:01:26. > :01:29.Here in the East: Questions over the sponsors of
:01:29. > :01:39.Academies, after a successful head teacher quits his post.
:01:39. > :01:39.
:01:39. > :39:12.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 2253 seconds
:39:12. > :39:16.Here's one answer to the shortage Proof later, the academy where
:39:16. > :39:22.ahead improved exam results quits after apparently falling out with
:39:22. > :39:26.its sponsor. Many parents will be seeking to solve the problem by
:39:26. > :39:31.moving their kids to another school. This this your ideal of a
:39:31. > :39:33.classroom? The plans to turn an office block into a school to help
:39:33. > :39:39.provide desperately needed schools places.
:39:39. > :39:43.First, let's meet our guests, Elizabeth Truss, education minister
:39:43. > :39:47.and Conservative MP for South West Norfolk, and Daniel Zeichner,
:39:47. > :39:52.Labour's parliamentary candidate for Cambridge. I wanted to begin
:39:52. > :39:55.with our sighing -- soundbite of the week, we hear from Simon Ash,
:39:55. > :39:58.the chief constable of a Suffolk police who just days after the PCC
:39:58. > :40:02.elections has announced he is to go in February.
:40:02. > :40:06.I think we have got to be very careful we don't assume there
:40:06. > :40:10.aren't a lot of good Chief officers developing behind us who are fit
:40:10. > :40:14.and able to take on those roles. I am absolutely confident there are
:40:14. > :40:17.really good colleagues are there who are already and I'm sure we'll
:40:17. > :40:21.apply for this job. He seems they are dropping like
:40:21. > :40:25.flies. On the day of the PCC elections came at the Essex chief
:40:25. > :40:28.constable will not actually see out his 10 either. People like the
:40:28. > :40:34.former home secretary, Charles Clarke, said this would be a
:40:34. > :40:36.disaster. I don't think it is. The police
:40:36. > :40:39.commissioners have just been elected, they have got their time
:40:39. > :40:43.in office to show the difference they can make. What is going on
:40:43. > :40:48.across the country is at their wrath changes in policing, we are
:40:48. > :40:52.developing a national crime agency which will mean more monitoring of
:40:52. > :40:58.crime at a national level, and people do move jobs, they move into
:40:58. > :41:01.different jobs, that is perfectly natural. We will be able to judge
:41:01. > :41:04.the results from the police commissioners in what happens in
:41:04. > :41:08.four years' time, once they have had a period of time in office,
:41:08. > :41:11.that is when we should judge the results.
:41:11. > :41:14.We have been told more chief constables could go, this is a
:41:14. > :41:18.shambles. Just the word I was going to use.
:41:18. > :41:22.The last thing we needed, when crime was falling under the last
:41:22. > :41:26.Labour government, was to compete reorganise the police service, at a
:41:27. > :41:31.time when massive cut a be made as well. I have every sympathy with
:41:31. > :41:34.the chief constables who have looked at it at the people did last
:41:34. > :41:39.week and given it the thumbs down. Wasn't it hypocritical for your
:41:39. > :41:42.party to support the elections, if you didn't support the role?
:41:42. > :41:46.We didn't oppose the elections, but you have to put up candidates, it
:41:46. > :41:48.would have been foolish not to have done so, but we thought it was a
:41:48. > :41:53.total waste of money. Chief constables are saying the same
:41:53. > :41:59.thing. Now, to the growing number of
:41:59. > :42:02.Academy Schools in our region and what is to belief -- believed to be
:42:02. > :42:06.the first is the, ahead of an academy in Basildon after falling
:42:06. > :42:12.out with its sponsor. Dr Rory Fox, who has improved exam results by
:42:12. > :42:16.one-third since taking over in 2011 is to leave, raising questions over
:42:16. > :42:23.whether the academy system is at the mercy of private backers who
:42:23. > :42:29.are not educational experts. They wear and still art schools and
:42:29. > :42:34.special measures. But since Dr Rory fox became head of the Basildon
:42:34. > :42:38.academies in 2011 results have been improving. Despite that Dr Fox has
:42:38. > :42:42.resigned. Apparently it is over a difference of opinion with the
:42:42. > :42:47.School sponsor about the way the schools are run. Which raises the
:42:47. > :42:51.question, who is in charge of an academy? Is it their head or is it
:42:51. > :43:01.the sponsor? In a statement the Department for
:43:01. > :43:04.
:43:04. > :43:09.The Basildon Academy's head and the sponsor have both declined offers
:43:09. > :43:14.to comment. It is inevitable when the school has now got the
:43:14. > :43:20.reputation it has, that many parents will be seeking to solve
:43:20. > :43:23.the problem by moving their kids to another school. It does mean those
:43:23. > :43:27.students whose parents are concerned about their progress have
:43:27. > :43:32.gone nowhere else to go, which is crucially important for the
:43:32. > :43:38.government to take action now to address these issues.
:43:38. > :43:42.Despite exam results improving at the Academy's the row pupils like
:43:42. > :43:45.Amaris Northcott he did agree with Dr Fox -- Dr Cox's discipline
:43:45. > :43:49.regime that can see pupils being put into isolation for relatively
:43:49. > :43:53.minor offences. He fell stressful, I did not want
:43:53. > :43:57.to go. I had to go to school but it was really uncomfortable, I can get
:43:57. > :44:02.on well. He mother says under the academy
:44:02. > :44:08.system he seems there is no way for parents with concerns to go.
:44:08. > :44:12.I was astonished how difficult it is as a parent to be heard. I went
:44:12. > :44:15.to the welfare officer, everywhere committed try to get somebody to
:44:15. > :44:20.listen to the problems going on, and the school were not doing
:44:20. > :44:22.anything about it and they wouldn't return your call, speed you.
:44:22. > :44:26.Traditionally county councils govern state schools. Under local
:44:26. > :44:32.authority control Perez with concerns about a school can have
:44:32. > :44:34.them addressed by the Council. However, academies are answerable
:44:35. > :44:40.to the education secretary with the schools commissioner set-up to deal
:44:40. > :44:44.with issues raised by parents. But confusion is widespread. Not even
:44:44. > :44:48.Basildon's MP is aware of the commission's existence.
:44:48. > :44:51.Up until this point I have had no need to contact them, but following
:44:51. > :44:56.this interview I will find a what the role of the Schools Commission
:44:56. > :44:59.is and how it can help facilitate contact. If this body exists, as it
:44:59. > :45:02.obviously does, I will be looking at how it can help facilitate
:45:02. > :45:06.better communication between schools and parents.
:45:06. > :45:10.Parents who are pleased with Dr Fox's progress says the academies
:45:10. > :45:16.are unhappy he is leaving. I think it is very sad. City has
:45:16. > :45:20.been here the school has come up. It is really annoying to here he is
:45:20. > :45:23.going. He has done a brilliantly good job.
:45:23. > :45:28.His scenes when it comes to academies whether or not the
:45:28. > :45:33.sponsor, governors or trust has a background in education, ultimately
:45:33. > :45:37.it is the sponsor's decision whether a head stays or goes.
:45:37. > :45:43.We believe the news -- the new head stars this week. Daniel, who should
:45:43. > :45:45.be in charge of the school, a sponsor or ahead? I was a chair of
:45:45. > :45:50.governors for many years, it ought to be the head teacher. They're the
:45:50. > :45:55.experts, the professionals. Having these shadowy private organisations
:45:55. > :45:59.that nobody knows how to hold to account is wrong. I am sure some of
:45:59. > :46:02.the organisation's will quibble with you calling them shared a week.
:46:02. > :46:07.What qualifications should a sponsor have?
:46:07. > :46:10.Sponsors go through a rigorous process through the Department of
:46:10. > :46:14.Education to be sponsors of academies, to make sure they are
:46:14. > :46:19.fit to undertake that role. The problem with what Daniel is
:46:19. > :46:24.suggesting is who judges their head teachers. If the head teacher isn't
:46:24. > :46:27.doing a good job and her teacher is in charge had we make sure Keith is
:46:27. > :46:31.caught improves? There was a full system of accountability. Schools
:46:31. > :46:35.are accountable to OFSTED, if offset their good judgment the
:46:35. > :46:38.school isn't doing well enough that is a factor. They at a canter more
:46:38. > :46:42.through their floor standards. If needs be the Department of
:46:42. > :46:45.Education can step in. There is a rigorous process that Academy
:46:45. > :46:49.sponsors go through without determining whether or not an
:46:49. > :46:54.Academy can sponsor a particular school. The Academy programme has
:46:54. > :46:57.had huge benefits for our education system. The whole concept of
:46:57. > :47:02.Academy sponsors was introduced and the Labour government side cannot
:47:02. > :47:07.quite see why the Labour Party representative is objecting. Labour
:47:07. > :47:10.was focusing attention on schools in the poorest areas were they
:47:10. > :47:14.really needed a big investment. What this government has rushed
:47:14. > :47:18.head lock into converting all schools into academies, and making
:47:18. > :47:25.no account of the kind of local accountability his parents are
:47:25. > :47:28.talking about. There's talk about the concept of private
:47:28. > :47:31.organisations leading academies. You cannot know the conditions of
:47:31. > :47:37.every school around this country. If parents are concerned they can
:47:37. > :47:41.go to local people. There's talk about Michael Gove. My
:47:41. > :47:45.understanding is he is at the top of the tree, that Parma for
:47:45. > :47:50.Education has responsibility for answering questions about these
:47:50. > :47:55.academies. You have introduced a vast number of academies. How is Mr
:47:55. > :47:59.Gove able to cope with administering 2000 schools?
:47:59. > :48:03.whole point is through the selection process these we make
:48:03. > :48:07.sure the care the responses of fit for purpose it was invented under
:48:07. > :48:10.the previous Labour government. We thought was a good idea so we have
:48:10. > :48:13.continued and expanded it. The whole concept of the private
:48:13. > :48:17.sponsor was the idea of Andrew Adonis, the Labour government
:48:17. > :48:21.minister. We support the concept, we have introduced it further. All
:48:21. > :48:24.the evidence from systems across the world suggest autonomy is
:48:25. > :48:30.really important, so that schools have power over things like
:48:30. > :48:33.teachers' pay, the curriculum, how they run and organiser school and
:48:33. > :48:37.how these a budget. That has been very successful. In a small number
:48:37. > :48:42.of cases where there are problems, there is schools commissioner whose
:48:42. > :48:46.role it is to look at those problems within the Department for
:48:46. > :48:54.Education. There is a sanction. The whole point is academies a really
:48:54. > :48:58.raising the Game of the performance of the education system. Daniel,
:48:58. > :49:06.what about this commission and, do you think parents are ill-informed
:49:06. > :49:10.enough about their very existence? The have got no idea. The point is
:49:10. > :49:14.we have a system where plenty of schools were actually functioning
:49:14. > :49:18.extremely well, very high standards in the City and Cambridge, he
:49:18. > :49:21.didn't need this organisation. What was needed was the schools that
:49:21. > :49:25.were really struggling. That was Labour's approach and the right
:49:25. > :49:29.thing to do. This is actually about a mass privatisation of education,
:49:29. > :49:36.ultimately to run schools for profit. Their stay with education.
:49:36. > :49:39.There is a shortage of places in our primary schools. In some parts
:49:39. > :49:43.the fastest-growing region of the country getting a school places
:49:43. > :49:47.becoming a real challenge. In Peterborough the council has had to
:49:47. > :49:51.create an additional 10 classes for children in their first year at
:49:51. > :49:56.school. According to local authority figures we estimate by
:49:57. > :50:00.2016 there will be another 42,000 children needing to stop prime we
:50:00. > :50:06.schools across the region and there are currently no places for half of
:50:07. > :50:14.them. Year 6 pupils in nearby new
:50:15. > :50:18.classroom. This extension beasts pupil numbers from 422630. But at
:50:18. > :50:22.near by Northampton Vale they are still waiting for their new school
:50:22. > :50:24.buildings, some youngsters are taught in mobile classrooms.
:50:24. > :50:29.Because Peterborough Leeds City Council is struggling to
:50:29. > :50:32.accommodate growing pupil numbers. The City has the second highest
:50:32. > :50:36.birthrate outside London and there is a massive inward migration,
:50:36. > :50:37.largely from the senior up. We are seeing families that have four
:50:37. > :50:42.children under attending for different schools, because we
:50:42. > :50:47.simply cannot get them into the local area. About five years ago we
:50:47. > :50:53.were taking 2,500 children into reception, this year we are at
:50:53. > :50:58.2,800, I expect to be 3,500 him if he is kind. By have schemes on our
:50:58. > :51:01.books for about �80 million worth of school extensions, paid for from
:51:01. > :51:06.the council tax payer in a local area through the local authority.
:51:06. > :51:11.We cannot sustain that going forward, that will not do with the
:51:11. > :51:16.increases. We have an acute funding pressure coming. It is not just
:51:16. > :51:20.money. There is also a shortage of land to build new schools. Another
:51:20. > :51:24.council is looking at the All hospital site and a disused railway
:51:24. > :51:29.shed. Elsewhere in Northampton the local authority wants to convert
:51:29. > :51:32.this former office block into a new school. The Union says there has
:51:32. > :51:37.hardly any play area and the building itself is unsuitable.
:51:37. > :51:44.is very difficult to increase the space around the site, so that is
:51:44. > :51:51.likely to result in problems with discipline, not be able to have
:51:51. > :51:54.told you groups meeting in the hall, at restrictions on productions can
:51:54. > :52:00.put on. All those things are important for George and education.
:52:00. > :52:03.It is not just about what they're doing in the classroom. Have been a
:52:03. > :52:08.different approach around the use of a building like this, over three
:52:08. > :52:13.stories, that is not new, we have had that in London, Bristol, for a
:52:13. > :52:16.long time. It is just new in this council. Good space outside,
:52:16. > :52:21.potentially looking a space on the roof, that has been done elsewhere
:52:21. > :52:25.in terms of playground on the roofs of buildings. We also know there
:52:25. > :52:30.are parks and things nearby. We just need to think little bit more
:52:30. > :52:35.imaginatively. The school would be attached to this primary-school.
:52:35. > :52:41.Family said mixed-use. Go for it. Anything that isn't did, why not
:52:41. > :52:44.use it? If the office block was in a better place, it is in a very
:52:44. > :52:50.busy traffic every year and has not much ground surrounding it for play
:52:50. > :52:54.times. I have got into of Abington Vale last year because the put
:52:54. > :52:59.extra class indeed reception so it is really disappointing that nobody
:52:59. > :53:02.has thought about it sooner to do something about the problem.
:53:02. > :53:07.problem was in its secondary schools. Officials describe it as a
:53:07. > :53:11.ticking timebomb. The real pressure will come when youngsters that have
:53:11. > :53:15.been part of this boom start to make their way through to secondary.
:53:15. > :53:19.We have already had a conversation with the secondary head teachers in
:53:19. > :53:22.and around Northampton about options. We believe we will have to
:53:22. > :53:26.build at least one it you secondary-school. Also we may have
:53:26. > :53:30.to look at other buildings such as this, to add to our secretary
:53:30. > :53:34.capacity. Council officers say they can see no end to the current
:53:34. > :53:39.population boom. It means sites like this could be more, in the
:53:39. > :53:42.future. 20 mean out his Councillor Andrew
:53:42. > :53:46.Grant, Northamptonshire's Cabinet member for children, learning and
:53:46. > :53:51.skills. What is the picture when it comes for places in
:53:51. > :53:54.Northamptonshire? How will you cope? We had a problem in January
:53:54. > :53:58.were we had a number of late applications after all the
:53:58. > :54:02.admissions had been done, add we spent time during the summer
:54:02. > :54:07.identifying the number of schools where we could but temporary
:54:07. > :54:09.measures, we'll put in plans together to extend his school's
:54:09. > :54:15.permanent extensions. We looked at the office block which defeated
:54:15. > :54:20.earlier. These are all part of the solutions to meet the rising boom
:54:21. > :54:24.in terms of newborn birth and inward migration and we have had a
:54:24. > :54:27.late number of more applications from piece -- people from Eastern
:54:27. > :54:33.Europe. He pulsate You know how many babies have been born so you
:54:33. > :54:39.have for years to make provision. We currently have in September 1956
:54:39. > :54:46.1,000 children in our promise course, we are forecasting by 25
:54:46. > :54:51.per and 15 42,000 -- and in 20th September 107400 places. Obviously
:54:51. > :54:58.that is using all our intended capital the government intends to
:54:58. > :55:02.provide. We are a growing county. Whisk the new census figures being
:55:02. > :55:06.released we'll finally been able to Pru finally we need the extra money
:55:06. > :55:14.we haven't had in the past. What about the role of academies. You
:55:14. > :55:17.have no control over their intake. We welcome them. We had a number
:55:17. > :55:21.that converted under the previous government, some have continued
:55:21. > :55:24.through failing to convert, a number have converted. We have a
:55:24. > :55:28.great relationship with the number of schools we are proposing to
:55:28. > :55:31.extend which up academies, we are working closely together, and of
:55:31. > :55:37.the Sleep we want to continue to provide all other children with the
:55:37. > :55:42.best possible education outcomes. Daniel, are you aware of the
:55:42. > :55:46.position in Cambridge? It is really that here too. Down the road we
:55:46. > :55:49.have got another shambles will we have a new school that has opened,
:55:49. > :55:53.the old school site is across the road, we would like to reappear but
:55:53. > :55:56.the current government will not let the County Council do, it assisted
:55:56. > :56:02.has to be an Academy of free school to the government is making the
:56:02. > :56:05.situation worse than need be. Labour got rid of mobile classrooms,
:56:05. > :56:08.and discovered is that a mobile classrooms back. What about this
:56:08. > :56:14.position academies put local operatives in where they have no
:56:14. > :56:20.control? We have provided a further 800 million basic need funding for
:56:20. > :56:23.councils were the population is rising. We have seen councils third
:56:23. > :56:26.Peterborough and more fun de sure of finding solutions, three schools
:56:26. > :56:30.and academies help. -- Northamptonshire. There is a free
:56:30. > :56:33.school in Corby which provides extra places. I go the we should
:56:33. > :56:36.look at the baby boom as wholly negative, he's a new children
:56:36. > :56:40.growing up, some countries are struggling with the birth rate and
:56:40. > :56:43.not getting next generation through. We have got an opportunity year,
:56:43. > :56:47.lots of young people coming through this is done, I think that is great.
:56:47. > :56:50.The thing we haven't talked about here is teachers. The most
:56:50. > :56:54.important factor it in a tell dedication isn't the building their
:56:54. > :56:58.run, that is how good the teacher is. What we're doing is providing
:56:58. > :57:03.bursaries to get more people into teaching, to attract top graduates,
:57:03. > :57:06.and that is what will really make a difference. I don't think we should
:57:06. > :57:10.be wholly negative about this. It is a positive thing we have got
:57:10. > :57:14.more young people. There's been a BECTU provision of places, who is
:57:14. > :57:24.going to have an overview of her -- let's bring it back to provision of
:57:24. > :57:25.
:57:25. > :57:28.places. The answer is that -- the local authority is responsible for
:57:28. > :57:34.sufficiency. The fund deja a working with academies, free
:57:34. > :57:38.schools, to make sure there are enough places Bath Northamptonshire.
:57:38. > :57:43.In my county of Norfolk County Council take a positive attitude
:57:43. > :57:46.towards academies, they see there'll a strategic rather than
:57:46. > :57:56.trying to Connacht cause, they are making sure there is the
:57:56. > :57:56.
:57:56. > :58:00.sufficiency of places available for students. There's give the county
:58:00. > :58:08.council's the position where they are understanding the overall
:58:08. > :58:11.changes. Array to bring Councillor Grand beckoned. Is there money to
:58:11. > :58:16.pay for all these things? Is there money to provide places for these
:58:16. > :58:19.children? There is basically money allocated and we are assuming the
:58:19. > :58:23.government will continue to fund that in the next four years, hence
:58:23. > :58:27.why we are planning the places we are. Providing it is maintained we
:58:27. > :58:31.will deal with those places. We will also have money that will
:58:31. > :58:36.provide additional resources but it is right we make the allegations of
:58:36. > :58:39.the money that we get from government going to the best use we
:58:39. > :58:45.can, and if that is in the build extensions or looking at
:58:45. > :58:49.alternative accommodation, we will get body formally for our taxpayers.
:58:49. > :58:55.Labour induced the ideas of academies. Do you not agree this
:58:55. > :58:58.has put local authorities in a difficult position? Going back to
:58:58. > :59:02.the point, academies were introduced by Labour for the small
:59:02. > :59:05.number of telling just schools which needed a new start, we did
:59:05. > :59:08.not take away the structure above them which was needed to allocate
:59:08. > :59:11.resources in a sensible way. There is no middle to a stricter in
:59:11. > :59:15.education. Basically, it is going to be a free-for-all, and they
:59:15. > :59:19.really fear for what we will see in any of our counties in the East of
:59:19. > :59:26.England in the years ahead. We will have to leave their discussion to
:59:26. > :59:35.stop that queue for the time. -- thank you for your time. She may be
:59:35. > :59:37.out but is she down, it is a jungle Basildon Hospital is facing fresh
:59:37. > :59:46.concerns over its standard of childrens' care following a spot
:59:46. > :59:50.check by the Care Quality Commission. It is disappointing and
:59:50. > :59:55.people be confident in the fact this hospital can deliver a decent
:59:55. > :59:59.level of care. And caring for our fish stocks
:59:59. > :00:03.prompted one MP to call for an end to illegal poaching from our lakes
:00:03. > :00:08.and rivers. This is an issue of criminality. If you take fish and
:00:08. > :00:11.don't return them it is theft. A welcome for Bedfordshire's new
:00:11. > :00:14.Police and Crime Commissioner, one of eight who have taken up their
:00:14. > :00:17.posts this week. And joy from Labour as new MP for
:00:17. > :00:21.Corby, Andy Sawford, takes his place in the House of Commons.
:00:21. > :00:26.urge all part of the public sector and the private sector as well, to
:00:26. > :00:29.consider the case for a living wage of �7.45 per hour.
:00:29. > :00:34.Meanwhile MP Nadine Dorries, leaves the jungle and defends herself
:00:34. > :00:41.against the former chief whip. didn't give me permission for the
:00:41. > :00:45.sherbety did give me the permission to have the month away. You were to
:00:45. > :00:47.be an MP, would you do that? don't think so. It was poor
:00:47. > :00:56.judgment but she probably did better than the Billington boys
:00:56. > :01:02.would have done. Has she disgraced error office? Well, I think that is
:01:02. > :01:07.a Dutchman for her local constituency party. -- judgment.
:01:07. > :01:10.What a would say is I don't envy her time in the jungle, all those
:01:10. > :01:14.rats and dogs looked horrible to me and I have got no intention of
:01:14. > :01:22.going anywhere near it. How are you doing her appearance? There was a
:01:22. > :01:26.lot of MPs watching the show and seen it. She has been away for a
:01:26. > :01:30.while, I think she needs to come back and talk to the parliamentary
:01:30. > :01:35.party. What about the fact that people are saying she has reached
:01:36. > :01:39.at younger people, they'd MPs hip and trendy? Not buy you are not
:01:39. > :01:44.already. I think she has lately demean the Office. Are we allowed
:01:44. > :01:49.to nominate other MPs? I would love to see Michael Gove with the plight
:01:49. > :01:52.of cockroaches? It would be a great picture.