Stop the Council and the Fat Cat! No PCC Giveaway!
KEEP PORTSLADE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Hove Town Hall
Stanley Wolseley Rd , Portslade
Two meetings were held, just prior to the end of the “consultation” period on the future of PCC, at which both the council and the Aldridge Foundation had representatives. Information coming to light at these meetings included the threat to the Portslade Village
Also it became clear that discussions on the academisation have been going on since mid-2009, long before there was any attempt to “consult” with the local population.
There was also an announcement from the floor of the second meeting about teacher job losses as the school attempts to balance the books; this will almost certainly mean larger class sizes, which is not good news at all .
Since the ending of the “consultation” there have been other revelations:
· The future of the library, sports centre and adult education could be under threat as, again, neither the council or the Aldridge Foundation are prepared to commit to guaranteeing the funding for any of these vital community services.
· The government has not been as generous as promised with the funding for the new build, which has led to the likelihood that a “parcel of land” will need to be sold off to make good the shortfall, most likely the sixth form site.
· This in turn will mean massive building works on the Chalky Road site where the new sixth form facility will have to be accommodated.
And of course many of the staff, fearful of what the future holds, and having seen what Aldridge has done to Falmer, will be casting about looking for jobs elsewhere, jeopardising the improvements that have been made in the last two years.
The academisation of Portslade threatens to be a disaster for the school and all who are involved with it. That’s why we must continue to demand a ballot as the only genuine way to establish what all PCC stakeholders want. There’s still time to tell Brighton and Hove council, Rod Aldridge and Education minister Michael Gove “Hands off our School!”
ACADEMY FREE!
PROTEST OUTSIDE BRIGHTON AND HOVE COUNCIL MEETING!
17th February 15-30 hours
Bring banners and placards!
What we say about academies:
Academies ARE about privatisation: The funding comes from the taxpayer but control is handed over to an unelected “sponsor” who pays nothing yet gets control of the school.
There is NO evidence academies improve results: PCC is improving already and there is NO evidence to say academies give pupils a better education. Other Aldridge controlled academies haven’t necessarily led to improvements.
Selective admissions: There is nothing to stop the sponsor introducing admissions policy or any other policy they wish to. The sponsor gets the opportunity to appoint the governors with only places for one staff and one parent representative.
Shared 6th Form: Plans have already emerged to share PCC’s sixth form with Falmer students. Where was the consultation on this?!
Lack of consultation and democracy: The decision is already being pushed through the Council ignoring any democratic process. Where ballots have been held elsewhere, they have shown huge majorities of staff and pupils against the academisation. We demand proper consultation! We demand a ballot!
GET INVOLVED!
Join the group - Details below!
Facebook: Keep-PCC-Academy-Free
Email: keeppccacademyfree@gmail.com
Phone: 07917 085189/
Group meets Wednesday 7.30pm
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