|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| UPDATED
EVERY FRIDAY
Last Update:
Friday 20th
May, 2005 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| All
content © New Journal Enterprises, 2005. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| We will not play along until Town Hall
listens |
Pupils in Brecknock Primary School |
Our schools have been given no proper opportunity
to shape their future, writes senior governor Dorothea Hackman
Camden Council’s plans to appoint a director of children’s
services has forced the borough’s school governors into
action. Governors are concerned for three main reasons:
n Schools have been bypassed in consultation about this process.
n Governors consider the proposed process for appointment
of director to be unfair and flawed, and therefore to be opposed
as a matter of principle. They want to see the post externally
advertised.
n The outcome of appointing in this way is a serious threat
to the excellence of education and undermines goodwill from
schools and governors.
The background is that the 2004 Children Act requires councils
to have a director of children’s services in post by
2008. The aim is to have joined up working between education,
social services, health and police, so children do not fall
through the safety net as happened with Victoria Climbie.
Moira Gibb, chief executive of Camden Council, feels we need
to appoint now for 2006 before other councils appoint the
best people. She is taking the opportunity to restructure
Camden Council from five departments into three with three
directors instead of five.
As part of this, education will be merged with the children’s
part of social services into a Department of Children’s
Services.
Since Bob Litchfield retired in December 2004, we have had
an acting director of education. In the restructure the three
new director posts will be ring-fenced to the existing four
substantive directors, none of whom are from education.
If we follow this process we will have a director of children’s
services who has no expertise or experience in education.
n There has been no meaningful consultation.
Headteachers and governors at their various consultative groups
were told about the restructure and how the directors would
be appointed. This was communicated as a fait accompli in
mid-March. It remained unchanged despite objections from governors
and headteachers and was approved by the camden executive
on April 27.
The council says it has consulted with us, but governors feel
consultation by definition occurs before the decision is taken.
The council apparently held discussions with social services
and health, but did not discuss rolling out children’s
services with their schools.
The council wants governors to talk to their consultants,
Stanton Marris, about how the second tier of the department
should look. The process being used ring-fences posts to the
substantive postholders at each level of the restructure.
Most governors and headteachers see no point in participating
in these discussions, as the proposed process is being operated
to our disadvantage. Some of us want to participate in the
consultation, although they also have concerns about the process.
Because the views of schools as represented by governors and
headteachers, which represent half of the council’s
employees, have been disregarded in the decisions around the
top tier, and the education trade unions and parents have
not been consulted at all, the Joint Chairs of School Governing
Bodies are currently not lending credibility to the process
by participating in the Stanton Marris consultation about
the second tier.
No governor is authorised to speak to these consultants on
this matter on behalf of joint chairs, which has asked all
governors to refuse to talk to them in any capacity.
n Governors feel that this is an unfair process. If we merged
two schools for instance, the new headteacher’s post
would be externally advertised as is normal for accountability,
and this is part of the expectation of senior postholders
on high salaries.
Yet here we see a ring-fence for the director of children’s
services containing no one with an educational background.
We want to see the post externally advertised.
We are curious to know how the interview panel of councillors
intends to establish the extent to which the director has
the skills-set needed.
The headteachers, unions and joint chairs are seeking a meeting
with councillors to discuss this process and its impact.
n It is a threat to education. Education is important –
it is half of the council budget, yet all of this is to be
led by the people who seek to care for the 10 per cent of
children who need the support of social services. We need
people who have expertise and can lead us in continuous improvement
towards excellence.
The director needs to command the respect of professionals
in Camden’s schools. How will this be possible if everything
has to be explained before its importance can be appreciated,
and we know that the people in control have not held a class
or organised a department, let alone ever run a school? We
cannot ignore the expectation of the headteachers to be led
by an educationalist.
We are familiar with how social services for children is run,
and have real concerns for the future of education in Camden,
when the LEA baton passes on to the Department for Children’s
Services, as matters presently stand.
Schools are fragile, and only ever as good as their last inspection
and vulnerable to the departure of key staff. We need knowledgeable
people to safeguard education. We have a tradition of working
with the LEA and governors want this to continue.
Schools have a strong degree of independence. Their budgets
are safeguarded by the government and their governing bodies
have statutory obligations to balance budgets and maintain
standards. How will the council support this in the new regime
if people do not know how it works? Will the council still
support the schools with extra money? Governors need to feel
confident about these matters.
Dorothea Hackman is chair of Camden Joint Chairs of Governors.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
