Who are we?

We are parents from The John Roan secondary school which is much loved by us, our children, the staff and the local community. In an Ofsted inspection in March 2018, the school was judged as 'inadequate with serious weaknesses' which lead to the DfE issuing an academy order. We are seeking legal advice to see how we can stop this order from being implemented so that we can remain a Local Authority Community school.

Why do we oppose academisation?

As parents we are concerned that our children will not flourish in an academy. All the evidence suggests that academisation has the opposite effect—staff leave in droves and our children get a diet of ‘exam factory’ education. We are also concerned that our children with SEND needs will not be fully supported by a MAT as research suggests these are the first children to lose out through 'off rolling' and exclusions.