Co-Leader of the Opposition, Labour Councillor John Allcock, on the ongoing fight against forced academisation at Moulsecoomb Primary, in Brighton & Hove News:

“…Moulsecoomb Primary is situated in one of the most poor estates in the country, serving disadvantaged families, with 60 per cent of students qualifying for the pupil premium subsidy and the proportion of pupils with SEND (special educational needs and disabilities) well above national averages.

“Despite these challenges, the school has improved rapidly since Ofsted judged it as “inadequate” in 2019.

“SATs results have improved significantly in all areas and two monitoring visits from Ofsted showed good progress, even through successive lockdowns.

“Nevertheless, the Tory government has still imposed academisation, sending a clear message to the people of Moulsecoomb that its pupils, its parents, its community don’t matter.

“The community have stood up bravely to oppose forced academisation and persuaded two academy chains to withdraw, asking the Education Secretary to revoke the academy order.

“Despite this, the government won’t back down and Pioneer Academy Trust has been appointed as academy sponsors…

“…Strike action is planned for Tuesday 6 July in a final attempt to stop Pioneer taking over…

“…I’ll be there supporting the community and staff. Come and join us.”

Cllr Allcock’s full column can be found at Brighton & Hove News, here.