Parental Ballots On Trust Status 'Miss The Point', Says NASUWT

Tue, April 18, 2006

Source: NASUWT

Decisions about the future of a school should not be made by a minority of parents choosing to 'opt in' or 'opt out' of a publicly funded, publicly accountable education system.

Decisions about the future of a school should not be made by a minority of parents choosing to 'opt in' or 'opt out' of a publicly funded, publicly accountable education system.

Commenting on proposals reported today that parents should be balloted on the establishment of a trust school, Chris Keates, General Secretary of NASUWT, the largest union representing teachers and headteachers throughout the UK, said:

"Such a proposal completely misses the point. If the concept of a trust is unacceptable why suggest ways of giving credence to the process?

"Trust schools are at the heart of the debate about the future of state education, a matter which should be determined by national policy, democratically determined. It should not be left to the whim and self-interest of small groups of parents.

"Those who advocate parental ballots are in grave danger of reintroducing one of the most flawed aspects of the grant maintained school process advocated by the last Conservative Government.

"Decisions about the future of a school should not be made by a minority of parents choosing to 'opt in' or 'opt out' of a publicly funded, publicly accountable education system."

http://www.teachersunion.org.uk/