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El ministro de Educación británico, Michael Gove, explica en el Daily Telegraph (1-09-2010) las razones de la ley que permite a más escuelas públicas convertirse en academias independientes gestionadas por organizaciones benéficas, asociaciones de padres, iglesias o empresas.
7 Septiembre 2010 - La nueva Ley de Academias, aprobada en la Cámara de los Comunes el pasado julio, concede por primera vez a las escuelas públicas de primaria la posibilidad de convertirse en academias autónomas (antes sólo podían las de secundaria).
La finalidad de esta ley es dotar a estos centros de mayor autonomía, así como facilitar que padres, profesores y grupos creen nuevas escuelas, con financiación pública, sin que las autoridades locales puedan vetarlas (cfr. Aceprensa, 27-05-2010).
Pese al poco tiempo que lleva en vigor la ley, de momento más de 140 escuelas (en su mayoría, de secundaria) han iniciado los trámites para transformarse en academias independientes. Para el nuevo gobierno británico, la expansión de este modelo educativo es una buena noticia.
En su artículo del Telegraph, Michael Gove critica duramente las trabas burocráticas que el gobierno laborista había ido poniendo a la elección de escuela. “En una sociedad avanzada, llevar a tu hijo a un buen colegio no tendría que obligar a nadie a embarcarse en una aventura más farragosa y compleja que una misión tripulada a Marte. Necesitamos un sistema alternativo más sencillo y justo”.
“Una de las tragedias de los últimos 13 años [período en que han gobernado los laboristas] es que, a pesar del gasto mayor que nunca, nos siguen faltando muchos buenos colegios. Tenemos algunos de los mejores colegios del mundo, pero todavía sigue habiendo bastantes que hacen lo que pueden”.
“La brecha entre los mejores y los peores colegios se está ensanchando. Es esta desigualdad, esta falta de plazas en los colegios buenos, lo que convierte los procesos de admisión en una competición tan dura”.
Con todo, Gove piensa que hay razones para el optimismo. Este año, dice, algunas academias han logrado resultados muy buenos en los exámenes finales de secundaria; sobre todo, en algunas zonas deprimidas del sur de Londres, donde funciona desde hace tiempo la red escolar Harries Academies.
El empeño del gobierno británico por aumentar la libertad y la calidad de enseñanza en la red pública no podrá ser calificado esta vez de elitista, adjetivo al que recurren a menudo los laboristas para descalificar las reformas educativas de los conservadores (ahora en coalición con los liberal-demócratas).
Buena muestra de ello es el interés del gobierno por motivar a profesores destacados para que se lancen a abrir nuevas academias en las zonas más pobres del país. “Una de las reuniones más gratificantes que he tenido –recuerda Gove– fue con los alumnos del programa Futuros Líderes, donde se preparan los profesores que van a convertirse en directores de centros en esas zonas. Me dijeron que irían cuanto antes para cambiar el intrincado sistema que hemos heredado”.
copiamos por su interés el citado artículo del Daily Telegraph:
Academies will give more children a chance Michael Gove, the Education Secretary, has opened the academy system to all state schools Photo: AFP/GETTY
New types of schools can educate without the burden of bureaucracy, says Michael Gove. - 01 Sep 2010
It's the biggest decision a parent can make – which is the right school for your child. The choice drives so much else: families will move home, parents will change job, children will be coached and tutored, to secure one of those coveted places. Homes in certain catchment areas command a premium worth tens of thousands of pounds. League tables are scanned, and admissions rules pored over in an effort to ensure that their next six precious years will be spent in the best possible environment.
It shouldn't have to be this way. In a better world, getting your child into a good school wouldn't require navigating a process more fraught and complex than a manned mission to Mars. We need a simpler and fairer alternative. Every community should have a good local school, and identifying what makes a school successful isn't rocket science.
The best schools share certain characteristics. They have a strong head and good discipline. They guarantee that every child gets a grounding in the basics, access to proper academic subjects such as French and history, and opportunities in sports, drama, music and the visual arts. Above all, they have great teachers who love their subjects and enjoy being with young people.
One of the tragedies of the past 13 years is that, despite record spending, there still aren't enough of these good schools. While we have some of the best schools in the world, we also have some which are struggling.
We have hundreds of thousands of persistent truants and thousands of pupils are expelled for disruption and assault. Of those who are being schooled, about four in 10 do not meet basic standards by the age of 11, and only about half manage at least a "C" in both English and maths GCSE. There are too many schools that accept a culture of failure and which are not challenged by local authorities. Meanwhile, we have fallen behind world leaders such as Singapore and Finland, and Asia is rapidly improving its schools and competing with our businesses.
And, as private schools drop state-controlled examinations because of the last government's devaluation of the system, the gulf between the best and the weakest schools is widening. It's that inequality, that lack of good school places, which makes the admissions process such a high-stakes game.
But there are grounds for optimism. This year, some academies did fantastically well with their GCSE results. Those in some challenging areas, such as Burlington Danes on London's White City estate, run by the charity ARK, and the Harris Academies in south London secured dramatic gains. While some schools struggle to get a third of their pupils through English and maths, the best academies are getting 70 per cent or more through.
Academies succeed because heads are given the freedom to shape their curriculum; they are at liberty to insist on tougher discipline, pay staff more, extend school hours, and develop a personal approach to every pupil. The Brown government, convinced that politicians and bureaucrats should micro-manage schools, curtailed such freedoms. This Government trusts teachers to control the classroom and trusts parents to choose schools.
That's why we're increasing the number of academies. For the past four years, almost everybody told me "you will never get an Academy Bill through Parliament in less than two months". We have done it. They also said, "state schools will be too intimidated by unions and local authorities to opt for academy freedoms, so you'll get no takers". However, so far over 140, and counting, of the best state schools have taken up our offer of academy freedoms.
We will also challenge schools that are struggling; either they improve fast or they will have their management replaced by an academy sponsor with a proven track record. The schools with the worst records – including primaries, for the first time – will have their management replaced. Ofsted will be reformed to focus on the quality of teaching, rather than the quality of form-filling, and it will work urgently with the Education Department to identify schools with persistent serious problems. The last government had an artificial ceiling of 400 academies and refused to extend the programme to primaries. I am removing both these barriers to the rapid expansion of the programme.
We are also helping great teachers to start new academies. One of the best meetings I have had was on the Future Leaders programme, which trains outstanding teachers to become heads in the toughest parts of the country. They pleaded with me to go as fast as possible to change the Byzantine system we've inherited so that talented and enthusiastic teachers can start new schools in areas where people are not getting a fair deal. Hitherto, it has taken three to five years, or even longer, to do this – we are changing this as fast as possible, not least so that we can cope with the imminent demographic boom in primary school children. The first of these "free schools" – teacher and parent created academies – should open in September next year, far sooner than people thought possible.
My focus will continue to be the children who are being failed – not those who peddle the dangerous illusion that we have out-paced the competition over the past decade, and who preach delay to protect the status quo.
One of the tragedies of the past 13 years is that, despite record spending, there still aren't enough of these good schools. While we have some of the best schools in the world, we also have some which are struggling.
We have hundreds of thousands of persistent truants and thousands of pupils are expelled for disruption and assault. Of those who are being schooled, about four in 10 do not meet basic standards by the age of 11, and only about half manage at least a "C" in both English and maths GCSE. There are too many schools that accept a culture of failure and which are not challenged by local authorities. Meanwhile, we have fallen behind world leaders such as Singapore and Finland, and Asia is rapidly improving its schools and competing with our businesses.
And, as private schools drop state-controlled examinations because of the last government's devaluation of the system, the gulf between the best and the weakest schools is widening. It's that inequality, that lack of good school places, which makes the admissions process such a high-stakes game.
But there are grounds for optimism. This year, some academies did fantastically well with their GCSE results. Those in some challenging areas, such as Burlington Danes on London's White City estate, run by the charity ARK, and the Harris Academies in south London secured dramatic gains. While some schools struggle to get a third of their pupils through English and maths, the best academies are getting 70 per cent or more through.
Academies succeed because heads are given the freedom to shape their curriculum; they are at liberty to insist on tougher discipline, pay staff more, extend school hours, and develop a personal approach to every pupil. The Brown government, convinced that politicians and bureaucrats should micro-manage schools, curtailed such freedoms. This Government trusts teachers to control the classroom and trusts parents to choose schools.
That's why we're increasing the number of academies. For the past four years, almost everybody told me "you will never get an Academy Bill through Parliament in less than two months". We have done it. They also said, "state schools will be too intimidated by unions and local authorities to opt for academy freedoms, so you'll get no takers". However, so far over 140, and counting, of the best state schools have taken up our offer of academy freedoms.
We will also challenge schools that are struggling; either they improve fast or they will have their management replaced by an academy sponsor with a proven track record. The schools with the worst records – including primaries, for the first time – will have their management replaced. Ofsted will be reformed to focus on the quality of teaching, rather than the quality of form-filling, and it will work urgently with the Education Department to identify schools with persistent serious problems. The last government had an artificial ceiling of 400 academies and refused to extend the programme to primaries. I am removing both these barriers to the rapid expansion of the programme.
We are also helping great teachers to start new academies. One of the best meetings I have had was on the Future Leaders programme, which trains outstanding teachers to become heads in the toughest parts of the country. They pleaded with me to go as fast as possible to change the Byzantine system we've inherited so that talented and enthusiastic teachers can start new schools in areas where people are not getting a fair deal. Hitherto, it has taken three to five years, or even longer, to do this – we are changing this as fast as possible, not least so that we can cope with the imminent demographic boom in primary school children. The first of these "free schools" – teacher and parent created academies – should open in September next year, far sooner than people thought possible.
My focus will continue to be the children who are being failed – not those who peddle the dangerous illusion that we have out-paced the competition over the past decade, and who preach delay to protect the status quo.
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