SCHOOLS across Huddersfield are being bullied and misled into becoming academies, union leaders have claimed.

Staff have been forced to stay silent and parents’ objections have been sidelined while headteachers and influential governors dictate the agenda, a Kirklees scrutiny panel was told yesterday.

Council advisors to Kirklees schools were also accused of misrepresenting the case for becoming academies and leaving out information crucial for making informed decisions on whether to become academies, representatives from Unison, NUT, NASWUT and other unions said.

The representatives believe headteachers and governors have been forcing the move, under the guise of token ‘consultations’ to reap cash offered by the Government to schools which become academies

And they claim some staff have been given a stark choice: to accept academy status or face potential redundancy.

The union leaders allege foul play at five Huddersfield schools.

SALENDINE NOOK HIGH SCHOOL

The school pressed on with the move towards academy status despite widespread opposition from staff and a vote against the move.

Some staff were told there would be redundancies if the school did not become an academy. But support staff were told that their conditions of employment would stay the same and some might be given a pay rise.

MOOR END ACADEMY (formerly Moor End Technology College), Crosland Moor

A senior member of staff asked unionised staff if they were ‘with their union’ or wished to continue working at the school.

LINDLEY JUNIOR SCHOOL

Governors declined to meet a parents’ group which had concerns about the school becoming an academy.

Staff and parents were not given sufficient time to consider the options.

A Freedom of Information request for the reasons why the school was considering becoming an academy was ignored.

A petition against the move received no response.

Despite opposition the school pressed on with move.

CHRIST CHURCH WOODHOUSE, Deighton

The school agreed to become an academy with the Church of England as its governing body for fear of being snapped up by a ‘chain’ education company.

SHELLEY COLLEGE

Unionised staff voted unanimously against becoming an academy. Consequently a senior member of staff forbade joint union meetings at the school in future.

The views of staff and the union were ignored and despite opposition, the school pressed on with move.

Secretary for NUT Kirklees, Hazel Danson, said: “We are concerned at the speed with which schools are being bounced into accepting using big and bullying tactics. In some cases staff have felt reluctant to express opposition to academisation because of fear of the repercussions.”

Mike Forster, chief steward for education at Unison, said: “If there is evidence that the school community is against the academy they should not proceed.

“Why bother with a consultation if you’re going to ignore the views and proceed otherwise?”

A spokesman for Kirklees Council said: “A wide range of issues come under discussion with the trade unions, and these have included matters relating to consultation around changes in school status.

“We provide guidance to all schools regarding what we consider to be good practice in consultative processes when a change in status is being considered.”