Campaign to revoke the academy order for West Gate School in Leicester, England. It is unclear how academising the school would benefit it or its pupils.
Following an Ofsted inspection in 2018, West Gate School was given an academy order. Since then, the proposed sponsor has withdrawn, and an Ofsted inspection before the summer holidays graded the school as good. This means that the staff, leadership team, governing body and local authority have turned the school around in 3 years, in the middle of a global pandemic. It's an insult to the hard work
09/12/2021
Our victory made ITV news too! Watch from around 1850:
ITV Central East | Catch up on the latest programme for the East Midlands | ITV News The full 30 minute programme which is on air at 6pm on weekdays is generally available here for 24 hours. | ITV News Central
09/12/2021
Coverage of our victory in the Leicester Mercury:
Ruling for special school fighting 'insulting' academy plan The school was labelled 'inadequate' in 2018, but received a 'good' rating this year
We are delighted to share the news with you that the academy order for West Gate School has been revoked! This is the best news we could have wished for, and a testament to the hard work of all the school staff, leadership team and governing body.
28/11/2021
Coverage of the campaign and lobby on the BBC:
Unions fighting academisation of Leicester SEN school The government says it is considering a request for the academy order to be revoked.
26/11/2021
Fantastic turnout for the joint lobby of Leicester City Council last night. The DfE/RSC have committed to respond to the request to revoke the academy order by the end of this month, so let's hope for a sensible decision that reflects the hard work done by all the West Gate School staff and the progress they've made and continue to make as a school.
14/10/2021
Not only is this a great win for maintained schools in Swindon, it also shows the new Secretary of State for Education's stance on academisation is softer: https://schoolsweek.co.uk/swindon-council-forced-academies-conversion-fears-policy/?fbclid=IwAR3x-IrLROnStHOuZe_XS-p6yZT3YBqgMkmJ_vk0c6QxE6EnFj_FGZ192v8
Council ditches ‘forced’ academisation plan as Zahawi softens stance A council has ditched plans to academise all schools by 2025 as the education secretary struck a more conciliatory tone on academisation than his predecessor
06/10/2021
We have a joint union petition calling for the revocation of the academy order. Please sign and share:
Hands off West Gate School West Gate School is on the brink of being forced into academy status. The multi-academy trust that they have identified to takeover the school is based in Yorkshire, has no schools in Leicestershire and has no experience of managing a school delivering education to those with complex learning needs....
17/09/2021
The DfE have confirmed that a 'Good' school can have its academy order revoked:
DfE confirms when academy orders can be revoked Department updates statutory guidance with more detail on when school academisation can be cancelled