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With Lord Adonis: from left, back, Damla Boztas, Louella Michie, dance teacher Inez Roberta, Trevina Kenny, Georgia Ryan; front, Gizem Bozkurt, Geanella Larco, Ada Ismaili and Lovelette Sintim |
Minister keeps mum on pupil cut
Lord Adonis hails beacon school but refuses to back headteacher’s fight to protect roll
SCHOOLS minister Lord Adonis has refused to support a headteacher’s battle to prevent a planned cut in his pupil numbers.
Lord Adonis, a former governor of Islington Arts and Media School in Finsbury Park, visited the school on Wednesday, a day before a delegation of parents and governors confronted councillors at the Town Hall to ask for a reprieve.
He praised its “London-wide reputation as a beacon in arts and media education” but stopped short of intervening in the school’s plight.
Lord Adonis told the Tribune: “I simply can’t comment because I don’t know what the local circumstances are and this will be a matter for ongoing discussion between the school and local authority.”
Headteacher Richard Ewen, who was unable to meet Lord Adonis due to personal circumstances, has claimed his school is being punished because the council has allowed too many secondaries to open in Islington.
He has also questioned the wisdom of allowing Islington Green School to reopen as a city academy later this year. A Town Hall report has said city academies have affected pupil transfer patterns.
But Lord Adonis, credited as one of the architects of the government’s city academy programme, has disputed Mr Ewen’s claims.
He said: “I don’t believe there are too many schools in Islington – the historic problem in Islington secondary education has been too few residents stay in Islington secondary schools.
“Now the growing success of Islington secondary schools – not only academies but all Islington’s secondary schools – is attracting more parents to stay in the borough.
“That’s a very good thing for Islington education. So I don’t believe in principle that there are too many schools”
Chairwoman of the school governors Victoria Phillips said yesterday (Thursday): “I’m genuinely not surprised that a government minister tries to step out of a local dispute. The reality is he’s going to sidestep it.
“I would hope that the minister and government would get involved in London and better planning of school places and requirements.
“I question the wisdom of allowing neighbouring authorities to be aggressive in the number of places they have in secondary schools. There needs to be central government involvement in planning school places in London.”
Lord Adonis, who lives in Holloway, toured the Finsbury Park secondary, named as one of 30 pioneering “Schools of Creativity” in England.
For this, the school has been granted £45,000 over three years to develop and promote creative learning.
He visited media classes, watched pupils working with architects on the redesign of the school and enjoyed a performance by IAMS Girlz dance group. |
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