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Proposed Heartsease Academy
Plans are underway to turn Heartsease High School into a City Academy.
Parents are being called on to join a battle to stop the development.
Instead of turning Heartsease High School into an academy, campaigners want to see all schools, headteachers, parents and pupils in the area working together to improve education.
Plans are in hand to hold a series of public meetings at schools in the area to debate the pros and cons surrounding academies, what it would mean for Norwich and how education can be improved without the academy, which will cost up to £20m.
Norwich North MP Ian Gibson is one of the driving forces behind the campaign and said he had been contacting local headteachers to ask for support for debates, as well as the Anti Academies Alliance, and teaching unions.
He said: “We think the consultation that's supposed to be taking place isn't happening to the extent it should and isn't involving the public enough. Our argument is that by working together we can provide better education for that whole part of the city, including the middle schools, which are soon to become primaries.
“I haven't found anybody yet in education who is keen on Heartsease becoming an academy.
“Heartsease has improved and it is really soaring ahead.”
Campaigners are hoping to hold a meeting at Heartsease towards the end of March and more meetings at surrounding schools in April.
Professor Chris Husbands, dean of education at UEA, told the Evening News: “The danger is that what you do is put shiny new buildings into Heartsease and attract lots of kids who would have gone to one of the other schools, then that would make it a more difficult school to run.”
Prof Husbands, who is on the board of an academy in London, said it was important for city schools to have a strong collaboration to succeed collectively and not in competition with each other.
Norfolk County Councillor Mervyn Scutter, the Liberal Democrat spokesman on children's services, said he was also pleased to hear of the campaign.
He said: “The Liberal Democrat group has said that we would associate ourselves with any such campaign against the Heartsease Academy. I'm pleased to hear that the campaign has a positive side in trying to help the situation at Heartsease by involving other schools rather than what we believe is a misguided approach in setting up an academy.”
Teachers' unions and MPs have criticised Tony Blair over the academies programme, which was set up to transform “failing” comprehensives in poor areas.
In exchange for up to £2m, private sponsors, such as business figures and faith groups gain control of an academy, setting its ethos and appointing governors. In the case of Heartsease the sponsors are the Bishop of Norwich and city businessman Graham Dacre.