Council urges Hove schools to rethink plan to become academies

Brighton and Hove City Council is urging two Hove schools to rethink plans to join an academy trust.

The council is calling on governors at West Hove Infant School and Hove Junior School to reconsider a proposal to become part of the Aurora Academies Trust.

The council said: “The schools are currently consulting on whether to join the trust which would be an irreversible decision and move them out of local authority control.

“Parents, carers and staff are being asked to comment on the proposals which will lead to changes in some of the services families can access and the support systems for both schools.

“The council believes joining the trust at this time is the wrong decision and we’re writing to parents and carers of children at the school setting out the reasons.

“The council’s view is that academisation will lead to greater fragmentation of the education system in the city and remove accountability from local communities and parents.

“Unlike many other areas in the country, the majority of schools in Brighton and Hove have remained proudly ‘local authority maintained’, working in partnership with each other and the council in order to best support all children and young people within the city.

“The council’s view is that joining a trust does not improve local partnerships, nor does it necessarily enable more vulnerable pupils to access the support they require.

“For example, the council’s Ethnic Minority Achievement Service provides vital support to children who have English as a second language and this support would potentially be lost if the schools choose to academise.

“The schools are currently engaged in a four-week consultation.

“Councillors are urging the schools to reconsider this process at the very least to ensure the local community understand the risks and challenges and spend more time understanding what will be lost by joining an academy trust.”

The Labour deputy leader of the council Jacob Taylor said: “We urge the governors to pause this consultation and work with us to ensure all stakeholders have the information they need to make an informed decision.

“This is a decision that will impact on the future education of thousands of city children and should not be made lightly or without considering all the facts. The council opposes this proposal.

“We are seeing an unprecedented reduction in the number of primary-aged children within the city. Joining a trust does not create more children – and fewer children means schools have fewer funds available.”

Councillor Taylor added: “We are keen to work with school leaders and learn from what has been a challenging situation for many schools in the city over the past few years.

“Years of underfunding from national government has not only affected schools, it’s affected local authorities too and has contributed to the difficult climate.

“We want to make sure we work together to do all we can to safeguard the future of the city’s schools.

“We are therefore very much of the view that now is not the moment to continue the drift towards academisation.”

To read our story about the proposal and the consultation, click here.