Petition objecting to Calder High becoming an Academy
Monday, 4 February 2013
Download this petition form to the Secretary of State for Education, if you wish to object to sponsored academy status happening at Calder High. This petition has arisen from communications between some parents and community members after the recent parents' meeting and public meeting about this issue.
These meetings appear to show widespread opposition to the Department of Educations's actions which have been imposed on the school without consultation.
The petition is being circulated as widely as possible with the following request from the organiser June Eaton.
"Please collect as many signatures as possible - pupils, parents/carers and family members, staff, local residents within the school's catchment area which is from Halifax to Todmorden although feeder schools are within upper Calder Valley. Deadline of 18th February so there's time to get it to Gove before sponsor matching process is finished."
"Please print out the petition and collect signatures. Please don't carry on on the back of a sheet if it is blank, not printed. Ask people to be very careful not to sign twice.
"Please return all signed sheets to me un-numbered. I shall then collate and number them and send off to the Education Secretary.
"Fully completed sheets will be much easier to deal with so please try to pass partly filled sheets to someone else to continue collecting signatures. Don't worry if you can't do this, please send them back to me anyway by the deadline of 18th February to:
June Eaton
Lower Crimsworth Cottage
Pecket Well
Hebden Bridge
HX7 8RB
Thank you very much."
Calder High is moving swiftly towards being an Academy: little consultation with parents or the community
Wednesday, 30 January 2013
An update letter has been sent to parents today by Jeanne Watson, Executive Head Teacher. The full letter is posted on the Calder High website.
Extracts as follows:
- "Governors met with the Department for Education last week and we now know a little more about the process:
- Next week we will send information about the school, including the criteria to a number of potential sponsors. The DfE will suggest suitable sponsors though governors can contact sponsors direct.
- The DfE will scrutinise potential sponsors to ensure that ministers will approve them.
- We will give potential sponsors two weeks to send an expression of interest in sponsoring Calder High School.
The ”matching process” will then take place; Governors, Local Authority representatives and DfE representatives will meet with a shortlist of potential sponsors (probably three) and will select the preferred sponsor. "We hope that this will take place in early March so that stability and certainty in terms of leadership can be secured as soon as possible. I will continue to keep you informed as much as possible."
See also:
Download petition to oppose our community school being given away to an academy sponsor.
HebWeb Forum: Calder Academy? (Dec 2012 onwards)
HebWeb News: November and December