Following a tremendous campaign led by the staff, parents and students at Sinfin School in Derby, the council has abandoned its proposal to turn the school into the Derby Academy.

As recently as November, the council held a public meeting at the school to promote the benefits of turning the school into another monument to New Labour folly in Education. The meeting was addressed by the local authority and the sponsors, using the latest technological bells and whistles. This was going to be a great opportunity for all the children of the locality they said, but the people in the room didn’t buy it. And why should they as they already had a brand new school, a community school under democratic council and governor control.

At first the parents were unclear about the reasons academies represent such a threat to basic ideas of equality and fairness in education provision, but the longer the meeting went on the more they could see through the spin emanating from platform. They were told that the academy would mean that Sinfin was better resourced than other secondary schools in Derby, but they cheered when a floor speaker said that all schools should receive equal funding. Even more persuasive in moving parents from caution to outright opposition was the clear danger that their own children may not get in to the new academy as it spread its tentacles to grab ‘better value’ children from elsewhere in the city. Evidence from every academy in the country suggests that the most disadvantaged children are sifted out over time in the pursuit of higher league table positions.

The longer the meeting went on the more the floor came to dominate proceedings. It had all begun so well for the supporters of the academy, neatly choreographed and stage-managed. By the end it was clear that the platform was in full scale retreat, finally agreeing to a show of hands to gauge the level of support for the academy proposals. It came as no surprise when not a single person in the hall was willing to raise their hand in favour of the academy, but a cheer went up and sent the crowd home happy when every soul in the room raised their hand in support of Sinfin remaining a community school.

To top it all, last night Derby Council met to decide how to proceed with the proposal. Greeted by a boisterous crowd of Sinfin Community School supporters the councillors went into the meeting fully aware that anything other than rejection would simply lead to a significant escalation of the anti-academy campaign.

The news that the council has indeed rejected the academy proposal represents a clear example here in the East Midlands that it is possible to stop the destruction of community school, to prevent various business interests getting their dirty hands on public sector assets. A total of 883 responses were received by the council and, of these, 793 were against the closure and the reopening as an academy.

None of this would have been possible without the tremendous campaign initiated by the staff at the school and supported by students and parents.

Particular credit must go to the work of the teaching unions and, in this case, the local NASUWT, whose secretary, Dave Wilkinson, played a central role. As well as organising 7 days of strike action by NASUWT members at Sinfin, Dave has ensured that this was an inclusive campaign, involving all those who wish to see an end to New Labour’s academies experiment. So well done to Dave and all at Sinfin.

In our fight against new academy proposals here in Notts, beginning with the proposal to turn the Dukeries Complex into an academy, we have a lot to learn from the Sinfin Campaign. Notts NUT will give full support to staff, parents and students who seek to fight such moves - indeed we are itching for a fight over the whole academies programme.