Battle to stop city academies; CAMPAIGN: Anxious opponents draw up leaflet and petition.

Byline: By Lucy Lynch Education Reporter

A CAMPAIGN has been launched to stop two city academies opening in Coventry.

A group of trade unionists and campaigners have set out to persuade people in Coventry that city academies are a bad thing.

Consultation has started on plans to turn Woodway Park School, in Wigston Road, Woodway Park, into a city academy, and replacing Barrs Hill School in Radford Road, Radford, and Sidney Stringer School in Cox Street, Hillfields, with a single city academy in the Swanswell development in Hillfields.

The city council is in talks with the Reading-based Centre for British Teachers about sponsoring the academy to replace Barrs Hill/ Sidney Stringer school.

And millionaire Christian businessman Bob Edmiston wants to sponsor the Woodway Park academy. Under the scheme, he would provide pounds 2million of funding with the rest coming from central government. Campaigners have had a leaflet printed listing their objections to the government's flagship schools - and they are also collecting signatures against the plans.

The leaflet points out that sponsors only have to pay a fraction of the cost of setting up a school in return for a substantial say in the running of it - despite being unelected.

And it raises fears that sponsors could change the curriculum to suit their own religious beliefs and be selective about which children they take.

Campaigner Jane Nellist, joint divisional secretary of the National Union of Teachers in Coventry, said: "What we want to do is give people the information so we can make sure that they are making an informed choice."

Cllr John Blundell (Con, Wainbody), city council cabinet member for children's services, rejected the criticisms. He said that when Woodway Park became an academy, the city council would be represented on the governors, the curriculum would include Christian values acceptable to everyone, and the school admissions policy wouldn't change.

He said: "This campaign is creating anxiety among parents and demonising institutions."

Charity's previous bid THE charity interested in sponsoring a new city academy in Coventry pulled out of a similar project in London after confusion about the amount of money needed.

In 2001, the Reading-based Centre for British Teachers was named as a possible sponsor of the Lambeth Academy.

But the agreement collapsed after the charity said it didn't expect to contribute the full pounds 2million which academy sponsors usually give. The charity wanted to be one of several sponsors while the government wanted a single sponsor.

It is now interested in sponsoring a city academy in the Swanswell development, which would replace Barrs Hill School and Sidney Stringer School.

Vincent McDonnell, director of learning at the centre, said: "We would be the main sponsor but we wouldn't be the only sponsor. We want to work in partnership with the city council and other interested parties. We want to act as a broker for the community to get involved."

The charity, which specialises in education management projects, is hoping to sponsor city academies in other parts of the country to create a federation of city academies.

5 FACTS ABOUT CITY ACADEMIES CITY academies are a government initiative to improve secondary schools.

When a school becomes a city academy it gets a new name, new building and becomes independent from Coventry City Council.

A sponsor provides pounds 2 million of the cost and the government provides the rest, usually pounds 25 million.

The sponsor has the right to appoint governors and has a substantial say in the how the school is run.

So far, some academies in other parts of the country have had big improvements in exam results compared to the schools they replaced but others have been struggling to improve.

CAPTION(S):

CONTROVERSY... Woodway Park School (top) and Barrs Hill School (inset) could face major changes