The Knowsley schools revolution

It's all change in Knowsley schools. Over the next three years, the face of education in the borough will look totally new.

Editor Dave Kernick takes a closer look at what's happening in the Knowsley schools revolution.

What needs fixing in Knowsley?
If it's not broken, don't fix it - but clearly something is a little broken here. The borough of Knowsley has seen a falling birthrate and a dwindling population over the last few years. The consequence is that fewer children are registering in Knowsley schools.

On top of that, parents in the borough are sending their children to schools in other boroughs. Since Government funding for schools operates on the basis of x amount per pupil, fewer students means less money, and less money means lower quality, and lower quality means fewer students - and so the cycle continues.

What is Knowsley going to do about it?
In 2002, Knowsley commissioned an independent report by a team of educational experts. They confirmed the trend towards lower student numbers, as well as poor performance in school league tables - currently the Government's way of measuring a school's success.

Their proposal, which was accepted unanimously by Knowsley Council, was that Knowsley apply for £200 million of money from the Government's Building Schools for the Future scheme.

What is Building Schools for the Future?
Building Schools for the Future is a massive national Government initiative to pump £2 billion into schools and education in England. The aim is to "rebuild or renew every secondary school in England" over the next 15 years.

Wave One of BSF involves injecting money into 10 boroughs across the country. Knowsley was chosen by the Government to be one of those boroughs, receiving £150 million to rebuild Knowsley's schools.

How will Knowsley schools be rebuilt?
At the moment, Knowsley has 11 secondary schools. Over the next two to three years, these will be replaced with eight "learning centres", at least one of which will be a city academy.

What is a learning centre?
A learning centre is the school of the future, at least according to the Government and now Knowsley Council. Rather than having a "traditional" school that opens at 7am and shuts at 5pm, learning centres are intended to be used by the community around the clock, including weekends, for all kinds of services. In the future, adults might be visiting their local school for a health check-up, a community forum, a game of football or an evening class.

Rather than everything being provided by the Local Education Authority, the LEA will find private sponsors to invest money into building the schools and running them. The sponsors (eg local big business) will pay private firms to do many of the things that now fall on the LEA's shoulders - for example, catering, security and cleaning.

What is a city academy? And does Knowsley have to have one?
A city academy is Tony Blair's idea of a modern, state-of-the-art secondary school, run independently as a "foundation" or "trust" school, and replacing older, failing schools. A city academy is built with money from private sponsors - be it a company, a charity or a church - heavily subsidised by Government money. In return for their investment, the investors have a say in the ethos of the school, how it is run, and how the curriculum is delivered. Essentially, a city academy is run as an independent comprehensive school with public money.

The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) says Knowsley "must consider" having a city academy in order to receive the promised funds. It is more or less certain that Knowsley will have a joint-Christian Academy, run between the Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church. Despite the doubts of some councillors, Cllr Ronnie Round, Council Leader, emerged from a meeting with the Prime Minister recently saying he was convinced Blair's reforms were compatible with Knowsley's plans.

Why are academies controversial?
City academies are controversial because:

• Private investors will be calling the shots, to one degree or another - shouldn't the Local Education Authority be doing that?
• According to critics, there is no evidence that the city academies already existing in the UK have actually improved results.
• If all parents want their children to go to the city academy, who decides who gets in? Does selection come back in through the back door?
• Knowsley has strongly believed that its schools should work together, but having independent foundation schools could fragment education in the borough.

Are the learning centres controversial?
Knowsley Council all agreed that having the eight learning centres to replace 11 secondary schools was the right thing to do. The biggest concern is how the change will be managed. Already some students at Thomas Beckett, Huyton, are having to be accommodated in prefabricated buildings (left) at St Edmund Arrowsmith, Whiston, as the school prepares for closure.

Parents want to know that their children's education is not going to be compromised. Questions Knowsley Online asks about the changes are:

• What will happen to students in Knowsley's existing schools while the changeover between the old and new buildings takes place? Will they be properly accommodated?
• Are schools being properly prepared for the changes so that students will not be unfairly disadvantaged by poor conditions and lack of resources during the transition?
• Are decisions about Knowsley's young people going to be made by the people with the money, ie the sponsors?

How Knowsley's schools will look

• Ruffwood School, Kirkby
  • Will become Kirkby Campus on the existing grounds in Northwood by September 2008

• All Saints Catholic High, Kirkby
  • Will become Kirkby Catholic Learning Centre on the existing grounds by September 2009

• Brookfield School, Kirkby
  • Will become Kirkby Community Learning Centre on the existing grounds by September 2009

• St Edmund of Canterbury Catholic Comprehensive, Huyton
  • Will become North Huyton Joint Christian Academy (RC & C of E) on the existing grounds by September 2008

• Knowsley Hey School, Huyton
• Bowring Comprehensive, Huyton
  • Will combine to become South Huyton Community Learning Centre on the existing grounds of Knowsley Hey School by September 2008

• Prescot School, Prescot
• Higher Side Comprehensive, Whiston
  • Will combine to become Prescot and Whiston Community Learning Centre on the existing grounds of Prescot School by September 2008

• St Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic High School, Whiston
  • Will become Prescot and Whiston Catholic Learning Centre on the existing grounds of Higher Side School by September 2009

• Halewood Comprehensive, Halewood
  • Will become Halewood Community Learning Centre on the existing grounds by September 2009

Comments

[Maurice R Brown]

This is a complete sell out and let down by the Local Education Authority and Knowsley council for the non-catholic children of Whiston. We all talk of the need to integrate young people and yet those that are non-cathalic are being forced out of Whiston to go to Prescot or beyond. Why not have a mixed faith school in Whiston. The youngsters are well down the importance ladder here, I wonder why ?????????

[Maurice R Brown]

sorry about the error non-cathalic should read non-catholic

[Simon Skidmore]

It is also obvious that Knowsley council wants to knock the existing schools down which will sell for the highest price for housing development.

[Simon Skidmore]

It is also obvious that Knowsley council wants to knock the existing schools down which will sell for the highest price for housing development.

[insider]

1 - these buildings are light years away from the prehistoric poorly maintained buildings?

2 - the spare sites are going to be used for community projects, rumours of a youth centre and leisure centre.