Brown wants every school linked to a business.

otware Mon Jun 25, 2007 at 08:22:18 AM GMT Print-friendly version Facebook

What planet is Gordon on?



Can somebody please explain to me why our public services must be influenced by the private sector. Education is not a business and I think it is totally diabolical to treat it like one.


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Brown wants every school linked to a business. | 20 comments (20 topical)

Re: Brown wants every school linked to a business. (#1)

by SocialistAC on Mon Jun 25, 2007 at 09:29:54 AM GMT

Don't worry, a "free marketeer" will be along soon to lecture us about how evil state schooling is, and how we'd all be better off with a system of school vouchers to subsidise private education.


Re: Brown wants every school linked to a business. (#2)

by swatantra on Mon Jun 25, 2007 at 10:26:00 AM GMT

Zog. Why are we relying on business to put up a fraction of the cost for these so-called Academies, when most of the money will come from Central Govt?


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Re: Brown wants every school linked to a business. (#3)

by grimupnorth on Mon Jun 25, 2007 at 11:52:16 AM GMT

He is a bit like Gradgrind in Hard Times.Bloody awful idea.


Re: Brown wants every school linked to a business. (#4)

by Glass House on Mon Jun 25, 2007 at 01:55:22 PM GMT

If schools can benefit from business involvement, then why not? As long as it raises standards, fair enough.


Re: Brown wants every school linked to a business. (#5)

by Glass House on Mon Jun 25, 2007 at 01:56:19 PM GMT

Also how is asking business to get involved "treating education like a business"? That's a pretty big jump.


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Re: Brown wants every school linked to a business. (#6)

by NorthernMonkey on Mon Jun 25, 2007 at 03:34:22 PM GMT

I was never really a fan of the whole 'academies' idea but now they've started them, they may as well go the whole way and apply it to every school.

If they give excellent facilities to our children and produce better results, then we should be pragmatic and support them.


Re: Brown wants every school linked to a business. (#19)

by grimupnorth on Tue Jun 26, 2007 at 11:54:11 AM GMT

Are you related  to the mysteriously absent JR?


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Re: Brown wants every school linked to a business. (#20)

by jkitleft on Tue Jun 26, 2007 at 07:03:34 PM GMT

where has JR gone, and for that matter Mikael? Ah well, less arguments that way.


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Re: Brown wants every school linked to a business. (#7)

by bornin84 on Mon Jun 25, 2007 at 03:59:01 PM GMT

Can't see what's wrong with getting businesses involved in schools. They can provide expertise to staff and skills to students and can build important links for future employment. I think it would be really great if every school made links with local businesses.


Re: Brown wants every school linked to a business. (#8)

by Glass House on Mon Jun 25, 2007 at 04:51:32 PM GMT

I certainly like the idea of local business linking in with schools. It could inform that type of skills needed in local jobs.


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Re: Brown wants every school linked to a business. (#9)

by otware on Mon Jun 25, 2007 at 05:29:33 PM GMT

There's no reason that schools can't co-operate with local businesses. For instance, my primary school's football team was sponsored by a local cafe and at least 1 event was subsidised by the local branch of Barclays Bank. But there is a big difference between that and giving private companies the power to influence the running of the school.


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Re: Brown wants every school linked to a business. (#10)

by Glass House on Mon Jun 25, 2007 at 05:48:41 PM GMT

Depends what powers they will have. I'm concerned that people here seem to be against the idea in principle.


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Re: Brown wants every school linked to a business. (#11)

by doctordunc on Mon Jun 25, 2007 at 06:07:29 PM GMT

I am against the idea on principle.


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Re: Brown wants every school linked to a business. (#12)

by SocialistAC on Mon Jun 25, 2007 at 06:09:47 PM GMT

I think it will lead to the end of universal state schooling.  We'll all end up having "school vouchers" for our kids, which will need "top-up payments" to get the kids actually taught.


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Re: Brown wants every school linked to a business. (#13)

by bornin84 on Mon Jun 25, 2007 at 07:10:23 PM GMT

Why do you think that? Nobody has said that.


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Re: Brown wants every school linked to a business. (#16)

by SocialistAC on Mon Jun 25, 2007 at 08:30:29 PM GMT

That's where things are headed in Western capitalist societies, I'm sure of it. Look at all the evidence.


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Re: Brown wants every school linked to a business. (#17)

by bornin84 on Mon Jun 25, 2007 at 09:58:04 PM GMT

Where's the evidence?


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Re: Brown wants every school linked to a business. (#14)

by bornin84 on Mon Jun 25, 2007 at 07:12:12 PM GMT

Are you also against people working for businesses in principle? Or against businesses in principle?


Surely it is important that local businesses and the local divisions of national businesses have a stakehold in their local communities and their future workforces.


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Re: Brown wants every school linked to a business. (#15)

by doctordunc on Mon Jun 25, 2007 at 07:34:10 PM GMT

The first two questions require far more complex answers than can readily be entered into here without completely changing the focus of the thread!

But the last point is a bit like the preference for secular schools for me.  I don't want to inculcate into the next generation the religion of capitalism; after compulsory education I'm happy to see as many business-run colleges, etc. as you like (so long as they are part of a plurality of provision along with community colleges, trade union colleges, etc.) but I don't agree with having school/business partnerships.  If those who run businesses wish to make philanthropic gestures, then good for them, but I see no reason for such gestures to be on a commercial footing, nor for them to be a policy.


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Re: Brown wants every school linked to a business. (#18)

by MM on Tue Jun 26, 2007 at 02:27:29 AM GMT

I was rather bemused that a London borough turned down the offer of £2m towards a city academy from the investment bank Goldman Sachs.  Surely we want to encourage those in the City to give something back to the community?  I saw some of Brown's Mansion House speech and it's pretty clear that he's set to continue many of the Blair reform's in education.


Brown wants every school linked to a business. | 20 comments (20 topical)