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'Christian' academy plan moves closer
 A first city academy school in Norfolk with backing from the Bishop of Norwich and Christian entrepreneur Graham Dacre has moved a step closer.
On Wednesday (March 1) Norfolk County Council's Children's services members backed calls for the ruling Cabinet to seek more details from the Department of Education about exactly how the proposed school would work.
The £20 million plan would create a new school on the site of Heartsease High. The proposals would see the Norwich Diocese and Mr Dacre invest £2 million - in return for influence over the schools admissions policy, curriculum and governing ethos, possibly Christian - while the Government would invest a further £20 million.
The existing Heartsease buildings would be knocked down and a 1400-pupil academy would be built in its place.
The Rt Revd Graham James, Bishop of Norwich, said that an academy would “offer the possibility of significant investment in education in Norwich.”
Graham, founder of the Lind Automotive Group and the charitable Lind, said: “We have expressed an interest to the Government and discussions are ongoing with the governors at the school.
Heartsease headteacher Lindsay Knight: “We are trying to look at what to do in the best interests of the children and to raise standards and reflect the needs of the local community.” The school's governors recently voted by 13 to 3 to obtain more information on the proposal.
Opposition to the plan has come from Norwich North MP Ian Gibson who said:” This is an absolute mistake. I think schools should not be based on Christianity. There is no evidence that such schools are an improvement on the comprehensive system.”
A year-long feasibility study would be carried out on the plan before its moves forward.
Add you comments and tell us what you think of the plan?
Pictured above are Heartsease High School pupils.
Sources EDP.
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| | | Sarah Shreeve (Guest) | 01/03/2006 16:38 | I'm an upper sixth student at Notre Dame High and I couldn't disagree with Mr Gibson more! I am Christian, although not Catholic and the ethos of my school makes such a huge difference to the school community on a daily basis. Noone is getting Christianity shoved down their throat, but the Chrsitian influence in the school, including presence of caring pastoral staff, access to clergy to dicsuss personal problems and chapel to have personal space all make a difference to the behaviour of students within the school. Our anti bullying policy and policy towards children with behavioural difficulties and learning difficulties make us one of the most oversubscribed state schools in the county! If Heartsease High has been offered the chance to improve and lose it's negative reputation within the city, then the Mr Gibson should look at the effects of Christianity on schools before making such sweeping statements which could affect the oppertunities available to children across Northern Norwich.
| | | | Kirsty Webb (Guest) | 09/03/2006 17:05 | I am completely opposed to this proposal for the following reasons:
1. Labelling schools according to faith is divisive – surely in the current climate of increased cultural clashes, we should be emphasising inclusive education, not setting children apart according to religious doctrine.
2. I believe the ethos of any School should emphasise consistent, quality, accepted teaching of academic subjects and should not be designed to provide a platform for the religious views of a wealthy investor.
3. I am concerned at the extent to which investors are permitted influence over the curriculum and are able to propagate religious dogma which grossly deviates from accepted scientific theory and fact. In many faith schools in the UK, all subjects are taught within a framework of literalist Christianity, including the teaching of creationism and Genesis as scientific fact. Children in these state schools (i.e. parents in the catchment area have no choice but to send their children to these schools) are being taught that the earth was created by God in 6 days and that the earth is only 6,000 years old. Of course, the vast majority of us accept the fact that 6,000 years ago it wasn’t the earth but the iron age that was in its infancy.
4. A university professor recently discussed his colleagues’ experience of interviewing a University applicant who had been taught at a faith school, using the ACE (Accelerated Christian Education) Syllabus. He said: ‘three colleagues told me they had interviewed, for a place at university, a young woman who had been taught using ACE. She turned out to be the worst candidate they had ever encountered. She had no idea that thinking was even an option: her job was either to know or guess the "right" answer. Worse, she had no clue how bad she was, having always scored at least 95 per cent in exams - the National Christian Schools Certificate (NCSC). Should my colleagues write to Ofsted about ACE and NCSC? Unfortunately, Ofsted is the organisation that gave a rave review to city academy in Gateshead: a Christian school whose head of science thinks the entire universe began after the domestication of the dog.’
5. I strongly believe that children should be allowed to grow up free of religious indoctrination and that the education system should open their minds not restrict them to a narrow set of religious teachings. All of us need ethical frameworks to guide our moral decisions but to suggest to young people that these need to have a religious origin, or that one religion takes precedence over others is false, divisive and irresponsible. I believe education should be secular we don’t presume to decide which political party a child should vote for as an adult – in the same spirit, we should not decide what religious beliefs a child should have either.
| | | | David Chamberlin | 10/03/2006 10:17 | I understand Kirsty's misgivings, although I think some of them are based on misunderstanding and misinformation by others who are fundamentally (and I use the word advisedly!) opposed to any kind of faith school. As a governor and parent at an inter-church (Anglican and Catholic joint foundation) comprehensive in Cambridge, I can only speak from personal experience. It is a wonderful school - the ethos is openly Christian, but the syllabus follows the National Curriculum, standards are rising year on year, the school is hugely popular, attracting students from all over Cambridgeshire. OFSTED is pleased with progress. The students are happy, polite and motivated. No-one is forced into anything to do with any faith, all faiths are valued and respected. Dr Gibson please take note of the evidence! Before tarring this exciting new venture with the brush of prejudice, do please look at successful faith-based schools elsewhere.
| | | | Kirsty Webb (Guest) | 10/03/2006 13:50 | David - whilst it is true that I am opposed to faith schools of any kind, I am usually careful to ensure my arguments are well sourced and not misinformed!
I think it’s worth emphasising that my main concerns relate specifically to City Academies and in particular those where individuals are seeking to fund schools in order to propagate personal, partial and extremist religious views - particularly in respect of Christian fundamentalism, Creationism, 'young earthism' and biblical literalism.
My examples in point 3 relate to three City Academies in Gateshead funded and controlled by Peter Vardy, a car dealer and fundamentalist Christian. You can see a Guardian report on one of these schools’ teaching practices at: http://www.education.guardian.co.uk/schools/story/0,5500,664608,00.html
Another car dealer and evangelical Christian, Bob Edmiston, is planning a similar Academy in Birmingham.
Graham Dacre, also a car dealer and evangelical Christian is now planning a similar Academy in Norwich.
Graham Dacre is reportedly a member of The Proclaimers church in Norwich (see http://www.stmarymagnorwich.org.uk/newsarchive/news_easter2003.html). The Proclaimers’ website outlines their assertive strategy to develop a significant presence in the local media and increase the influence of their church in Norwich. I spoke personally with a representative of the Proclaimers to get accurate information regarding their biblical teachings and asked specifically whether they taught literal interpretations of biblical text such as that the earth was created in 6 days. The representative said, ‘Yes, you could say we are literalist. We are not one of these churches which says this bit of the Bible is true but this bit might not be.’ I am very, very concerned that an individual with literalist views can be permitted to control the curriculum, ethos and governance of a state school in my area.
So, even though I fundamentally (I use the word advisedly too!) disagree with the concept of faith schools per se, I recognise that most, such as the one David refers to, do at least advocate mainstream, not literalist, views. It’s the schools that promote the latter to which I am most vehemently opposed, and I am extremely worried that this is what unsuspecting parents and impressionable young people in Heartsease will be stuck with as their local state school.
| | | | Kerry Tumberlake (Guest) | 17/03/2006 09:14 | I think this Academy is a great idea, the school needs a lift. Graham Dacre I believe is working in the best interest long term of the young people, well done Graham. Instead of debating lets get behind the vision, and see God do his work.
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