Michael Gove - careful reply from a man with plenty to lose

Here is the standardised letter that Mr Gove's team is sending in reply to your letters.  I've seen a few and they do differ slightly but the paragraphs on this one are common to all letters.

In some ways I feel sorry for Mr Gove as anything he does here will almost certainly open him to scrutiny at the highest levels.  If he is seen to commit one way or another, even if he does not, the outcome could open him to attack in the mainstream press or at the dispatch box.

The failure of SurreyCC with respect to the performance of Kings International School cannot be placed at Mr Goves door.  Like it or not however, the parents (from Tomlinscote and Kings) demand for him to comment on this issue means he cannot disclaim all responsibility for whatever happens from now on - this may come back to haunt him.

If there is any drop in the "Outstanding" standards at Tomlinscote school due to the massive hiatus that will result from serious restructuring I can see serious questions being asked as to how the Education Secretary could have let this happen on his watch and in his constituency.  It is going to be a little difficult to plead ignorance of the goings on given the number of people who have written to him.  Measuring if Kings students are better off will be almost impossible as Kings would not exist.

Of course it could go the other way and he could claim the credit for a fantastic initiative - who knows.

The other aspect that has huge potential to do damage to the Conservative party is this:-

Insider 2300hrs 17th March 2011: Are Surrey County Council (SCC) pursuing the incorporation of Kings International School into Tomlinscote for the right reasons (for children and parents), or is it purely to head off a fear from the County of a potential Free School bid from an outside party to take over the running of Kings International? The benefit to SCC to keep it in their control would be massive in that the money paid from Central Government to schools would be distributed via County Hall, keeping jobs there, as well as to secure land ownership and assets when increased pupil demand longer term may make both schools viable as seperate entities?


This is obviously a rumour but it paints an intriguing picture.  David Cameron is talking of a "big society" and "smaller government" and encouraging peoples participation.  Meanwhile a conservative council in a safe conservative seat, that of his education secretary no less, may be pursuing a line that makes a mockery of him.  The education secretary Michael Gove is promoting "academies" and "free schools" while, in this case, his own conservative led council maybe following a line that is undermining his departments flagship policy.  Its not too much of a struggle to believe that Surrey County Council does not like the idea of being smaller and having less control and power.  This is before the fact that the plans are likely to cause traffic mayhem in Frimley having a serious impact on both the local business economy and CO2 emissions, a backward step directly contradicting two other rather serious central government policies.

Its not as if this can be painted as a "cost saving" measure when it is suggested to keep both sites and all of the combined teachers - in fact if anything it will add more cost as a £115k pa Super Head is placed above the existing management structure.  Extra building works are needed etc etc.

The "big society" and "small government" ideals are great but there is a huge feeling amongst parents that our voice will not be heard and that the outcome is a done deal.  Where does this place the "big society" policy if a conservative led council is possibly planning to push past a policy that so many people are opposed to while only "going through the motions" of consultation.  Lets face it their communication so far has been dire, the pupils forming intake for next year have not even been informed - if you don't tell people that 6 week consultation process is going to fly by!

Then there is the "conflict of interest" in that the "merger" is supported by SurreyCC and the local LEA who have representation on the board of governors.  I don't believe they should be allowed to vote given that with their publicly stated preference they can hardly be objectively voting in the interests of the school of which they are a governing body.  Tony Ryles has a foot in both camps too so really he has a massive conflict of interest and cannot be considered impartial either - even worse his retirement means that he will not have to preside over whatever he votes for - hardly a vote of confidence.  Perhaps worse still the HEAD of the governors at Tomlinscote Colonel Steel is also on the restructuring committee at Kings - If the Head of the Governors has a conflict of interest I can see why people feel the consultation process is irrelevant and a done deal.  The wording of Mr Goves letter does nothing to reassure me that he has not known about this for quite some time, which makes him uncomfortably close to the gentle setting up of this direction with a "Soft Federation" and the shared management and voting structure.

Get this wrong at your peril guys!