so why does anything have to be discussed behind closed doors?
There are no child safety issues to consider so what is the reason for the lack of transparency and the apparent 'public and private agendas"?
Please have a look at the comments on this page and you can see just how sensible they really are and you can clearly see that although they are getting a lot of support from adults they are not being LED by adults.
So what are these people playing at?
It seems that Mr Swales is no longer in charge of his own destiny. Moira Swann and her cohort have threatened his staff with suspension IF they stepped out onto the Parkview fields.
The Year 10's were told that Mr Swales and his senior staff would be suspended if the protest went ahead. Thanks to the bravery of one Year 10 girl the children voted with their feet and walked out of the assembly.
His governors stood by and did and said nothing despite being in the school since 9-30 am, at least nothing to the parents and pupils of the school.
Did they back Mr Swales and then do a U turn under pressure from their 'employers' the County Council?
We will probably never know .
He was heard by my own ears saying that the parents are making the issue far worse than needs to be when trying to convince some Year 11's to either go home or return to school.
This is not the Mr Swales who worked with the Police to allow the protest to go ahead.
Needless to say the argument fell on the deaf ears of the Year 11's
So what has changed?
This woman really hasn't a clue has she?
She was on Northwest Tonight saying that 'they' have failed to 'engage sufficiently' with the pupils. But the 'educationalists' and 'higher educationalists', the County Council paid officials and elected members, in other words, 'the elite' know better than the kids, teachers and parents of our town.
She really is dreaming if she thinks that such statements will do anything to pull parents onto the Academy bus. The educationalists will not even contemplate the fact they be wrong
The worst of it is WE ARE UNABLE TO VOTE this lady out as she is a paid council official!
Thing is what is the Governors saying about all of this?
Nothing at all. So what is the point oif having school governors that are toothless tigers?
Can anyone confirm that this is true?
Apparently it is.
he said cause we were protesting we aren't marked as present so he says we are truanting which we all know we weren't! they told us that f we went in school and went to lessons we wouldn't get excluded but when we went in they excluded us anyway. excluded till mondayDouble standards again?
Is it Mr Swales following school policy or is it Moira Swann at work?
Bear in mind these kids could have gone anywhere in Barrow but they stayed on the school fields.