Islington Labour told: "Back Opposition to Government's Education Plans"

Lib Dem Councillor James Kempton, Executive Member for Children, has called on the Islington Labour Party to back calls for the Government to scrap their controversial plans for schools. Labour councillors will get the chance to make their views clear by voting for or against a motion going to the January 23rd Full Council meeting.

Through his work for the Local Government Association, James has been leading a cross party coalition opposing plans to allow schools to fix their admissions arrangements so that they (rather than parents) choose who gets into their school. They are also opposed to making as many schools as possible "independent trusts" instead of comprehensive schools accountable to the local community.

James says: "Tony Blair and his henchman Lord Adonis are trying to destroy state education in this country. The Government's proposals put at risk the huge improvements we have made in raising standards in our secondary schools since 2000. I am calling publicly on all Labour councillors in Islington to back me and my Lib Dem colleagues here in opposing these destructive Government proposals at the Council meeting on 23 February. I hope they are brave enough to stand up to the Labour Government and to speak up for parents and pupils."

Dear Tribune,

Tony Blair and his henchman Lord Adonis are trying to destroy state education in this country. His Schools White Paper has united an unlikely coalition of opponents from parents, headteachers, councillors and MPs (including over 100 Labour ones). They are against schools fixing their admissions arrangements so that they (rather than parents) choose who gets into their school. They are opposed to making as many schools as possible "independent trusts" instead of comprehensive schools accountable to the local community. The Government's proposals put at risk the huge improvements we have made in raising standards in our secondary schools since 2000.

Does Islington Labour support the Government's proposals for Education, or do they agree with the wide coalition who believe they would not be in our children's best interests?

Through the Local Government Association, I have been leading opposition to these proposals on behalf of all councillors in England - Lib Dem, Labour and Conservative. I am calling publicly on all Labour councillors in Islington to back me and my Lib Dem colleagues here in opposing these destructive Government proposals at the Council meeting on 23 February. I hope they are brave enough to stand up to the Labour Government and to speak up for parents and pupils.

Yours sincerely,

Cllr James Kempton

Executive Member for Children

Islington's Lib Dem Councillors have tabled the following motion to the 23rd February Full Council meeting opposing the Education White Paper:

2. EDUCATION WHITE PAPER

To be moved by Councillor James Kempton, seconded by Councillor Marisha Ray

This Council notes the launch of the Government's Education White Paper, "Higher Standards, Better Schools For All", on October 25th.

This Council believes:

1) the over-riding objective of schooling must be to help every child achieve the best and most appropriate education and preparation for life

2) the dramatic improvement in education in Islington needs to continue to help the 55% of local young people who currently do not achieve 5 good GCSEs

3) Islington's schools should continue to be free to manage their own teaching, staffing and budgets

4) collaboration among Islington schools has helped to deliver improved outcomes and the local authority working with it's education partner CEA has an essential co-ordinating role to play in achieving this

5) Islington's schools should be funded locally, with decisions by elected bodies accountable to local people, rather than by funding formulas dictated by central government

6) all young people have a right to be treated equally in the school admission process

7) an admissions policy based around schools being encouraged to "poach" pupils from each other will only work in the interests of some schools, not in the interests of all young people

8) in recent years too much effort has been wasted on tinkering with structures rather than focussing directly on improving teaching

9) involvement of parents in their children's education is a major determining factor in its success

10) This Council is concerned that implementing the White Paper will lead to:

(a) an admissions "free for all" where schools which are their own admissions authority will choose the pupils they want and parents risk not getting the school places they wanted for their children

(b) undermining of the fair admissions system in our area and the protocols we have established to ensure places are available for 'hard to place' pupils

(c) an even greater centralisation of power in the hands of unelected Whitehall bureaucrats through measures like the proposal for a new DfES Schools Commissioner and insisting that all new schools are trust schools or academies

(d) barriers to delivering the Every Child Matters agenda which sees schools as a key part of integrated children's services.

11) This Council calls for:

(a) Islington and other local authorities to continue to lead and co-ordinate a local admissions process to ensure fair access for all - including hard to place children - as a fair admissions policy cannot be delivered on a school by school basis

(b) the status of community school to remain for both existing and new schools

(c) Islington's schools to co-operate with us in delivering the Every Child Matters agenda recognising that education does not stop at the school gates - this should be backed up by Government placing on all schools the same clear duty of co-operation placed on other partners

(d) the restoration of financial and planning powers to local authorities for 16-19 education to enable a coherent 14-19 education policy to be developed

(e) root and branch reform of local government finance so that more local government services can be funded through local taxation with a corresponding reduction in the rate of national income tax

(f) all members of Islington Council to lobby local MPs to actively campaign for education services to remain accountable to local people through local democracy, and to vote for this principle when the measures contained in the White Paper are debated in Parliament

(g) these concerns to be put to the Secretary of State for Education and Skills.