Schools chief boycotted Games in silent protest over ‘pupil cage’
ARESPECTED school leader in Birmingham has revealed he boycotted the Commonwealth Games – claiming his pupils were encouraged to ‘wave flags’ when their own daily play facilities was a mere ‘cage’.
Adrian Packer, CEO at the CORE Education Trust, said his silent protest was born of frustration at the lack of outdoor facilities at one of the schools he oversees.
Despite regular promises of action from national and local funding organisations, the facilities remain dire at one of the trust’s four schools.
City Academy, off Bath Row in the city centre, still has only a concrete ‘cage in a car park’ for 700 pupils to run around in.
He said: “It didn’t sit comfortably with me that our pupils were involved in the Games through marketing photos, waving flags and joining in, but this belied their everyday reality – they have nowhere decent to play.”
Speaking at a schools summit looking at race, organised by Birmingham Race Impact Group (BRIG) he told delegates: “When the idea of the Commonwealth Games was first put to us it made sense – the friendly games, coming to Birmingham, a city rooted in neighbourliness, and I was excited by it.
“And it was great. But I boycotted it. My students were involved in the baton relay, created wonderful artworks, and had amazing opportunities to connect with the Commonwealth heritage in a positive way. But something dawned on me and I could not shake it, and it was around flag waving.
“Our students waved a lot of flags, but at the same time this – this concrete playground – was their reality, before, during and after the Commonwealth Games.
“This is the sum total of recreational and sports facilities in our school for 700 children.
“This is a fenced-off area of a car park. This picture shows only one year group. I talk about it every day, and almost every day I am told someone will get back to me.
“It’s not good enough. It doesn’t sit comfortably with me that behind all the marketing photos and flags lies the reality.”
Mr Packer has reached out to Government, regional schools chiefs, private funders and Birmingham City Council, among others, in his quest for help to realise ambitious plans for upgraded sports facilities, so far in vain.
In a letter to Birmingham City Council leader Ian Ward last week, he wrote: “I’m including again a photo of ‘the cage’ which is an important and possibly
inconvenient symbol of the Commonwealth Games legacy, particularly in light of Birmingham’s response to Black Lives Matter.
“In my view, this photo remains a stark reality of the Games legacy and of our systemic attitude towards the future citizens of Birmingham.
“This is the only outdoor recreation/play space for one of three city centre schools in a Birmingham community of over 1,000 children from so-called ‘minority’ ‘hard to reach and disadvantaged’ groups.
“Although I reject all these terms, I have to accept the reality of the systemic prejudices manifest in this photo of the play area.
“I expect you are compelled to do the same, or at least feel able to present a credible alternative narrative to justify such a palpably negative image of Birmingham in 2022.”
A council spokesperson said: “We agree that the outdoor provision at City Academy is wholly inadequate.
“We have raised this issue with the Regional Schools Commissioner (part of the Department for Education) as the body responsible for academies and believe they need to address it as a matter of urgency.”