Sheffield Park Academy

Worrying news today about one of our local schools, Sheffield Park Academy, formerly Waltheof, where I have some experience of teaching.http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2009/sep/13/sheffield-park-academies-ofsted-failureThe school has been labelled "inadequate" by OFSTED. It comes as no surprise that the United Learning Trust has not succeeded in turning round this school. The Green Party believes that schools should be governed in the interests of pupils and parents, not un-elected trusts, businesses or religions. Building a new school has done nothing to remove some of the deep seated problems in the area- poverty and unemployment, many generations of educational underachievement, anti social behaviour and a culture that does not value education. One of the things I said at conference was that the major division in our society is class. Sheffield secondary schools are extremely class dominated. Comprehensive schools that take from the local area sound like a good idea in theory, but in Sheffield it means that the kids fortunate enough to live in the posh areas go to successful schools, and the kids from the housing estates end up in schools that are always going to struggle. If the system was truly comprehensive we would find a way of mixing pupils from different areas. One of the few schools that does this in Sheffield is All Saints RC, where my own children went- because it is a Catholic school its intake is from all over the city, so is very socially mixed. But many of my friends in the Green Party argue that this is divisive too as it splits religious groups. Maybe the answers to some of these problems don't lie in educational policy at all- the root of the problem is the poverty. When the Greens eventually come to power we will tackle that head on, with policies like the Citizen's Income Scheme, the Living Wage and higher taxes for the rich. When our society is fairer the schools in the inner cities and housing estates will at last have a chance to thrive. But the Academies will be returned to the local education authority, not controlled by businesses or religious trusts with no political accountability.

Put away your weapons.

I am very concerned by the story on the front page of today's Star, Riot cops at school. What is even more concerning are the provocative comments that follow the article. It is clear that some people are eager to provoke violence. I am very happy to live on a multi cultural street. It is one of the things that makes this part of Sheffield so good. We must ensure that those trying to stir up violence are put in there place. An eye for an eye leads to the whole world going blind. Youth of Manor and Darnall, please be sensible- put away your weapons, keep calm. If you have witnessed incidents, report what you saw to the police. But don't try and get revenge, that will only make things far worse.

On a much happier note, there is good coverage on the plans for Sheaf Valley Park in the Yorkshire Post. I would like to say a big thank you to the hard working Friends group that have got us this far. It will be exciting to see how the park develops. It makes the campaign against barriers at the station even more important, because what will be the point of a city centre park if you can't walk to it through the station? Office workers in the city centre need green spaces to escape to in the lunch hour. They wouldn't have time to walk right round Park Square, but could use the train footbridge if it's not cordoned off with barriers. Lets get a good turnout for the protest on Friday!