Neil Morton, Principal of Portora Royal School
THE Department of Education remain hopeful of finally winning approval for their new Education and Skills Authority (ESA), but one local voluntary grammar school principal is not convinced the move would benefit the pupils of Fermanagh.
Speaking to the Herald, Portora Royal School principal, Neil Morton expressed his personal concerns.
There are currently five categories of employing authorities, among them the Boards of Voluntary Grammar Schools such as Portora.
The minister wants one employing authority, the ESA. Through this, he intends to regularise all policies and procedures throughout the system.
The problem, as Neil sees it for the Voluntary Grammar schools, revolves around the loss of autonomy of a sector which – in business terms – is the most cost-effective and efficient.
“There is no plan to establish a sectoral body under ESA to represent the interests of the Voluntary Grammar Schools”, he stated, “and that is a major obstacle to ESA’s full institution.
“The proposed Order states that schools’ governing bodies will be able to submit an employment scheme and implement it once it has been approved by ESA.
“This would mean that Board of Governors would be able to appoint all staff without ESA interference. The only post that ESA would seek a direct role in would be the Headteacher.”
Neil remains unconvinced that the move would see, an ‘improvement in educational outcomes’ for children, as claimed by the Education Minister John O’Dowd.
“My major concern – and this is a personal opinion – is that ESA will merely be the shuffling of the deck chairs.
“I am concerned that the system does not have the administrative and bureaucratic capacity to ensure the sort of change and radical innovation which will deliver world-class education for all our children.”
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