A bunch of noobs called Inspiration Trust (who’ve been in the edukashun business since way back in the dim and distant days of 2012) want to ‘sponsor’ my daughter’s secondary school, the Hewett in Norwich. (Translation: snaffle the 54 acre site, valued by the Local Authority in 2009 at £60 million.) Here’s why they shouldn’t.
1. This email from their CEO Rachel de Souza, describing herself as ‘sick’ at a ‘Good’ Ofsted rating for our school.
Read the full story here: http://www.theguardian.com/education/2015/jul/28/academy-trust-sick-hewett-school-norwich-ofsted-inspiration-trust?CMP=share_btn_tw
2. This twitter convo with the Guardian’s education correspondent Warwick Mansell in which they go all coy, suddenly, about their future plans for the school’s 54 acre site.
Funny how it’s ‘all hypothetical’ when challenged on a point of squirmy fact… yet they’re happy to advertise no. 3 (see below) on their website weeks in advance of the consultation even *starting*…
3. The fact this was on their website (see above) before the consultation even began.
Note bullet point 2: Investigations ‘underway’ for a high level sports facility…
4. These minutes from a totally impartial meeting with our IEB (Interim Executive Board: the peeps parachuted in by the lovely government after they kicked out our own school governors – by email! – and refused the IEB put forward by Norfolk County Council. Sounds legit.) Inspiration Trust are so terribly nonchalant and blasé about Hewett’s 54 acre site that they didn’t even think to mention it at the meetings they shouldn’t even have been invited to – oh no, wait, hang on! They did kinda sorta mention it…
You bet your ass there was a ‘discussion’. I’m speculating here but, ‘Get those chavs off my bloody land!’ is the way I imagine it unfolding…
5. The fact that our ‘consultation’ was more of an insulting con.
HaslamDodd ran the consultation meetings with all the impartiality of a foot fetishist contemplating someone’s toes. ‘You’ve said enough already,’ as Sheree Dodd was fond of remarking.
6. Because the ‘independent consultants’ running our consultation said they publicised the meetings as hard as they possibly could, honest guv…
But they actually didn’t (love how the meeting was advertised in the local paper the day before…):
7. The sorry excuse for a questionnaire provided to us by HaslamDodd. It was (a) shit and (b) mostly written by Inspiration Trust themselves. And (c) there was no paper copy sent home with Hewett pupils which, hello, would have been an obvious move if you were genuine about widespread consultation. But who am I? Certainly not a firm of taxpayer funded ‘independent’ consultants.
For ‘The IEB regarded it as very important blah blah’ read: ‘Rachel de Souza regarded it as her god-given and inalienable right to waste taxpayer money on a marketing exercise’.
Naturellement I pointed this out to them on The Twitter.
8. Because even though the consultation found eighty percent were against Inspiration Trust it still isn’t good enough for them…
Read the full story here: http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/education/inspiration_trust_rejects_call_to_back_down_and_step_away_from_hewett_school_1_4157787
Fave quote from one of ’em:
‘Deciding on the proposed changes to the Hewett School is not about a popularity contest or about making symbolic gestures – it is making sure the children of Norwich get the best possible start in life… Changes are needed to restore the Hewett to the full, bustling, and great place it once was, and we believe the Inspiration Trust has an important part to play in that transformation.’
You can read my response to them here.
Eh? Does that mean we can re-run the election cos of the silent majority?
9. The unbelievable truth that the civil servant who gets to decide the school’s future is a personal friend of Rachel de Souza…
Read more about this balls at http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/education/civil_servant_who_will_decide_hewett_school_s_future_gives_initial_view_on_academy_consultation_outcome_1_4169550
Can you Adam and Eve it?
10. And the gobsmacking fact that the Academies Minister, Lord Nash, is a personal friend of Sir Theo Agnew, the chair of Inspiration Trust. (Oh yes, and Theo also chaired the Department for Education’s Academy Board until Gove ejected him recently to cock up the home office instead.) Let the back scratching commence!
Here they are chortling together outside Isaac Newton Sixth Form, housed in the old fire station and gifted to them at a knock-down rent by one of their millionaire mates. Sir Theo of Agnew is on the left of the picture, Lord of Nash beside him. Who’s that lady? Oh, it’s Rachel de Souza of course! Mwa ha ha ha ha.
11. His Majesty Sir Theo of Agnew’s usage of the vile phrase ‘cunning ways’ in reference to the Machiavellian machinations of Dame Rachel. (For sauce, see the Guardian article in no.1.) (Apologies, I meant source. Of course.)
12. The fact that Norwich has been telling them to sod off for months.
Hundreds of us marched in protest. Two thousand of us signed a petition against them. Are they thick-skinned or what?!
13. The fact that Her Royal Dameness Rachel de Souza is a tiny bit chickenshit, let’s be honest.
14. This chock-full-of-platitudes response from Education Secretary Nicky Morgan (in the run-up to the election):
I rewrote it for her cos I’m nice like that.
15. The fact that Inspiration Trust were allowed to write the advertisement for Hewett’s head teacher before the consultation began. (I’m sorry: assist in writing it. Excuse me while I go slap my wrist.)
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- This one’s for Hewett…
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- And this one’s for an Inspiration Trust school… or, no, hang on…
16. The fact that Inspiration Trust SUCK at snark. (Although much respect for the lovely kids in this video and I’m genuinely glad you’re doing so well. Sorry that IT saw fit to use you as emotional blackmail.)
17. The fact they think this is a good use of taxpayer money. Skip ahead to 5.50 if you want the fright of your life.
18. The fact that Inspiration Trust are evicting a brilliant Sure Start centre (my old nursery, peeps) that’s been around (in one form or another) since 1939:
Sign the petition here to help save EEYC: http://www.clivelewis.org/saveeeyc
19. Last but not least… because Hewett kids are fab and do fab stuff like this.
Need I go on?
*As you will have noticed, there was nothing particularly shocking about no 9. ‘Twas nowt but a cunning ploy. What’s good enough for Buzzfeed/Upworthy is good enough for me.
Lynsey White 
Lynsey White – you have done an extraordinary job of collating all this, for which many, many of us will thank you. . . .I do think you’re reflecting the widespread anger we feel over the govt’s antics on all fronts. Interesting ‘coincidence’ that J Corbyn is coming to Norwich on Thursday? Good stuff. . .(you really deserve a holiday; only sorry you can’t afford one – our appreciation must do for now). All good wishes.
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Thank you so, so much! Comments like that are as good as a holiday 🙂
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I would be very grateful if you would update the photograph you have of the people currently related to Sir Isaac Newton, as my father is in the picture, (far right Mark Evans) and he no longer has any affiliation with the school and hasn’t had for a over a year.
Thank you.
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Sorry, Rosa, will crop the photo as soon as I get a sec
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