No Justification for Carphone School Sponsor says Lib Dem (Andrew Simpson)

No Justification for Carphone School Sponsor says Lib Dem

July 14, 2009 12:00 AM

Unity College front sign Andrew Simpson has spoken out against a decision by the Conservative run County Council to appoint Carphone Warehouse co-founder David Ross as the sponsor for Unity College in plans to turn the school into an Academy in 2010.

"The County Council is providing scant evidence as to why this multimillionaire is suitable to run a school in Northampton. What links does Mr Ross have to the town and the county apart from a mansion?" said Andrew Simpson when addressing the Council's Cabinet meeting.

"The Council seems determined to press ahead with Academy plans and now they have rushed through selecting a sponsor such that parents, pupils, staff and local residents are left wondering whether their views matter at all. The only experience Mr Ross has is in sponsoring Havelock Academy in Grimsby where at least his family business has some roots yet that Academy is failing to hit Government targets so what makes the County Council thinks this plan for Unity will be any better?"

Andrew Simpson has been calling for a halt to further Academy plans in Northampton while schools recover from the massive changes in recent years and while a true picture is establish of whether the Academy programme actually benefits educational achievement.