Only the parents can scupper the plan to make St Ives School a trust school

The St Ives Times & Echo this week reports teacher union opposition to the proposal, first reported by The St Ivean, to turn five schools in Penwith, including St Ives School, over to trust status.

But protest as much as they like, it is not the NASUWT or any other union that has the power to halt this project - their influence will be marginal. The power to scupper it lies solely with the parents of students at the school.

Although they may have difficulty in deciding if trust status will ultimately be worthwhile or not for a school that has done well in recent years, parents should have no such doubts about the probable baleful effect of the project on the students currently at St Ives School. The experience of similar projects, much less ambitious than this one, suggests that their education will almost certainly suffer.

A school can be seriously disrupted once projects such as these get underway. Unless carefully handled, conflict develops within the school which leads to loss of morale and confidence amongst staff.

It can be hugely diversionary for the daily life of a school, demanding much preparatory work. Headteachers and deputies may disappear for days on end to attend meetings or they remain closeted in their offices preparing reports or bids. Classes are taught by staff who are not specialists in the subject they are covering and precious preparation time is lost covering for colleagues working on the project. An endless stream of supply teachers passes through the school. This can go on for months and long after the project is in place.

Parents of students at St Ives School should ask Headteacher David Harris to show them estimates of the impact of the preparatory work for trust status on the school's students and the plans to manage the impact.

Even parents who are sympathetic to the idea of trust status might think again when their son or daughter returns home with news of yet another lesson that day taught by yet another supply teacher, while Mr Harris and his fellow headteachers in Penwith are busy pursuing the uncertain prize of trust status for their schools.

LINKS: What are Trust Schools?

Heads reject trust schools proposals