Schools closed in academy strike
More than 1,000 children in south London have been sent home after teachers went on strike in protest at a plan to create three academies.
Five schools in Croydon have been closed as about 130 members of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) staged a one-day walk-out.
The union said teachers did not want to become the employees of private academies instead of the council.
Croydon Council said the plans would improve the standard of its schools.
Tuesday's strike coincides with the first day of the council's consultation over the proposals for secondary schools in the borough.
The reorganisation would see Ashburton Infants, Ashburton Juniors and Ashburton Community School become one academy run by the Oasis Trust.
Haling Manor, in South Croydon, would become an academy - with the Harris Federation as the preferred bidder.
Selsdon High would also be run as an academy.
Dave Harvey, secretary of the Croydon NUT branch, said: "The council has produced a review of secondary education provision which removes all of the secondary schools in the borough from council control.
There would not be a single community school in Croydon, only faith schools, trust schools, academies and foundation schools.
"We describe this as an abdication of municipal responsibility."
But Tim Pollard, deputy leader of Croydon Council, said: "As a council, our objective is to greatly raise standards through all our schools and creating academies from the lowest performing ones is a vital part of that.
"So it is a great shame that the NUT are, in a sense, taking out on children what is a philosophical disagreement they have with the government."
The union demonstrated against the academy plans outside council offices on Monday evening.
Source: BBC News 27th January 2009.
27th Jan 2009
