About Parents Against Change

Parents Against Change (PAC) was formed in 2007 by parents, governors and other concerned parties within Suffolk, who believe that the proposed re-organisation of the school system in Suffolk, and the scrapping of the three-tier education system, is not in the best long-term interests of our children. Despite the name (and media recognition means we are stuck with the name) PAC is not a group of reactionaries. We are in favour of anything that benefits our children and their education. But we are not in favour of change for its own sake, for the sake of "making a splash," or being seen to do something, We are not in favour of changes to our education system that are financially or politically motivated, or are based on a misunderstanding of the government's pupil performance data. Our Save Our Schools campaign in opposition to the recommendations of Suffolk County Council's Schools Organisation Review, was based on the following position:

Middle Schools work, and they work in Suffolk, providing a unique environment which supports the educational, emotional and social well-being of our children.  Suffolk County Council’s "evidence" for claiming that a move to a 2-tier system would lead to improved pupil performance was and remains seriously flawed.  There is no difference in GCSE and A-Level results county-wide that points to a problem with three-tier schooling. But there is strong evidence that three-tier schooling works better in parts of Suffolk. Our children's long-term education is being negatively affected by the significant disruption and uncertainty resulting from the County Council's scheme.  The huge sums of public money being spent on pointless re-organisation would reap greater benefits from investment in the old system. The consultation process with parents was and continues to be poorly managed and does not properly represent the opinions of parents and children within the County.

In March 2007, despite overwhelming popular support for our campaign, the Conservative-led County Council in Ipswich voted on party political lines to push through a vote to abolish Middle Schools. Claims that the vote was free were subsequently refuted by Bury Councillor Paul Hopfensberger, who resigned from the Conservative Party in protest against the use of a party whip.known again in local elections.