The Green Party of Hastings and Rye is pleased to see the trustees of the University of Brighton Academy Trust announce in a letter to staff and parents that they do not have faith in the leadership of the Trust.
The leadership are unable to ensure “that every academy is able to deliver the best education possible for all its young people” or ensure the staff who work in the academies in the Trust have “the resources to support this.”
Green Council Leader Julia Hilton says, “The Academies ‘project’ is clearly not working for Hastings. I have asked our MP Helena Dollimore to consider bringing an amendment to The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to allow failing academy schools to be brought back under local authority control.”
Secondary schools in Hastings are failing our children, with every one ‘requiring improvement’ according to OFSTED. The Green Party believes we must remove the ‘business model’ from the education system. Julia, who is also a County Councillor, says, “Real change would be for East Sussex County Council to establish a non-profit Local Authority Trust and transfer these now discarded schools back under an authority answerable to elected members of the county council.”
The Green Party of Hastings and Rye send its support and solidarity to the National Education Union (NEU), whose tireless campaigning has brought national attention to this issue.
After a Freedom of Information request, made by the previous MP for Hastings and Rye Sally-Ann Hart, revealed the Trust had diverted finances away from schools to its central services, the NEU conducted five days of industrial action to highlight the impact this had on working terms and conditions.
Julia adds, “Greens stood side-by-side with the NEU during this action, and we stand with their call to put the young people of Hastings and St Leonards’ educations first.”