“We’ll fight this to the end”: Parents’ and teachers’ fears over plans to turn group of schools into multi-academy trust

Parents and teachers have vowed to fight plans to turn a collection of schools into a multi-academy trust.

The Leathersellers’ Federation of Schools, which manages three Prendergast schools across Lewisham, recently announced plans to become a multi-academy trust.

The move would take the schools out of Lewisham council’s funding stream to be run under a single governing board and funded directly by the Department of Education.

But parents and teachers say they are “really pissed off” at the proposals, which they say reduce accountability, put teachers’ pay and work conditions at risk, and worsen the students’ education.

The move has even drawn the attention of Hollywood star Mark Ruffalo, who once worked with Prendergast Ladywell students helping them apply for creative jobs. He tweeted his support for those protesting the move.

Fighting to keep public schools not for-profit and for everyone. https://t.co/8VMWjM0GhT

— Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) March 5, 2023

One mum, Claire Hallam, of St John’s Vale in Deptford, whose daughter is in Year 13 at one of the Prendergast schools, said the move was “unethical”.

She said: “When I looked at the proposal it made me so angry. It’s not a failing school, no one wants it. Why are they doing it?

“It’s a marketisation of schools which I completely disagree with. They become like companies and start competing with each other and you have chief executives earning hundreds of thousands of pounds.

“I’m worried about the teachers and children with special education needs. I hate this approach to education.”

The parents and teachers claim the six-week consultation period is too short, and feels “as if a decision has already been made”.

A teacher at one of the Prendergast schools – who works a second job because their pay is so low and wished to remain anonymous over fears for their job – claimed the way the consultation was presented to teachers was just a “tick-box exercise”.

They added: “It’s just lip service. We’re not being listened to. Our pay and conditions will be at the whim of what they say rather than national guidelines.

“Chief executives get an exorbitant pay rise almost overnight, and money for staff and supplies dries up. It’s the children that suffer in the end.”

Thousands of teachers yesterday took part in a day of industrial action, and those involved with the Prendergast schools protested outside Leathersellers’ headquarters in the City of London.

James Kerr, assistant secretary of the Lewisham National Education Union branch, led the protest and warned Leathersellers to “buckle up” as they plan to do all they can to stop the move.

“We’re going to fight this to end,” he said. “We know academies lead to lower pay, higher staff turnover and competition between schools.

“We’ve seen overwhelming opposition to the plan in our indicative ballot from all four schools, and we’re extremely confident we will vote for industrial action if the plans go through.”

Paula Ledger, executive headteacher of the Leathersellers’ Federation of Schools, said: “If we became a local Multi-Academy Trust, there would be very little difference in terms of day-to-day school life for our staff, students and their families.

“There are no plans for any changes to the terms and conditions of staff or to their workload and our schools would keep their names, curriculum, staff and leadership teams.  

“As a federation, we are not under local authority control. We already run our admissions, own our own land and employ our own staff. Our proposal is based on what is best for our schools in our local circumstances.  

“We have explored all other options in detail. We are not proposing to join – or become – a national academy chain. We would be a local multi-academy trust for local children.” 

Pictured top: Erin Lynch and Max Smith, both teachers at Prendergast Ladywell school, protest outside Leathersellers’ headquarters in the City of London (Picture: Oliver Pereira)