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Islington Tribune - by PETER GRUNER
Published: 20 June 2008

MP’s shock over ‘failing’ schools tag

JEREMY Corbyn MP has said he was “shocked and appalled” after Education Minister Ed Balls branded three Islington secondary schools as “failing”.
Holloway, Highbury Grove and Islington Arts and Media School were named-and-shamed on a hit-list of struggling secondaries released last week.
But the MP for Islington North was today (Friday) drafting a parliamentary Early Day Motion congratulating the community schools.
Mr Corbyn said: “I know all three schools very well and visit them frequently. I support all three when I can. I am delighted that the government has decided to spend millions of pounds improving the schools’ buildings through the Building Schools for the Future programme.
“All three are improving and have had good independent reports, which is why I am shocked, absolutely appalled and angry to see them labelled in this way.”
He added: “It is insensitive to teachers, staff and parents.”
Mr Balls had warned headteachers at the three schools that if GCSE grades did not improve by 2011 they would be closed and transformed into academies.
Academy schools are independent schools, unaccountable to the local authority, and run by private sponsors.
Mr Corbyn added: “I hope this does not mean the schools will be transformed into academies.
“It appears that Mr Balls wants us to move that way. I am not sympathetic to academies. I want publicly funded schools that are politically accountable.”
The schools have been told they must improve average A*-C grades to above 30 per cent.
The schools’ average scores have been improving over the last three years and are now hovering below the 30 per cent threshold.
A statement approved by the schools’ three headteachers said: “All our schools have strong improvement plans underway as a matter of course. It’s wrong to describe these schools as failing.
“The most recent Ofsted inspection report on Islington Arts and Media School described it as having outstanding features, and ranked it as good overall.”

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