Letter on Harris Academy directors pay

Taken from Croydon Guardian 23rd January

This letter has now appeared in the Croydon Advertiser and Croydon Guardian. By chance the letter has hit the press at a time when Harris (Carpet) Academies look to hoover up Roke school

15.01.12

Dear Editor,

Whilst preparing and researching for hustings for the recent Croydon North by election, I came across an astonishing fact that has hitherto gone largely unnoticed. I can confidently use the term astonishing because astonishment was exactly the reaction various audiences during the campaign displayed.

In November 2011, a national newspaper reported that a director of the Harris Federation earned a salary of £243,000. Harris now has thirteen schools, three of which are in Croydon. Bearing in mind, the Prime Minister earns £142,000, shouldn’t we all be alarmed that public money originating from the Department of Education is being used in this manner?

Those who were maybe puzzled as to the motivation of Harris and other academy sponsors to enter education maybe now have a possible answer.

Regrettably, the direction of travel is for even more academies under the new guise of ‘free schools’ opening in Croydon because Labour, Conservatives and the Lib Dems all champion this racket that is going on in education.

Yours sincerely

Shasha Khan

Croydon Green Party

Janes Eades (Anti Academies Alliance) and moi outside Harris Academy Purley, formerly Haling Manor school. This picture was taken in 19th March 2009, the day we met the headmaster and pupils in a last ditch attempt to save the school from Harris Academisation. Arguably, Roke will end up being a feeder to Harris Academy Purley if Lord Harris' bid to takeover that school is successful.

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Tags croydon, greenparty