Although Falmer Academy will not open to students until September, it seems to have already made a number of inexcusable blunders.

It seems that the new structure for senior management will create a top rung of staff at vastly increased cost at the cost of those at the base of the pay scale, including support staff, who risk losing their jobs or being down-graded.

And this week I've learnt that our strapped-for-cash council will have to pay £500,000 for caretaker accommodation, after the Academy demolished the existing accommodation.

I have written before about the problems of Academies ( http://www.carolinelucas.com/cl/blog/academies-are-a-sell-out.html ), and these recent revelations reinforce my point.

Academies seem to excel in axing staff, cutting wages and making workplaces more stressful, and sadly Falmer seems to be heading down this path. I hope that Mary Mears and the Conservatives will take these recent developments into consideration before selling another local school down the river.