Still no-go on academy

Mar 13 2008 by Sam Wood, The Journal

EDUCATION chiefs yesterday ruled out any chance of reconsidering an academy sponsorship deal by Sir Peter Vardy and ex-Sunderland football club chairman Bob Murray – despite high-level backing from former Prime Minister Tony Blair.

The Journal reported on Monday that Lord Adonis, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Schools, had refused to sanction a consortium led by Durham University to sponsor three academies in Durham, Consett and Stanley.

Lord Adonis said he had reservations about the Durham Excellence in Education Partnership (Deep), named by Durham County Council as its preferred sponsor, supporting all three as it has not sponsored an academy before.

It was thought his comments could pave the way for a bid by North East motor magnate Sir Peter Vardy’s Emmanuel Schools Foundation (ESF) and Bob Murray to be reconsidered as a potential sponsor.

The Foundation already runs four academies elsewhere and wanted to open another in Consett but its bid was rejected by the council. Wearside-based Sir Peter, head of the Foundation, accused councillors of “putting politics before children” after they rejected his offer to co-sponsor an academy in the former steel town with Mr Murray.

Now Mr Blair has added his support to the bid. He said: “I greatly appreciate the commitment and passion Bob Murray has shown for the North East and the proven expertise of the Emmanuel Schools Foundation in raising the educational standards and attainment at Emmanuel College and the town academies in Middlesbrough and Doncaster.

“An academy sponsored by Bob Murray and the Emmanuel Schools Foundation would give young people in Consett a real start in life and an encouragement to go on to achieve their goals and ambitions.”

Lord Adonis said that while he accepted in principle the proposal for Deep to sponsor up to two academies, he would like to see greater diversity, and had concerns about the consortium’s lack of experience.

His comments suggested that Sir Peter’s Emmanuel Schools Foundation may be given a second chance.

But the authority’s cabinet member for children’s services, Coun Claire Vasey, said that was not the case.

She said: “We made it clear at the meeting with Lord Adonis that we could only work with those sponsors who we felt shared our vision and understanding of co-sponsorship, and Lord Adonis accepted this.

“Feedback from our initial consultation with pupils, parents, teachers and trade unions gave us a clear indication of the sponsors that they would welcome and those that they would find unacceptable.

“When we first invited expressions of interest from potential sponsors, we made it quite clear that to be successful they would need to share the council’s philosophy and vision about how the academies were run, and be acceptable to the authority and the governing bodies of any schools they replaced.

“The Emmanuel Foundation was one of several potential sponsors that did not, and consequently they do not figure in our plans.

“It was on the basis of that feedback, and not party politics as Sir Peter has suggested, that we drafted our proposals which did not include the Emmanuel Schools Foundation.

“Lord Adonis stated several times that he will not seek to impose a sponsor that would be unacceptable to the county council and, as far as we are concerned, that firmly rules out Sir Peter Vardy’s interest being taken any further.”

Following last week’s meeting with Lord Adonis, the county council has agreed to hold further discussions with Deep, Newcastle College and New College, Durham, to take the academies initiative forward.

And it promised that further consultations will take place with any schools affected by the proposals and the communities they serve before any key decisions are taken.

No comment was available from Sir Peter’s office last night.