On the 4th April 2009, The West Midlands Industrial Workers of the World raised awareness of the threat of academy schools as a part of an International day for Education. The day was called by the CNT-F in response to the ever increasing encroachment of the private sector into education.
The IWW is a supporter of the Anti-Academies Alliance, a campaigning group made up of parents, teachers, school governors and trade unionists. It aims to stop the academy system, which grants control of schools to businesses, religious organisations and universities in return for a small amount of money.
West Midlands IWW members planted placards around the seven proposed academy schools in Birmingham, including Harborne, Kings Norton and Weoley Castle. We hope to build on the successes of the local anti-academies campaign by further involving the local community. With two more academy schools recently announced by Birmingham council it is crucial that the whole school community fights back to prevent this system taking a firm a stanglehold on our schools.