ENFIELD DISPATCH No. 6 THE BOROUGH’S FREE COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER MAR 2019 FEATURES An Enfield-based charity is supplying surplus food to groups across London P . 5 NEWS Environmental groups team up to slam council's home- building plans P . 7 COMMENT Campaigner calls for public apology over treatment of mothers P . 9 ARTS & CULTURE Enfield Community Singers invites people to a series of spring concerts P . 13 A M Galliard Primary School E teachers walked out on E Become a Teachers strike M M strike over several days member of Enfield in February and vowed Dispatch and get to continue their O the paper delivered to B your door each month protest in March E C – find out more over academy plans R E on Page 16 Council backs striking teachers opposed to multi-academy trust in Edmonton B BY JAMES CRACKNELL has taught at the school for 13 years, In response teachers and parents an academy we can resign. told the Dispatch: “The school's leaders have formed the 'Edmonton Against “I am not happy to be taking part upport is growing for a group are avoiding us, they've not come to Academies' campaign, winning in strike action but there are many enfielddispatch.co.uk of striking teachers opposed speak to the staff. I have asked them support from Enfield Council and stakeholders who want this school to plans to convert their to suspend the process because there hosting a rally attended by more to stay as part of the local authority school into an academy. has been a breach of trust. We are than 100 people at Green Towers and it leaves us with no other choice @EnfieldDispatch S Twenty-eight members of staff at thinking about getting an injunction. Community Centre. – we have not done this lightly and Galliard Primary, including 14 teach- “Academies lack accountability Speakers at last month's public I appreciate it is very difficult for /EnfieldDispatch ers, walked out on strike in February and they have CEOs with large meeting included Kiri Tunks, joint parents to deal with this.” to oppose the move, claiming they've wages that could be spent on books president of the National Education Another Galliard teacher who not been properly consulted and and computers.” Union (NEU), and Nesil Caliskan, addressed the rally broke down in [email protected] that as an academy the school would In total five primary schools in the council leader. Galliard teacher tears as she said: “We've not been “lack accountability”. Several more Edmonton – Galliard, Bretten- Anne-Marie Hickling, who has been consulted – it's pre-determined.” strike days are scheduled in March ham, Fleecefield, Raynham and co-ordinating the strikes, told the Academies were introduced in before the academy conversion is Wilbury – are planning to join meeting: “It looks like an academy 2000 under Labour and have been due to take place in April. together as a multi-academy trust empire. We have been told as teach- Andy Griffiths, a Year 4 teacher who called 'Children First'. ers that if we don't want to work in CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 2 NEWS No.6 MARCH 2019 ENFIELD DISPATCH CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 schools will become academies, we poverty in this area. Now more than feel we need to take action now to be ever, that relationship between Climate significantly expanded under the in control of the future of our school. schools and the local authority is coalition and Conservative govern- “In forming our own multi-academy really, really important.” declaration ED. ments since 2010. They are funded trust with other local schools we can While most secondary schools BY CHRISTINE ANCKER directly by government and run by ensure the focus remains on improv- are now run as academies, pri- education trusts, rather than local ing standards and providing great maries remain predominantly nfield Council could be about to o councils, and do not have to follow opportunities for Edmonton chil- under local authority control. declare a 'climate emergency'. N .6 the National Curriculum. dren. This opportunity may not So far in Enfield, 16 out of 73 EA motion has been submitted by In a letter addressed to pupils' always be available to us and there- primary schools have converted Vicki Pite, a Labour councillor for Chase MARCH 2019 families Galliard headteacher fore we wish to take advantage of to academies. ward, and is set to be discussed at an Christine Dodd explained that dis- this now.” Cllr Caliskan added: “Any change upcoming council meeting. It follows Enfield Dispatch is the borough's cussions to convert to an academy Cllr Caliskan told last month's cam- to any school should only ever be a strike against climate change held by free community newspaper. began nearly two years ago, when paign rally the council was opposed driven by the desire to improve schoolchildren in February. We publish monthly and meetings with parents were held, to the move. She said: “Nobody outcomes for children, not because Cllr Pite, who has had a lifelong inter- distribute 10,000 free copies and that the Department for decides to strike on a whim. There you are trying to find funding.” est in environmental education, says of each issue to cafés, pubs, community centres, libraries, GP Education had approved their is a chronic underfunding of edu- Kiri Tunks, NEU president, said: the motion represents a commitment surgeries, schools, hair salons, application in December. cation. That relationship between “Academies are not the answer. to future generations. She told the and outside railway stations. Christine said: “We believe that not the local authority and local schools They will not solve the problems Dispatch: “Climate change is a reality. only is this the right time to convert, exists for a reason – we have a duty and in fact they make it worse.” The young people on strike have Publisher David Floyd it is necessary in order to safeguard to support children and see an Christine Dodd was approached reminded us that climate change needs the identity and ethos of the school. improvement in outcomes. for further comment but did not to be on top of the agenda.” Editor Due to the political agenda that all “One in three children are living in respond before we went to press. Twenty local authorities across the UK James Cracknell have already declared climate emergen- Designer cies, as well as the Mayor of London, Jonathan Duncan who has been urged by the London Project Manager Assembly to bring carbon reduction MP rules out by-election targets forward to 2030. Bristol and Anna Merryfield Manchester have set goals to be carbon Contributors Christine Ancker, Sam Kagwi, Peter Enfield North's Joan Ryan quits Labour Party neutral by 2030 and 2038 respectively – Hunt, Dan Brotzel, Simon Allin, Andrew both more ambitious than the national Warshaw, Sharlene Gandhi, Chris Dey, Jean Robertson-Molloy, Claire Fisher, Joan Ryan won her seat Asked whether she would call target of an 80% carbon cut by 2050. Jo Johnson, Regan O'Mahony, Martyn back in 2015 after first a by-election, Joan said: “I don't Cllr Pite wants her climate emergen- Stogden, Simon Gilbert being elected to represent think people want a by-election. cy motion to build on existing council Enfield North in 1997 I wouldn't do it even if there was policies. She said: “If Mayor Khan brings Members Credit parliament.uk Derek Grant, Michael Dickinson, pressure to do so, because it is not forward his climate action plan then Michael Cole, Brendan O'Brien, Young Notes, Ed Balleny, Natasha Boydell, the right time.” it would have an impact on Enfield as Elizabeth Crosthwait, Richard Stones, Joan, who chaired Labour Friends well. We have made good progress in Philip Ridley, Suzanne Beard, Chris Kaufman, Martyn Stogden, Susan Cook, of Israel, wrote extensively in her reducing our carbon footprint.” Rupert Price, Meryn Cutler, Andrew resignation letter about her con- The council aims to reduce carbon Irvine, Seton During, Basil Clarke, John Naughton, Right at Home Enfield, cerns over anti-Semitism, saying the emissions by 60% by 2025, with plans MumSing Choir, Penelope Williams, party was “infected with the scourge to introduce rapid-charging points for Lloyd Tew-Cragg, Stephen Hoye, Andrew Warshaw, Anna Crowley of anti-Jewish racism”. She says she electric vehicles (EV) and install ground- considered resigning for a long time source heat pumps in council buildings. – but seeing a Jewish MP quit over But climate change has also become CONTACT BY JAMES CRACKNELL to 10,247 in 2017, under Corbyn. bullying from within the party a potential factor in the council’s Call 020 8521 7956 “I did not win my seat on his coat- finally made up her mind. Joan told investment decisions. Campaign Email EnfieldDispatch@ ewly independent Enfield tails, I won it despite him,” Joan told the Dispatch: “I have tried for three group Divest Enfield has put the bor- socialspider.com North MP Joan Ryan has the Dispatch. “During the general elec- years to fight this and to get Jeremy ough's pension fund under scrutiny, Post Salisbury House, Bury refused to call a by-elec- tion I spent a large amount of time to recognise this problem. with millions of pounds of the fund Street West, Enfield N9 9LA N tion – even if most voters want one. on the doorstep and voters told me “I was watching these seven invested in fossil fuel companies. Four Speaking to the Dispatch follow- they were very worried about Jeremy [former Labour] MPs on TV. Listen- other London boroughs have pledged ADVERTISING ing her decision to quit the Labour Corbyn becoming prime minister.