Dear Editor,
There will soon be no Secondary schools and few Primary schools in Sheffield that are not academies – King Edward VII, High Storrs and Stocksbridge High Schools have just applied for that status.
Despite recent evidence that there are no proven benefits, the academies programme continues to be pushed through. Headteachers and governors have little choice. The quality of teaching in thousands of schools is now in the hands of regional commissioners, and central Government controls the purse-strings.
For all its many faults, Sheffield Council is far more aware of the needs of the local community and how best to support individual schools.
Greens will push nationally for a halt to the academies programme, but locally we will continue to raise the important role the Council can play in providing services and ensuring quality.
As Green MP for Sheffield Central, I will work hard to ensure that schools prepare pupils for life. We need more funding for schools but they mustn’t be just exam factories. It’s Green Party policy to abolish SATs and OFSTED, and to value and support creative and practical subjects.
Natalie Bennett
Green Party Candidate for Sheffield Central
natalie4sheffield.org.uk
Letter to Sheffield Telegraph.