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Today in the St Bernard's Monday letter, John McAteer gives an update on the future of St Bernard's. He states that the Expression of Interest is being finalised by the three sponsors: the Diocese, Slough BC and St Mary's University College, London. If you haven't heard of St Mary's University College, perhaps that's because it has only been granting its own degrees since 2007. Anyhow, this is to be the Higher Education co-sponsor of the Academy it seems. This is the first official mention of it. Such is the way information is slipped out by the proponents of the academy. The letter says that the Governing Body met on 25 November "for their observations and comments" and that a second meeting was held on 2 December when "an updated version was presented". The governing body is, apparently, meeting tomorrow, Tuesday 15 December 2009, "to discuss any amendments and decide their response to the proposal". Let us hope that the governors see sense and do not endorse this act of academic vandalism.
The governors, Council and Diocese would do well to ask themselves just who should be deciding whether St Bernard's or any other grammar school closes. According to the official record, back in 1998 Stephen Byers, the then School Standards Minister, made it clear that it should be local parents who decide: As for the existing 165 grammar schools, it would have been easy particularly with a majority of 179 to put a Bill through Parliament which abolished grammar schools. We will not do that because we believe that the debate should be held locally. It should be for local parents to determine whether they want to keep their grammar schools. The government duly enacted legislation to ensure that local parents do get their say by way of parental ballot. See the School Standards and Framework Act, 1998. However, there has been no mention of this by those proposing the closure of St Bernard's. To discuss this article, join our mailing list. |
