Pair’s academy pitch

Nov 30 2007 by Paul James, The Journal

FORMER Sunderland Football Club chairman Bob Murray and car magnate Sir Peter Vardy want to build a city academy in County Durham.

Mr Murray has applied to sponsor the academy in his native Consett, one of three planned for the county.

And he has recruited Sir Peter, who ultimately wants his Emmanuel Schools Foundation (ESF) to have seven schools.

It already runs Gateshead’s Emmanuel College, The King’s Academy in Middlesbrough and Trinity Academy near Doncaster, and last week received planning permission for Bede Academy at Blyth.

Mr Murray, who already sponsors an academy in Pennywell, Sunderland, said: “I lived in Consett for 22 years and feel a firm sense of belonging and enormous pride in my home town.

“I was born at a time when it was taken for granted you would eventually work at the steelworks or in the shipyards. But when I left school, there were too many school leavers to digest in that year and I was left unemployed for 12 months, which was a traumatic experience that shaped my whole future.

“I had to fight to complete my education and eventually had to go to night classes five nights a week to get qualified as an accountant. I was lucky to get my foot on the ladder and am a strong believer in education and the life-changing opportunities it provides.”

Durham County Council has received 10 bids for the academies, each costing £2m to sponsor. They would be at Consett, Stanley and Durham City and open in 2011. Sir Peter last night said he had proved wrong those who doubted his forays into education. He said: “Once they’re built, the parents are queuing a mile long to get their children in. There’s concern about the unknown and a lot of resistance from councillors who don’t want education to change.

“We have standards that are maintained from day one – uniform, discipline, respect for teachers and respect for students, outstanding leadership, enthusiastic teachers and supportive parents.” He denied academies take the curriculum out of council control and ESF teaches creationism.

He said: “At the end of the day, we have to prepare children for the exams and they are set by the national curriculum and that is set by the Government. Teaching creationism is not a feature of the Emmanuel Foundation. There’s no truth in that at all. I’m not a creationist.”

The Blyth academy was approved by Northumberland County Council in spite of opposition from Labour councillors in Blyth Valley. But last night Alex Watson, Labour leader of Derwentside Council, repeated his support for the academy in his home town of Consett. He said: “To have the support of a local lad like Bob Murray, who has never forgotten his roots, is tremendous.”

Durham secretary of the National Union of Teachers, Trevor Blacklock, said: “Academies fit into large urban areas and Durham is not in that category. Academies will also take land and buildings out of public ownership, putting them into the hands of private sponsorship who can then decide what to do with the curriculum.”

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Schools spread in region

COUNTY Durham is the latest authority to plan for new city academies in the North-East.

Prospective sponsors include Durham University, the Diocese of Durham, a group called the Durham Excellence in Education Partnership and colleges.

A county council spokeswoman said applicants would be interviewed by senior staff and an independent assessor would report to the council on each bid.

The Excelsior Academy in Scotswood, Newcastle, sponsored by Lord Laidlaw, of Rothiemay, is due to open in September 2008.

Planning permission for Blyth’s Bede Academy, sponsored by the Emmanuel Schools Foundation, was given this month.

In Ashington, the Duke of Northumberland and the Church of England are sponsoring the proposed 1,300-student Hirst Academy.

In Sunderland, three academies are planned.