ANTI-ACADEMY BIRMINGHAM ALLIANCE SUPPORTER

NOVANEWS

Dear,
This is a reminder of the important AABA meeting on Monday 14 June at 7pm (note, not 6.30) at the NASUWT offices, Ludgate Court, 57 Water St, B3 1EP.
There are 61 schools with an Ofsted grade of ‘outstanding’ in Birmingham. We urgently need to know which are thinking of becoming Academies – perhaps some have already decided, it only requires a simple vote by the GB. We need a broadly-based campaign to stop them.
The three teachers unions – ATL, NASUWT and NUT – are already committed nationally to working together to resist the market madness of Academies and so-called ‘free schools’, along with other unions. We need to build a campaign in Birmingham which brings the unions together with AABA, parents, and if possible local councillors who, even if they supported Labour’s Academies in the (mistaken) belief that it was necessary in order to get BSF money, balk at seeing large parts of the Birmingham school system leave the authority.
See below for the plan of action which the national Anti-Academies Alliance has adopted. It provides an excellent basis for a campaign in Birmingham.
We hope you will be able to come to this important meeting to plan our response to the threat to Birmingham’s schools.
Richard Hatcher
on behalf of AABA
PS in the current Birmingham Press (new weekly paper) there is a page on Academies with a piece by me against and a piece for by Karen Lumley, Conservative MP for Redditch. (Illustrated, rather oddly, by  a large picture of Young Ladies at St Trinian’s.)
Urgent message to the AAA NSC for consultation
The situation has shifted dramatically since the last NSC. It is more or less the worse case scenario on academies and new ‘free’ schools that we imagined. Pete has had no time to do the minutes etc. The position document I submitted was generally accepted, but there are elements of the analysis that need further reflection. This will have to wait.
Pete & the officers have been working full speed on responding to the situation. The website has more information. We have a key meeting on Monday night in Parliament focussing on opposition to the Academies Bill. Then on 24^th in London there is a campaign meeting. We have already produced a briefing for Labour MPs and written to the head of every outstanding school.
We have been approached by people volunteering to help. The officers intend to launch a volunteer recruitment drive as a matter of urgency. Below is a draft document of the sort of work AAA campaign volunteers will be asked to do. We want to work with trade unions and other activists where ever possible.
It is crucial that we coordinate work not duplicate it. Timing is essential. Our estimate is that Gove hopes to ‘tip the balance’ in state education with more than 1000 new academies opening in September. That gives us about 7 weeks.
A draft outline of the AAA’s overall national strategy is set out below. (Volunteers will focus only the Task 1 activities). Our campaigning will involve an ‘above’ and ‘below’ strategy. The list below is the sort things we want to do. This is not a comprehensive list, just a set of possibilities. If you have ideas, please share them. Please also comment on the following points:
1. Initially the volunteer work will be directed out of a new London office as well as the Birmingham office. We may need to provide a phone & in, exceptional circumstances, a laptop with internet connection.
2. We have prepared a substantial bid for emergency funding. For specific details, or if you want to discuss, please contact Alasdair directly.
3. We may also need to consider a name for the campaign if it grows into a wider alliance. One of our partners is already suggesting something like “A fair school system for all – join our campaign against the Tory academies…”  It is important to try to formulate a positive title. What do you think?
National Strategy
A: From ‘below’ – Target: school by school campaigns
1. Fieldwork Tasks

• Locate every outstanding school that has applied for academy status
• Identify parents, Trade union & community links to build local campaign
• Local media adverts, bill boards, leaflets & posters

2. National media

• Full time London & Birmingham Office – space/equipment
• New media team – Twitter, Facebook, flash mobs etc

3. Publications

• National newspaper for parents – 1 million copies & distribution
• Briefings

B ‘From Above’ – Target: Academies Bill passage through Parliament
1. Parliamentary lobbying

• Lobbyist (Connect)
• MPs/AAA liaison group

2. Regional, city wide mass meeting

• London – already done, but new & much bigger on for July?
• Birmingham, Manchester, Sheffield, Bristol etc

3. Lobby of Parliament & national demonstration if circumstances allow

• Lobby of parliament to coincide with one of reading of the Bill
• National Demo on a sat
• Demonstration at Tory Party conference

Task sheet 1
We suggest you read some of the AAA briefings to familiarise yourself with key points. Then, in your designated local area:
A. Outstanding schools – primary, secondary & special

1. Contact every outstanding school by phone & or email
2. Ask to speak to Head
3. Explain you are volunteer from AAA (explain if she/he doesn’t know AAA) and ask if his school is seeking ‘academy status’
4. If yes – ask if there will be a public consultation – don’t get into an argument, but ask for Chair of governors name & contact details
5. If not seeking academy status, listen to their concerns ask them if they will sign an open letter. Ask also if they know other heads that will do the same.
6. Repeat 1 to 5 for Chairs of Governors
7. Be sure to collate data – names & phones numbers

B. Local community

1. Find & make contact with any parent groups attached to schools
2. Try local community groups/Mumsnet/ Sure Start group. Ask if they know about threat of academy status & situation in local schools. Listen to their concerns
3. Connect local NUT, NASUWT, ATL UNISON, UNITE, GMB union branches. Ask how they can help? Or how we can help them – briefings for members, speakers at school or other union meeting etc
4. Discuss organising area wide public meeting asap.
5. Contact local council Mayor, lead person for education and local MPs asking them for their views & if they will speak or sign open letter
6. We also keen to find out any attempts to set up new ‘free’ schools. If you discover these you need to let the AAA office know immediately

C. Local & new media

1. Contact local media – newspaper and radio. Explain issues locally & nationally. Offer interview with AAA spokesperson, provide briefings etc. Try to ‘cultivate’ named journalists
2. Enquire about cost of half page advert – for open letter & public meeting notice
3. Set up local Facebook, Twitter. Groups especially target at young teachers. We have to be very careful about approaching school students.

Phone Script
“The AAA is a parents’ led campaign that is concerned about the government’s new academies proposals…
THANK YOU MARY