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By RICHARD OSLEY
 

Education chief Cllr Lucy Anderson
Education dossier sent to Whitehall

Labour group steps up pressure for school reforms

LABOUR councillors stepped up their rebellion against the government’s planned education reforms by sending ministers a file of objections on Thursday.
The dossier is Camden Council’s official response to the Education Bill currently being promoted by the government.
The New Journal revealed last week how the Town Hall has ripped up its traditionally warm relationship with Whitehall in order to campaign for amendments.
The Labour group in Camden is adamant that there should be no pupil selection power for schools and no new Trust schools or City Academies in the borough.
That battle cry has been followed up with the dossier to education secretary Ruth Kelly.
The response, filed under the names of education chief Councillor Lucy Anderson and social services supremo Councillor Geethika Jayatilaka, said: “We have deep concerns about how the White Paper proposals for school organisation would work in London.
“We are very concerned about the White Paper proposal to give all schools the option to become their own admissions authority, determine their admissions criteria, and expand their number of places at will, without any reference to their local community’s needs, or the needs and aspirations of other schools in their local area.
“This could potentially cut across many of our Local Authority key strategies, such as the focus on neighbourhood renewal and community cohesion initiatives.”
The file added: “We do not understand how this autonomy at a school level in determining the number of school places fits with the duty still placed on local authorities to ensure that there are the right number of places in their area, and their ‘new duty to promote choice, diversity and fair access.’
“We believe that the local authority not only has a strategic leadership role in planning school places but also plays a key role in ensuring that the wider local best interests are served.”
The proposed reforms will be discussed at a Town Hall meeting on Tuesday.
 
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