Co-op

[weloveyouwakefield2]

Co-op’s  advert for there academy schools. Surely they could sponsor rugby league in some capacity? 

 

[cookey]

I think the Co op have their own financial problems!

[Pie tries]

They sponsored the championship few year back

[Whippet13]

They also sponsored the Scotland RL team for a couple of years.

Their banking arm ended up around £1.5bn in debt at one point of the financial crisis, due to getting greedy, trying to become a big player in the banking sector and making some poor board of director appointments (Google "Paul Flowers co-op")

If they were to get involved again I suspect it would be at community level, as they have very much tried to go back to their traditional core values since 2014.

[Oxford]

I'd like them to be involved but like the government if they're serious about education and achievement sponsoring Nursery and Early Years education will do far more good!

[Whippet13]

At the risk of going off topic, it could just as easily be argued that its the government which should be providing those things and there should be no need for the co-op to be involved in providing part of the State education system.

[Manxmanc]

26 minutes ago, Oxford said:

I'd like them to be involved but like the government if they're serious about education and achievement sponsoring Nursery and Early Years education will do far more good!

I must admit that when I first heard about Co-op academies, I did wonder about their relationship to the usual co-operative ethics and values. However, having looked at this in more detail, it is evident that Co-operative Academy Trusts operate on co-operative values, and as such they differ from some other versions of academies. Reassuringly, from my point of view, those core values are exemplified in:

• the strategic objective that that all children and and young people are successful regardless of age, gender, ability, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or economic circumstances
• the trust is valued by the Co-op as a vehicle for effective co-operative work to transform lives and communities, in addition to providing development opportunities for its business and those who work for it

In adding that existing trusts are based in Leeds, Manchester, Oldham and Stoke and Trent, I would have thought there is an excellent match between the values and community bases of Co-operative Academic Trusts and RL, and therefore the prerequisites for sponsorship/ collaboration opportunities.

Unless options had already been explored, I would have thought someone at the RFL might hit the dial button.

[Oxford]

13 minutes ago, Manxmanc said:

Unless options had already been explored, I would have thought someone at the RFL might hit the dial button.

I agree about the coop and the RFL

But without an early years agenda, policies and educational understanding, it's all just froth and wee.

[Manxmanc]

25 minutes ago, Oxford said:

I agree about the coop and the RFL

But without an early years agenda, policies and educational understanding, it's all just froth and wee.

The Co-operative Academies exist as a distinct variation of academies, and is recognised by the DfE.  However, if the initial post on this thread is expanded upon, there are in addition over 600 co-operative schools now in place. This group of schools has developed quietly, and their foundation has been referred to as an a antidote the the standard academy system. Interestingly, these co-operative trusts include primary schools, so this may be of more interest to you.

 

[Oxford]

5 minutes ago, Manxmanc said:

these co-operative trusts include primary schools, so this may be of more interest to you

No they're not because far too often Primaries are examples of top down curricula that ignore what is appropriate for birth to seven children. THis is a mark of a government and policies that haven't a clue; the uniqueness of the Early Years will soon be lost because of the closures of Nursery schools.

Ethics are all well and good but when they ignore what's really needed they're as irrelevant as the Tory leadership contest.

[Manxmanc]

16 minutes ago, Oxford said:

No they're not because far too often Primaries are examples of top down curricula that ignore what is appropriate for birth to seven children. THis is a mark of a government and policies that haven't a clue; the uniqueness of the Early Years will soon be lost because of the closures of Nursery schools.

Ethics are all well and good but when they ignore what's really needed they're as irrelevant as the Tory leadership contest.

Under the same umbrella is Co-op Childcare, which would include Little Pioneers nursery and pre-schools. It's all about partnering up with parents and guardians and emphasising core co-operative values, rather than seeking guidance from central government. 

In a nutshell, the foundations are there for a meaningful relationship between RL and the Co-operative movement.

[Oxford]

53 minutes ago, Manxmanc said:

In a nutshell, the foundations are there for a meaningful relationship between RL and the Co-operative movement.

We do agree about the core values and the RL sponsorship.

When you have a business running childcare there'll always be a conflict between what I'm refering to and it's goals and then there's Ofsted which is totally influential, contrary and powerful for a chocolate teapot. The Little Pioneers which is the twee name for the old coop nurseries are improving and some are brilliant. They are the ones that are improving in spite of the core values of those that influence what they do. Mind you when it goes wrong at them their core values disappear like a rat up a drainpipe.