This is a warning for everyone concerned about our schools. Governors at Fir Vale, of whom I am one, have also been encouraged to opt for city academy status.

We were assured that there would be full consultation of the community. But no genuine discussion has been allowed to develop in the case of Parkwood. At the three meetings, only the proponents of the city academy option were given a platform and after haranguing those present for over an hour, brief questions were permitted.

Since then, parents have been told not only that the school's rebuilding is conditional on opting for academy status but that Hallam University's continued involvement with the school also depends on that. The University has denied this.

Neither Edutrust, the private sponsor proposed for both Parkwood and Fir Vale, nor Kier, proposed for Firth Park, have a track record in running schools. Yet, by investing annually less than 1 per cent of the school's budget, they will be able to appoint all but three of the governors.

The drive for city academies is not merely privatisation by the back door. It is the covert reintroduction of secondary modern schools, turning out workers for low-paid jobs.
Paul Kelemen, Scott Road, Sheffield 4