Staff and parents of pupils at Medina College, Carisbrooke College and the Island VI Form have been informed that Isle of Wight Education Federation is consulting on merging the schools with a Hampshire-based academy trust.
The statement from the school expains:
During the past 12 months Governors decided to explore ways to further secure the education offer that children have available to them through the Isle of Wight Education Federation schools. It was after careful consideration and analysis of many potential future pathways that HISP MAT was selected as the best route and fit
Parr-Burman: Day to day operational leadership and staffing structures will remain unchanged
Executive Headteacher of The Isle of Wight Education Federation, Matthew Parr-Burman, has said,
“We have come a very long way over the past four and a half years and are increasingly proud of the schools we have become and are developing into. We continue to focus on the delivery of education in the classroom and the wider experiences available can be even more dynamic and secure by joining with HISP MAT.
“The day to day operational leadership and staffing structures will remain unchanged. This new relationship creates exciting long term strategic stability in an increasingly challenging national education landscape.”
HISP MAT (Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Southampton and Portsmouth) consists of Thornden School in Chandler’s Ford and two Southampton-based primary schools: Portswood and Tanner’s Brook. There are also another two Secondary schools in Hampshire currently consulting about joining HISP MAT too
Palin: Government’s argument for increasing academisation of schools is weak
East Cowes Town Councillor and Vice-Chair of the Isle of Wight Green Party, Cameron Palin, told News OnTheWight,
“This news comes as a huge surprise to staff, students and the whole Isle of Wight community.
“Medina, Carisbrooke and The Island VI Form are all very popular schools, which are improving year upon year. They are some of the last schools left on the Island that have not yet been academised, which has provided pupils and parents with an alternative to the corporate academy system.
“There are many questions about why the IWEF feel that this is a necessary move right now, and what the bigger consequences will be for the Federation and beyond.
“The loss of three large secondary school sites to the Isle of Wight Council will be considerable, and puts into question the future of local schools run by the local council.
“The government’s argument for increasing academisation of schools is weak – there is no evidence that joining a Multi Academy Trust raises standards for schools.
“The Green Party are clear – the academisation of schools is an alarming move and must be resisted! A five week consultation period seems far too short for such an important decision to be made, something that will not only effect staff and pupils but the wider island community for generations to come.”
The consultation will run until between 9am on Tuesday, 14th June and 3.30pm Friday, 15th July. Details can be found on the Isle of Wight Education Federation’s Website.
Shreeve: Denied permission to attend meeting
Peter Shreeve, Assistant District Secretary of the National Education Union, told News OnTheWight,
“We understand all staff from the Carisbrooke, Medina and Nodehill site were informed and invited to a meeting on Monday 13th June. The NEU asked to be invited to listen to the meeting presentation as over the weekend it was felt the nature of the meeting was already causing anxiety amongst members. Permission to attend was not granted, although an offer has been made to meet at a later date, as yet unspecified.
“This is regrettable and a move away from past practice and experience, which has always involved an invitation to listen and comment on difficult developments, such as restructures and redundancy, before staff were informed. This type of transparency is always welcome and always ensures thorough debate and the best possible outcomes.”
Shreeve: IWEF failed to reassure staff
He went on to say,
“Staff are obviously stunned at this announcement. They had no idea this was a potential move. They are even more surprised as they believe the Island Innovation Trust is popular with pupils and parents and oversubscribed.
“In the presentation, the employer tried to reassure staff by repeating ‘Nothing will change’. This failed to reassure many staff, especially those who have experience of other academies and have heard this mantra before.”
He finished by saying,
“Another concern is the potential rapid timetable for change. How can all staff, all students and all parents fully and genuinely understand the implications within this time frame? This includes not just IIT itself, but the Island education system as a whole.
“Looking at academisation as a whole and with an open mind, we find academisation does not improve schools in the way the recent white paper implies. It is costly in terms of time and money and incredibly divisive.
“Academisation is based on the damaging idea that increasing competition is the way to drive school improvement. Over the short consultation, it will be interesting to see responses, as all local parents, pupils and staff know: The Island experience fails to support this simplistic fallacy.”
Article edit
10.11am 14th June 2022 – Comment from Peter Shreeve added
Image: Veronique Debord under CC BY 2.0
