DOWNHAM: Union plans campaign on school academy merger (From News Shopper)

DOWNHAM: Union plans campaign on school academy merger

1:10pm Saturday 30th January 2010 in

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A TEACHERS’ union will campaign against the proposed merger of a primary school with an academy.

Lewisham Council is set to run a consultation on the plans, which would see Merlin Primary School, Ballamore Road, Downham, incorporated into Haberdashers’ Aske’s Knight's Academy, Launcelot Road, to form an all-age academy.

It follows a vote by the school’s governors for the change last October.

If the changes go ahead, the school’s staff will be employed by the academy rather than the council.

The council claims admissions criteria will not change and a merger would turn around the poor academic performance of Merlin, which has had five headteachers over nine years.

But Lewisham NUT secretary Martin Powell-Davies said: “We’re going to speak to staff and plan our campaign.

“You can vote out the council but Haberdashers won’t be accountable to anybody.”