PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ATL PRESIDENT VISITS ‘TENT CITY’

INJUNCTION HEARING ON TUESDAY 15 JULY 2008

C of E WANTING TO BE SPONSOR DELIBERATLEY WITHELD

Despite the intermittent torrential downpour on Friday, over 100 supporters showed their solidarity with the ‘Tent City’ protest against an academy school on the Wembley Park Sports Ground site, and also met with Julia Neal, ATL (Association of Teachers and Lecturers) National President. Bill Greenshields, NUT (National Union of Teachers) National President, whose plane had not arrived back from Canada where he had been at a conference, sent a message of support (attached).

Julia Neal said, “I am hardly surprised that the local people are protesting so strongly to save this sports ground and stop it being turned into an academy. I share their concerns. ATL is normally all for building schools but this is the wrong place for any school. The need for schools is obviously in the south as the north already has much better pupil places provision. I understand that local primaries near to the proposed academy are being undermined and are down on applicants for reception places. The local authority should be supporting their local schools instead of supporting a privately managed academy in this completely wrong location”.

Brent Council are seeking an eviction order at Willesden County Court, 9 Acton Lane at 10.30 am on Tuesday 15th July. They are also seeking an injunction against Hank Roberts one of the leaders of the Tent City protest. The papers state that he, “must vacate the Wembley Park Sports Ground forthwith and remove all the tents” etc. and “is forbidden (whether by himself or by instructing or encouraging any other persons) to re-enter the WPSG at any time”.

Hank Roberts said, “The history of social progress and the fight against reaction is replete with people who have suffered at the hand of authority because they have made a stand. A stand needs to be taken against this proposal which is at one and the same time both ludicrous and criminal”.

The latest twist in this tale is that there are local primary schools who have not filled their places for reception classes in September. Just two schools shortfall (Wembley Primary and Preston Park both very near the proposed school) nearly make up the 60 places to be offered in the temporary academy buildings proposed to open in September 08. Brent Council have acted to undermine their own state schools, leaving them in a worrying financial situation, by getting parents to apply for the academy reception places after they had already applied for local schools (copies of letters sent previously).

Paul Lorber, Leader Brent Council says in response, “Numbers are always changing with schools. There are always new arrivals in the borough and I am reasonably confident there will be no problems”. Yet we were told there was ‘desperate need for places’, so desperate they had to bring forward the academy reception classes in temporary accommodation. Now it’s down to hoping for new extra arrivals and being ‘reasonably confident’!

Councillors have also been deceived about the selection of the sponsor. It was generally understood that ARK had been selected from a list of one. Questions had been asked to clarify this, including under FoI with no response, but ARK being the sole proposed sponsor had not been disputed. Now at last at the full council meeting on 30th June a question was asked and actually answered,
“30. QUESTION IN THE NAME OF CLLR MRS FERNANDES:
Apart from ARK, can the Lead Member inform the Council of what other alternative sponsors for the unpopular Academy were proposed by the Government?

The Anglican Church expressed interest in becoming a sponsor. The Director of Children and Families and I met the Director of Education for the diocese to discuss the possibility. Sponsorship by the Church would, however, have meant revising the Expression of Interest to reflect the Academy becoming a school with a religious character. The consequence would have been a significant delay to the start of the project”.

Also see below an email from John Christie, Director of Children and Families, to Cllr Bob Blackman disclosing the same information. Councillors in making a decision did not even know that the Church of England was interested and had been put forward. There is no open selection of sponsors for academies. It is all done underhand with a few deciding who is best. But Brent has reached new depths in withholding from councillors one of the proposed sponsors. ARK has Paul Marshall as one of their trustees and he is also the biggest donor to the Liberal Democrat party. Brent Council leadership is of course Liberal Democrat.


Ends

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Wembley Tent City Occupation

www.tentcityoccupation.co.uk/

Gallery

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Latest Press Release

 http://indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/07/403319.html

ITV London Tonight Report:

 http://www.itvlocal.com/london/news/?player=LON_News_15&void=204972

Previous posts:

Action and Support: Wembley and Pimlico Anti-Academisation Need You

 http://indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/07/403604.html

Wembley Anti-Academy Tent City Facing Eviction: Party And Resist!!!

 http://indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/07/403124.html

Wembley Summer Camp Open: Squat The Land, Smash School Privatisation

 http://indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/07/402476.html

Anti-Academy Teachers Take To The Trees

 http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/09/380945.html

The Boil on Busson's Butt

 http://jasonnparkinson.blogspot.com/2008/07/boil-on-bussons-butt.html

200 School Pupils In Huts On A Construction Site

 http://jasonnparkinson.blogspot.com/2008/06/200-school-pupils-in-huts-on.html

Wembley Teachers Say No To Privatised Schooling

 http://jasonnparkinson.blogspot.com/2008/06/wembley-teachers-say-no-to-privatised.html

Save Our Schools 22-minute film available on Reel News issue 13
Stop them Privatising Our Schools available on Reel News issue 12
Wembley Occupation available on Reel News issue 10

 http://www.reelnews.co.uk/