SEA Paper | “Restoring A Democratically Accountable Schools System”

We wanted to publicise an SEA paper in the context of an upcoming launch event for the Give Us Back Our Schools Campaign on Thursday 13 May, 6pm via Zoom.

The privatisation and fragmentation of our schools system has gone far enough. Williamson has indicated he wants to finish the job and force more schools into MATS (multi- academy trusts). It is time to engage reverse gear and bring all schools back under the oversight of democratised local authorities and school governance, where parents, students and communities have a voice in the running of their schools. 

The SEA’s paper ‘Restoring A Democratically Accountable Schools System’ available below shows how this can be done.

Currently bringing academies back under local democratic control is Labour policy as expressed by the 2019 conference. It must stay that way.

Please attend the event and publicise it far and wide using the above poster. Please take the motion below to your TU, Labour Party or Campaigning group branch:-

‘This CLP/organisation notes the Socialist Educational Association is leading a campaign called ‘Give Us Back Our Schools’ We believe that Tory policies are promoting a narrow vision of what education should be and are denying opportunities to many from the early years through to adult education. We need to establish a National Education Service which can enable people to live healthy, satisfying and sustainable lives.  To do this we need to bring schools into an integrated, cooperative, transparent and non-selective education system and end the fragmentation brought about by privatisation and marketisation. We further believe that this transformation cannot be brought about without challenging the culture of centralisation and cronyism that has characterised Tory education policy.   We endorse proposals for “the radical insourcing of public services” and for wider English devolution. Education must be central to these proposals.  The campaign seeks to defend and build support for 2019 Labour Conference policy on education  1. Give parents, education staff and students a real role in how schools and colleges are run 2.  Restore school autonomy by taking control over schools away from multi academy trusts 3.  End the free school and academy programmes 4.  Re-establish local leadership of education by bringing all schools back to Local Education Authorities, properly funded to provide services and democratic oversight. This should include taking steps, over time, to integrate private schools into the public education service.  This CLP agrees to pledge support to the campaign’

In Solidarity

James Whiting
General Secretary, SEA