Below is a letter written by a student to Governors at QEGirls, who sadly took the first vote towards becoming an Academy in December. There is quite a bit of opposition amongst staff and students. Campaigners petitioned at the Spires shopping centre on Saturday 18th December, to garner support for the campaign against Academy status.
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This is the letter that I, along with other students, wrote to the governors of Queen Elizabeth’s Girls’ School before the first vote to take the first step towards Academy Status.
Every year group has had an assembly given by the Head Teacher about Academy Status and how it will affect our school. We feel that only a short amount of warning had been given to parents, students and staff before the governors’ vote. We have created a petition which allows parents, students and staff to show their opposition to the change to Academy status. When presenting the petition we informed them of the pros and cons and discussed how they felt and what their worries were.
One of our biggest worries is that Academy status is irreversible. Putting 125 years lease on the academy is un-democratic and prevents many future generations from change. What happens if future generations are not satisfied with the academy’s progress, why is it that a decision that they did not make has to affect them so direly?
Another concern is that the Head Teacher will have the ability to make changes to the staff without having to consult stakeholders. This may lead to concern amongst staff and reluctance to question the Head Teacher’s judgement. This could potentially be bad for the students due to the teachers putting the Head’s needs and concerns before that of the students. We understand the position that the school is in. We have listened and done our own research on the matter. Barnet Council wants every school to become an Academy and if we don’t, we could be left out. But we’re not sheep, why should we do something just because everybody else is? We have an amazing school and we are so proud to be part of it. We are concerned that the ethos of the school may be affected if we become an Academy. We have an outstanding Head Teacher, governing body and inspiring staff who contribute towards the attitudes and achievements of the girls who attend the school – but a lot can change in 125 years.
All stakeholders will change at some point over 125 years and we would potentially be leaving them with a bad system of schooling that cannot be reversed.We understand that it costs over £6 million to run QE per year and that cuts have to be made. But this supposed extra money isn’t guaranteed. We are expected to receive a grant for the transfer in the first year, but after that, nothing is certain. The coalition could break any day and we could have a new government – but if we go ahead with becoming an Academy, we may find ourselves in an unfortunate position.
We believe that there is an alternative to becoming an Academy. Granted, it won’t be easy, but we have no guarantee that it will be any better if we left Local Authority. A lot of questions have been asked, with the most common answer being “We’re not sure” or “We haven’t yet had that information.” – Why would anybody do something that they’re not sure of?
There are many worries and concerns about staying under Local Authority control or becoming an Academy and we realise it is a tough decision. But is 125 years worth a situation that may only be around for 4 years? There is an alternative. We need to ride out the storm.
“The future is an infinite succession of presents and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvellous victory.”
