Academies: Win

Parents, children and teachers can breathe a huge sigh of relief tonight.  The government has just dropped plans to force every school to become an acamedy.  It means that decisions over our children’s education can stay with local parents, teachers, and councils – rather than business or Westminster bureaucrats.

It’s a fantastic result for everyone involved.  That includes all the 38 Degrees members who joined in to help stand up for local schools. Together we sent a clear message to the government: our children’s education is too important to risk.

Together we did so much to push the government to back down:

93% of 38 Degrees members voted to campaign to stop the government’s plans.

Over 113,000 of us signed the petition to David Cameron

Over 56,000 of us helped put our MPs on the spot by emailing them to ask them to defend local schools

We spread the truth about the government’s plan by sharing 53,000 posts on Facebook

Thousands of 38 Degrees members got involved in 85 seperate local campaingst to protect schools in their area

Thousands of us came together to say no to something we thought was wrong, and to stand up for great local schools in our towns and villages.  There are so many stories of what 38 Degrees members did.  Here’s just a couple:

38 Degrees member Honey from Sheffield gathered over a thousand signatures in a matter of days for her petition to save King Edward VII school

Jane, from Northamptonshire, made headlines in her campaign to protect Moutlon Primary School from being turned in to an academy

When we all speak out together we make real change happen.  There’s still a lot to be done: on the NHS, on tax-dodging, on TTIP, on local issues across England.  But today, let’s celebrate – for now at least, we don’t have to worry about all our schools being turned in to academies.