Lies & Spin Courtesy Of CCC And Roger Alston III

PLANNING 11-19 EDUCATION FOR THE BARROW AREA
NEIGHBOURHOOD FORUM CONSULTATION MEETINGS
Notes of the consultation meeting held with the public on Thursday 15th November 2007, 7.30 pm at BAE Sports and Social Club, Barrow.
PRESENT
County Councillor Jack Richardson (Chair)
Roger Alston - Chair of Cumbria School Organisation Forum
Jim Mitchell - Manager of the School Organisation Project, CCC
Peter McGaw - Senior School Improvement Officer, CCC
Graeme Wilson - Deputy Finance Manager, Education, CCC
Alison Meadows - Neighbourhood Development Officer, CCC
Carol Last Administrator, CCC

It is worth highlighting that in these minutes complied by the same administrator as the others but there is no clue whatsoever as to who is asking and who is answering. Ask yourself why this is the case. To me it simply means that anyone can argue 'I didn't say that' 'Prove I said it!' You should always take your own notes or better still record everything that is said.

QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSION
The following comments were made and questions asked.
(C) Consultation documents were not received by some parents. Parents should be able to choose which school to send their child to and what funding is available.
(A) All schools and colleges had been asked for a full list of names and addresses of their students. A copy of the consultation document had been sent through the post to the address of every student/pupil provided by the schools. A copy of the document was also sent to governors, staff, private nurseries and local and district councillors. Documents were also available at The Nan Tait Centre, libraries, the Town Hall and on the County Council website. Leaflets listing the dates of the public consultation meetings had also been sent to the schools via the portal for distribution to parents.
These people obviously have a stock sheet of pre prepared answers as this is exactly the same reply as was given at the previous meeting. Told you everything was engineered to deliver the right result!

(Q) Concern was expressed at the possible disruption to pupils if an Academy was built on Parkview site.
(A) Option 4 would deliver one Academy on the Parkview site. The Academy would be developed whilst maintaining the existing buildings to ensure minimal disruption to pupils education. Changeover would take place when the new building was completed.
Stock answer! The top table is really getting into it's groove by the time of this meeting.

(C) (Parent) Had the Panel already decided on a chosen option?
(A) No decision had been taken. The proposals had been put forward for consultation to gain the views of everyone and any alternative options would be considered.
In light of actual events after this statement was made you have to take it with a pinch of salt!

(Q) How would Thorncliffe Staff be affected?
(A) Staff would transfer under TUPE regulations to an Academy. The number of teachers required was based on pupil numbers and not the number of schools. It was noted that news coverage had detailed a debate being undertaken on smaller or larger schools. With regard to larger schools, they could be organised into smaller units within the school e.g. year 7 could have their own school within a school.
Not the case at all. Significant that mention was made of 'news coverage'. Perhaps the CCC officials and Roger Alston were starting to sweat a bit here.

(Q) Option 4 sees the development of a new Academy with Thorncliffe and Parkview closing down. Would pupils from these schools be guaranteed a place?
(A) The academy intake would be set at 240 pupils per year; those students attending schools involved in a merger would automatically be offered a place.
So after 2009 it is highly likely you could live next to either site and have to send your child to Walney on the island or to St Bernards a faith school as the Academy would be full!

(Q) How would Walney School be supported financially?
(C) If an Academy was built in Barrow, what would be available for Walney and St Bernard's.
(A) Resources would still be earmarked in the Capital programme budget for maintenance the same as any other LA school.
No mention here of the expansion programme. Why not?
£3M for Walney and £1.5M just to create more space is not coming from any maintenance budget is it?

(Q) What contingencies were in place if funding did not come through? During transition while an academy was being built, how would quality and standards be maintained in the existing schools?
(A) Capital funding was committed during the process of building schools. Revenue was protected whilst pupils continue to attend school. Existing schools would not be run down. Funding streams are currently available under government policies for Academies and Building Schools for the Future (BSF). Option 4 could be full funded now, with funding available for Options 1, 2 and 3 at different stages.
A strange grouping again of two entirely distinct questions. Why does this happen?
Clear and unambiguous evidence that this plan is simply a dash for cash.

(Q) (Parent) The three current schools have three different specialisms would these be incorporated in to the academy?
(A) Academies usually only have a maximum of two specialisms.
So a 33% or one third reduction in specialisms and this is supposed to be a good thing? What they don't say is that all THREE current specialisms will be replaced by two new ones more in line with what the TWO COLLEGES OFFER!

(Q) How does the curriculum in an Academy compare to the current curriculum in be continuation of this into the Academy?
(A) Academies follow the national curriculum and the curriculum would be protected during the transition from school to Academy. Courses across schools would continue to happen.
No they don't.
The curriculum is 'designed' by the sponsors and are loosely based on the National curriculum. One of the key benefits for sponsors is having the freedom to choose what they want!
(C) (Parent) If a school was in special measures and an Academy was formed it would have the same teachers and therefore some academies could go into special measures.
Either this comment was too hard for the top table to understand or as their was no Countu lawyer present they dare not answer!

(Q) Who makes the decision on the Options?
(A) Questionnaires, letters and e-mails need to be completed and sent in by 7th December 2007. The schedule of meetings currently underway would be completed. Further talks with stakeholders will be held to look at the response to the consultations. Information would go to Cumbria County Council Cabinet on 5th February 2008, for them to identify a way forward.
Another 'none answer', there are so many.

(Q) (Parent) How do you get the views of the town when you have failed to deliver the documents?
(A) Almost 12,000 consultation documents have been distributed. Over 8,500 documents were sent out by mail to addresses of pupils provided by schools. Additional copies have been provided for those schools where parents have said they did not receive them. Copies have been available in public places such as the Town Hall and local libraries and meetings have been publicised through the distribution of leaflets sent out to the schools through the portal.
Another 'none answer'. Why do they bother?

(C) (Parent) Parents with children at primary school think they would not be affected; need to re-target primary schools.
(A) An attempt would be made to write to all primary schools and documents had already been sent to the addresses of all children.
'An ATTEMPT'! What planet do these fools live on?
An attempt simply isn't good enough. Whoever supplied this answer really does want sacking for gross incompetence!

(Q) The National Audit Office revealed GCSE's in Academies had improved. When was the comparison made?
(A) They were compared prior to transition from a School to an Academy.
As the majority of Academy's already in existence replace failing schools surely this should be the case. Barrows schools are not failing!

(Q) Option 3 states new schools on Walney and Thorncliffe would be open to National competition to run them. Can you explain what that is?
(A) A national competition is not applicable to academies. LA's have no choice in this matter as recent government legislation dictates when creating 'new schools' they are subject to national competition.
A simple 'NO I haven't a clue' would have been better than this load of tripe. Educational professionals they may be but they are obviousluy NOT any good at their jobs if they cannot answer a question like this.
(C) During a presentation it was stated that academies have a good track record no detailed explanation was undertaken.
Because there isn't a detailed explanation and that doesn't exist because as PWC states in every report the results are NOT conclusive.

(Q) Following consultation the proposal would go to County Council Cabinet with 7 to 8 cabinet members not from the Barrow area making a decision about education in Barrow?
(A) The National Audit Office and Pricewaterhouse Cooper had reports showing an overall improvement in GCSEs. When a decision was taken on proposals for education in Carlisle, none of the cabinet members were from Carlisle.
Why are they talking about GCSE's in this answer?
Why isn't it right and proper to have local County Councillors making the big decisions that will affect their local communities?

(C) Roger Titcome stated he had researched statistics on Academies from Universities that were independent of the process. In the research literature he had found academies were independent schools in law. They were exempt from the Freedom of Information Act and did not need to follow the curriculum as other schools did. Changes had been made to some academies after the funding agreement had been signed by the Government and as it had already been signed the Government there was nothing that could be done about the changes made by the Academy. As stated previously academies were exempt from the Freedom of Information Act but the DFES has been forced to reveal the funding agreement under the Freedom of Information Act. Reference was made to the Walsall Academy. When the academy transferred from a school to an academy they could not trace 18 pupils and eventually Walsall Education Authority could only account for 9 pupils. Before the school became an Academy in Walsall, 50% of pupils were on Free School Meals: in the academy only 12% were on Free School Meals. It was stated that academies were over subscribed and the Secretary of State was undertaking an urgent 8 week review of academies and this had been printed in the Guardian Newspaper this week. In terms of exam results for 5 GCSE A-C passes Parkview, Thorncliffe and Alfred Barrow had achieved 31% in 2006; Academies had only achieved 21% in 2006. In the literature from the independent Universities there was no clear indication that academies had improved school performance.
Is this comment being used to counter the PWC stats?

(Q) When was the decision taken that the Academy would be for 11-16 year olds and not 11 - 19 year olds?
(A) When the questionnaires are returned it would become apparent whether the age range was a major factor. The LPG in putting the options together all agreed that only the 11-16 sector needed changed in Barrow.
Again total rubbish. The County had already decided it 'beleived' that 11-16 is better than 11-19!

(Q) The questionnaire was designed with 5 options, parents would vote for either a school on Thorncliffe or Walney dependent on where they reside which could lead to a split vote with the academy receiving the least votes.
(A) Views were being sought on a range of options/choices. It would be possible to identify responses from people with a vested interest. The results would be analysed by a non - County Council private organisation.
Surely EVERYONE who sends in a questionnaire would have a vested interest?
Why do they feel that they have to identify them?

(C) Attended a Health & Safety meeting in Carlisle 15 years ago and it had been noted then that the schools infrastructure was outdated. What was the response rate from questionnaires sent out in Carlisle and West Cumbria?
(A) The number of questionnaires sent out in Carlisle was 18,000 with 1,000 returned. West Cumbria had a similar feedback.
That's a miserly .05% response rate. Wouldn't you think that some buffoon in the County might say something was wrong if the response rate was so low?
Apparently not!
The Barrovian consultation had a comparatively MASSIVE 4.5% response rate which these same clowns said was 'typical'.
I'm not brilliant at numbers but even i can see that there is an enormous difference between 0.05% & 4.5%. These consultations are sham run by fools who have deserve to be sacked.

(Q) Could an Academy offer a varied curriculum? Placing an academy on the Parkview site could reduce sporting facilities.
(A) There is a requirement to ensure that sport facilities are not reduced in size. The schools and an Academy would work together as a family of schools when delivering the curriculum.
This reply just doesn't make sense. The clown who actually answered cannot seem to grasp the fact that three schools are becoming one so there is no 'family of schools'!

(Q) (Parent) Was it feasible to have an academy in Barrow and was the feedback positive?
(A) Reports and consultations had shown similar towns to Barrow had academies. There had been a positive response to the meetings and documents.
Yet another none answer but this time dressed up with lies!

(Q) (Parent) Would an Academy cater for children with Special Needs?
(A) An Academy would cater for children with Special Needs.
Like every other school in the land IT HAS TOO BY LAW.

(Q) Would the Academy be autonomous and how would children with difficulties who are permanently excluded be supported?
(A) The sponsors would publish parameters and the Academy would be part of a family of schools and sign up to sharing of information exactly as undertaken in secondary schools at present.
Here it is again a 'family of schools'. Must have been a buzz word on the night!

(Q) How was the Governing body selected?
(A) There would potentially be three governor positions for parents, staff and the LA. The sponsors would determine the majority of members on the governing body.
The sponsors ARE the three governors!

(C) The building and siting of the new Academy would create traffic issues for both parents and residents in the area.
(A) Consultation would be undertaken as part of the planning process and the development of site and access issues would be undertaken by Cumbria Highways, with the legal planning processes being followed.
This hasn't been done like so many other things. Talk is cheaper than actions or so it seems!

(C) How can the projected fall of school student numbers be justified given the regeneration being undertaken in the town?
No answers in the 'book of answers' so the question is simply IGNORED.

(C) There were concerns that Cumbria County Council has permitted Dowdales School to increase its school places.
(A) The government requires the LA to increase admissions in its popular schools.
But it DOESN'T allow Academies to increase their admissions and as it will be over subscribed due to it's intake policy it will be the most successful school around that cannot expand. Sheer bloody madness and proof if it were needed that this Government truly hasn't a clue.

(Q) What if the Academy proves popular?
(A) Presently there is a wide choice of schools in Barrow. Parents of students in Barrow have availed themselves of that choice. There will be a catchment area and an oversubscription policy similar to that for existing schools.
That 'availed choice' is being slashed from five to three by these clowns. Don't they realise just how stupid they make themselves look?

(Q) What proof is there that Academies improve the standard of Education?
(A) The National Audit Office from 2002 - 2007 researched 11 -18 year olds. The findings show improved education results in Key stage 3, 4 and Post 16. Pricewaterhouse Cooper an independent company came to similar conclusions.


(C) National Audit Office and Pricewaterhouse Cooper have no education expertise.
The Chair asked the public for a vote for/against the Academy option. The majority of the votes were not in favour of an Academy.

This time the lazy clowns couldn't even be bothered to note the actual numbers. No wonder people never go to these things what's the flipping point?
The point is dear reader that they can only get away with such stupidity because you and me stay away and ALLOW THEM TO. This has got to change.