A school does not have to be an academy to be altruistic.

I have over 40 years’ experience in education, so am writing from a position of considerable experience. The article exemplifies of the chaos that now passes as a national education system.

Governors of the school claim ‘Academisation helps us take hold of the school, expanding its work so we can positively impact on other schools, teachers and develop initial teacher training’.

Schools have always been able to do this, many have done so; the willingness to do so should be explicit in every school’s Mission Statement. There is an arrogance here that suggests that altruism is the preserve of academies; a school does not have to be an academy to be altruistic.

Whilst not wishing to personalise my comments, there is something seriously wrong with an education system that allows a member of one governing body, judged to be ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted, to provide strategic advice and direction to another governing body over matters as important as the academisation of a school.

As the election approaches all parties will claim to have the solutions to our problems.

The academies programme will be used to support progress in raising educational achievement. Very little will be said about the vast majority of non-academy schools that continue to provide a high quality education to the communities they serve.

Mr John Thorpe

Headteacher