'Keep my school out of your battles'

Dec 12 2006 By Dave Black, The Journal

An angry headteacher has slammed campaigners for dragging his school into the row over controversial plans to build a city academy.

Trade unions, local MP Ronnie Campbell and many councillors and parents are fighting moves by businessman Sir Peter Vardy's Emmanuel Schools Foundation to build the £25m academy in Blyth.

Now Ian Knight - headteacher at Astley Community High School in nearby Seaton Delaval - has hit out after his school was used in the high-profile campaign against the academy.

He yesterday attacked the "scaremongering and misinformation" going around and dismissed claims that his successful school would suffer if an academy was built in Blyth.

Opponents of the scheme say the privately-sponsored school is not needed in Blyth and would divide the community. There are also concerns over the Emmanuel Foundation's links with creationist theories. Last week, publicity put out by the union-led Blyth Campaign Against Academies claimed a city academy would lead to both Blyth Community College and Astley High School losing pupils to the new establishment.

This could lead to a "grammar-secondary modern" style split and the closure of one of the existing schools, it was suggested.

Mr Knight said yesterday: "I'm disappointed to see some of the scaremongering and misinformation that is going around about the proposed academy for Blyth, and I'm upset to see Astley Community High featured in recent publicity.

"I wasn't approached about whether the school could be used in this way, and I wouldn't have given permission if they had asked me.

"People are making representations that Astley's future would be threatened by an academy but this is not the case. We are a high achieving school and an academy in Blyth would not affect our long-term viability."

Geoff Holmes of teaching union NASUWT in Northumberland, said it was realistic to expect that Blyth students who travel to Astley High would stay in Blyth if an academy was built there.

"We believe that the county council's own forecasts of student numbers for two secondary schools in Blyth only stack up if all Blyth students stay within Blyth. That is the only way of justifying an academy in the town," he said.

Meanwhile, Sir Peter Vardy has hit back at claims of fundamentalism.

He said: "The Emmanuel Schools Foundation follows a Christian ethos. It is emphatically not a fundamentalist school, and welcomes pupils and staff of all faiths, and none. We don't teach creationism, we don't select pupils based on ability or faith, and we don't compete with other schools."

Decision in spring

Final decisions on the future of schools in Blyth are expected to be taken by the independent Northumberland School Organisation Committee in the spring.

Formal consultations on plans to move to a two-tier system end on Friday and, if no further consultation period is required, the county council's executive will consider whether or not to publish statutory notices early in the new year.

People will then have six weeks to lodge further comments or objections before the plans go before the SOC.

The final decision on whether the Blyth reorganisation will include a privately-sponsored city academy will be made by the education secretary, probably around the same time as the independent SOC makes its decisions.