by Janet Lallysmith, parent

Parents, teachers and governors at Downhills Primary School, Tottenham have launched a campaign to prevent the Department for Education (DfE) forcing the school to become a sponsored academy by September 2012. Although no Haringey primary schools were identified in Michael Gove’s original list of 200 ‘underperforming’ schools, this hasn’t stopped the DFE targeting schools in the most deprived parts of Haringey.

Downhills’ governors, teachers and parents found out about DFE plans through a leak in the local press a few weeks ago. We mobilised rapidly and organised meetings for interested parties – the first one was attended by over 120 people and addressed by Alasdair Smith from the Anti-Academies Alliance. It quickly became apparent that most people had no idea of the Secretary of State’s agenda for privatisation in our schools or the implications for their children.  Most people signed up to be involved in the campaign.

Andrew Lansley MP accused of being 'a liar' as demonstrators demand an end to hospital cuts and a halt to the controversial Lansley 'NHS privatisation' Bill currently going through Parliament

On Monday 11th October a dozen members of the Save Chase Farm Hospital campaign and the Defend Haringey's Health Services coalition ambushed Government Minister for the NHS, Andrew Lansley MP, at the North Middx Hospital on the Enfield/Haringey border. As Mr Lansley got out of his chauffeur-driven car and strode past them they proudly wielded placards saying 'OUR HOSPITALS - SAY NO TO CUTS', and handed out over 300 'Defend the NHS' leaflets to staff and patients. The highly popular leaflets condemned cuts at Chase Farm and called for the scrapping of the 'Lansley Bill' promoting privatisation of the NHS.

A number of staff spontaneously joined the protest, saying that they supported opposition to cuts and privatisation and complaining that staff had not been informed about the Minister's secret visit. The protests were highly embarrassing to the Government and featured on BBC news bulletins with Mr Lansley being accused of breaking promises made before the general election to halt the previous Government's threatened closures.