Mock auction held to protest against privitisation of Birmingham schools

Nov 28 2009 by Tony Collins, Birmingham Mail

CAMPAIGNERS opposed to the privatisation of schools through the Government’s controversial academies programme, staged a mock auction in Birmingham in protest.

Members of the Anti-Academies Alliance pretended to sell off schools to the highest bidder outside the ICC, where the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust was holding its annual conference.

Alasdair Smith, the Alliance’s national secretary, said: “Our problem with this sort of organisation is they are taking public money with no public accountability. This is all about privatisation and deregulation, and we will continue to fight every academy wherever we can.

“We know where an open debate has been held over academies, parents take notice, so we will continue to protest.”

The first three city academies opened in September at St Alban’s CE in Highgate, The Heartlands High in Nechells, and Shenley Court in Selly Oak. They are now run by private sponsors paying up to £2 million per school.

A further three academies are due to be created at the College High in Erdington, Sheldon Heath, and Harborne Hill, although the latter has yet to find a sponsor.

Two specialist academies focused on engineering, and digital media and the performing arts, are also proposed for the city’s 14 to 19 year olds.

Campaigners said many existing academies were performing badly in key GCSE results.

But Schools Minister Vernon Coaker dismissed the claim as “simply nonsense”.

He said “Standards in academies are improving at twice the rate of maintained schools, Ofsted have judged the standards of their leadership and management to be much higher than the national average, and independent evaluation said that sponsors have a significant impact on school improvement.”