Future of Bexhill High is under the spotlight
THE process to determine if Bexhill High School will become an academy got underway this week.
The six week consultation began on Monday and executive principal Mike Conn claims so far response from parents has been positive - but these are still early days.
Being an academy would mean greater freedom for the school because it would move away from East Sussex County Council control but still be funded by public money.
Academies can set their own pay and conditions for staff, do not have to teach the National Curriculum, and have more independence.
Mr Conn said the governors unanimously voted to start the consultation process, even though they already considered the move a year ago. They felt at that time there had been enough change.
He said their decision was made in response the the government’s directive that secondary schools start moving towards academy status.
Information is available for parents, students, staff and other stakeholiders and it is hoped they will make their views known to the governing body for consideration.
Bexhill High has also been working with Prospects as its preferred sponsor, which is an education provider with one academy already under its belt.
Mr Conn said: “We feel that this partnership would be potentially tremendously advantageous to the school.”
He believes results at Bexhill High are improving and that better teaching and learning are the key to the future.
He said: “We still have many teachers that were trained in a different way. Things take time to embed and develop in schools. Undoubtedly we need to up the ante and that is exactly what we are doing.
“We need good teaching which means better learning and therefore better outcomes.
“We just have to make sure it happens everywhere.”
He added that others in the area are considering the change and that Bexhill High was “not alone”- and those schools which do not take the initiative may find changes imposed upon them.
He added: “We want to be making some decisions about our own destiny rather than having other people make them for us.”
A mum at the school told the Observer: “We need to wait and see what the proposals are and what the effects will be. No point in worrying, it’s been on the cards and other schools’ decisions have had an impact on the high school’s decision.
“I just hope that it can all be done with minor disruption to the students. They have been through enough changes already.”
Another parent claimed the consultation is “just a paper exercise” and the governors have already decided to go with Prospects as an organisation to take over running the school.
She believes if they do not agree to become an Academy they will be forced down that route by the Government because of poor GCSE results and Ofsted reports.
She also warned the diminishing role of the local education authority could impact on areas such as special needs education and extra curriculum activities.
PICTURED: Mike Conn
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Weather for Bexhill-on-Sea
Monday 28 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 13 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: West
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 11 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: South west
