RE Schools

When Labour was last in government a lot of state schools improved to such extent that private schools complained that parents were taking pupils out to go to state schools.

Parents even started moving house to be near great state schools as some state schools were becoming better than some private schools.

Some private schools were saying how it was becoming difficult for them to stay in business and so would have to raise fees.

The worst state schools were given additional funds to help quickly fix them. They were also given help from the heads of good local schools. Those schools most in need of help were given an 'academy' status.

The Tories & Lib Dem's got into power. They immediately scrapped the state school building programme (which included major repairs to state schools).

The Conservatives are now in government and have cut the state education budget.

There is a stigma attached to the term 'Academy school'. The Conservatives government wants all state schools to become an 'academy'.

Academies are able to employ people to teach who have no teaching qualifications. However, those schools have resisted having to employ teachers who are not qualified.

The next step will be further cuts to state education. Academies will then be forced to start employing people to teach who have no qualifications to teach, because those people will be cheaper to employ - resulting in lower state education standards... and more people paying to go private.

In addition, the Conservative government wants to take away the rights of parents to be represented on Academy school boards. If a school hires unqualified people to teach then it will be hidden from parents.

The people at the top of the Conservatives totally resent paying any tax towards state education because they have never required it.

Posted By: Larry Hagman, May 7, 00:14:29