EAZs - The End?
The attitude of Lambeth Teacher to the end of
the EAZs is ambivalent. We might be tempted to turn round and say they were a
failure.
In many senses we would be wrong to do so. They didn't
achieve what the governemnt wanted in that it bec ame apparent that private
companies weren't prepared to invest real cash in education - providing in most
instances payment 'in kind'.
They were successful, from our point of view in
establishing useful support to schools. Our own survey results from our reps in
the zones overwhelmingly supported this notion.
One key feature was the recognition in many schools
where the narrowing of the curriculum had removed the Arts from the curriculum,
EAZ restored this.
We also have to note that excellent advisory teachers
were employed by the service and their removal is a loss, even though some will
continue with the Excellence in Cities (EIC) project.
The government were never going to keep EAZs for ever
- they were a market stall for the private sector and since 1997 we have seen
those companies who emerged in the early days of EAZs - Cambridge Associates,
Edison, Eduaction and CfBT in Lambeth emerge as multi-million pound education
companies, some running LEAs such as Hackney and Waltham Forest.
As far as the government is concerned, EAZ's in
themselves were not much use, but they strengthened the government's strategy
of opening up privatisation for education. We must learn from that. |
