Schools supergroup to lead council fightback against ‘fragmented’ education system
Hackney Schools Group announced. Photograph: Pixabay.
Hackney’s deputy mayor has revealed further details about a new supergroup of schools that the Town Hall hopes will form the vanguard in its pushback against a “fragmented” education system.
The Hackney Schools Group would be an independent body led by the borough’s educators but maintained by and accountable to the council.
Cllr Anntoinette Bramble (Lab, London Fields), deputy mayor and cabinet member for education, young people and children’s social care, announced plans to have the group up and running by September.
Speaking at a 14 January meeting of Hackney’s children and young people scrutiny commission, she said: “The educational climate today has changed due to government policies. You’ve gone from a very coherent system to a fragmented one.
“The purpose of the Schools Group is to strengthen the school system with a collaborative approach, getting schools round the table. It will be an opportunity for school leaders to work closely with the council.
“This will be more of a practical way for schools to come together through representation, and to harness the value that schools bring.
“It will be a place to discuss what happens in education, and to look at the education strategies we want to bring around school improvements.”
The Deputy Mayor added that the group will champion fair access and opportunities for Hackney’s students, as well as advocate for vulnerable children and high standards in the borough’s schools.
She also sought to assuage concerns around the impact the group may have on schools’ autonomy, stating that their independence would not be altered by the establishment of the advisory group.
Hackney Learning Trust’s education director Annie Gammon will be holding an information session for residents on the schools group on 24 January.
Edit: This article was updated at 16:19 on 16 January to include link to information session on the schools group.