Parents Interested in the Langton Academisation Plan - PILAP

10/11/2023

ARE YOU HAPPY TO BE SILENCED? ARE YOU CONTENT WITH LANGTON LEADERS SHUTTING DOWN ANYONE WHO ASKS CHALLENGING QUESTIONS?

The ‘consultation’ finishes today. 90+ questions remain unanswered and the case for academisation with CAT has simply not been made. Email [email protected] to add your name to our formal complaint. Read why below.

With Gilda Scarfe, a key driver on academisation, suffering an inglorious departure from both Langton and Canterbury Academy boards, following academic fraud allegations, and with the minutes below showing a concerted effort to ignore parents and ‘control the narrative’ rather than engage, WE CALL ON ALL INTERESTED PARENTS to make their voices heard NOW.

PILAP calls for this academisation process to be halted until there can be a credible process, a carefully considered new chair of governors, a full board with full parent/carer representation, and proper scrutiny of any proposal. Langton is better than this and we sincerely hope the departure of the form chair can be a chance to reset.

We repeat: we are an not anti-academisation group - we are a mixed bag of parents/carers/staff/students who care about Langton and that such a significant, irreversible change be pursued properly, with robust governance and scrutiny, undertaken for the right reasons at the right time for the benefit of all students and the school, securing its future.

Dozens of us will now lodge a formal complaint having exhausted all attempts to engage productively with the SLT. If you would agree and would like to add your name to the list, just email [email protected].

08/11/2023

The Langton consultation closes soon. Be sure to have your say, and demand answers to your questions
https://thelangton.org.uk/information/consultation/

Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys

04/11/2023

There have been a few posts suggesting people wanting to talk about Langton academisation should ‘engage in the process’ and follow ‘official channels’. We would like to draw attention to why we post on here and the reality of the consultation process that has been setup for questions and feedback - and why making noise now about this irreversible change matters.

*Feedback* - The minutes from the CA governors meeting obtained by FOI state that academisation can proceed “even if 100% of parents object”. This does not create any basis to think that our input is going to be influential.

*Questions* - We still can raise our questions and concerns, right? The consultation documents promised the following:

"Please submit any questions you have here. A live FAQ document can be found on our website. All questions submitted will be added to this document with replies."

The 130 participants in PILAP Group have submitted over 97 questions. With 4 weeks gone, *zero* have received a response or been added to the Live FAQ. Indeed, there is now a stock response being sent by school to new questions submitted - they will be considered *if they are deemed relevant*. We are not aware of any response to any question from any parent to date on consultation.

Additionally a request for an in-person or online Q&A session with the SLT has been refused.

Academisation does matter.
There are real concerns from lots of *moderate* parents/carers who simply want the school to engage in good faith.

We hope this clarifies why we are making a bit of noise here. If the academisation case is strong, there should be no need to stonewall legitimate enquiry.

We hope everyone who cares about The Langton will acknowledge the genuine questions and concerns about academisation, and urge the school to properly engage in the consultation process.

PILAP Group

30/10/2023

This is one of many letters from PILAP members sent to SLB in response to the consultation. The core approach of PILAP is moderate, measured, rational and evidence-based. This letter exemplifies this approach and also many crucial issues we wish the school would seriously consider before surging ahead with the irreversible change that is academisation.

27/10/2023

Consultation on Academisation

Consultation on the proposed conversion of Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys (The Langton) to an academy within The Canterbury Academy Trust and form The Canterbury Trust

27/10/2023

The PILAP team have written to SLB this morning asking again for our collated questions (from our group of over 120 parents) to be answered.

25/10/2023

Join our conversation.

If you are a Langton Boys parent, carer or student interested in understanding the Langton's academisation plan and how you can respond to the consultation with your views, you can request to join our supportive and inclusive WhatsApp group:
https://forms.gle/sbmgQHnmdjehQykr6

21/10/2023

ANY QUESTIONS? Yes! Lots of them.
For those interested in highly pertinent questions like this and other genuine concerns on academisation that remain unanswered these are available below in a simple list that everyone can access and see answers as they are provided.
You can add to these and leaders can offer answers if they choose via [email protected]
All of these questions have been submitted for the 'live FAQ' but have not appeared so we will host to allow the leadership or their proxies to provide answers and we will continue to update.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1FhOJfoFRU-tsDkD4W5KkUURaz-PJ4kAYDcjgLnXHQ5M/edit?fbclid=IwAR0MVHUmgmf2n1apq8RjoIZ594o1NiURmNPHW_SJ7EAisyM8OmsmbAZbrWk =0

Sheet1 PARENTS INTERESTED IN THE LANGTON CONSULTATION PLAN (PILAP) Collated questions for The Langton Consultation email any additional questions to [email protected],Progress - Pending:95 Answered:0 Partial:3 No.,Status,Question,Category,Answer / Notes,Submitted,Priority (based on number of...

20/10/2023

*The truth behind the Langton consultation*
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From the Canterbury Academy Trust Board meeting, 28 June 2023
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These minutes obtained again via FOI make clear that even if 100% of the parents object to academisation it will go ahead anyway. We are apparently all a little 'difficult' since COVID

We think it would be wise for the governors to apologise, not only for the offence but also for the considerable collective time and scarce money wasted on this frivolous consultation exercise. Further, it would be useful if they could explain how they might regain the trust to act in the best interests of parents and children going forward. Until such time - academisation plans should be suspended."

Full document here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/16Ea2pgqXFaAmC2YQv82NPoFW4QUwx06f/view?usp=drivesdk

12/10/2023

If you are a Langton Boys parent, carer or student interested in understanding the Langton's academisation plan and how you can respond to the consultation with your views, you can request to join our supportive and inclusive WhatsApp group:
https://forms.gle/sbmgQHnmdjehQykr6