THE GREAT SCHOOLS ROBBERY FILM
NEWHAM SPRING & THE GREAT SCHOOLS ROBBERY film
We all know how important education is. Education shapes you, it prepares you for the world.
But even as you read this... our educational system is being privatised.... without our knowledge.
PLEASE READ ON.
My name is Chester Yang, I'm a father of 3, filmmaker and a freelance tutor.
I was a School Governor for 10 years in my children's primary school. In 2010 the Government invented the Academies Act 2010 for England and Wales. This Act takes schools away from Local Authority control and places them into private companies' hands. It prevents the Local Authorities from building new schools and there's no accountability for how educational funding is spent in these new academies but most importantly, it excludes the stakeholders; the teachers and the parents from deciding the future of their schools and their children.
As a Parent Governor, I started to question the privatisation of my children's primary school, I was then voted off the board and the school was Academised. This was the beginning of my journey of investigating the system, and the start of this documentary.
I joined hundreds of parents and teachers in fighting this Academisation. It all started with a movement now called the Newham Spring. A movement which inspired 100's of other nationwide campaigns and which had a huge impact on the law around Academisation. Just to be clear Acadimisation is the privatisation of your child's education FOR profit, not your child's profit but to line the C.E.O. of the Academys pocket... Some pay themselves more than the Prime Minister gets paid.
Please help me to finish making this important film about parents and teachers rising up against the stealthy robbery of our schools....
We need to spark up a national debate, consult stakeholders and find a way to reverse the process of Academisation or at least control it.
THE STORY
Newham Spring & The Great School Robbery is a feature-length documentary, observing and investigating how the UK public education system is being transformed. The film is a fascinating and powerful story of the uprising of the parents and the teachers in resisting the takeover of their schools by private charities. And how power is being taken away from the parents and the teachers.
We follow a few key characters as they fight for their communities and their schools : Shaunagh, the parent who turned investigator in order for her voice to be heard and respected. Salema, a parent who with the help of her community managed to change the law for how consultations are implemented. Miriam, a former teacher and now avid campaigner for schools and their communities. Kevin, former Governor but as Chester, he was bullied out because he didn't believe in the acadamisation of their school. Chester, the filmmaker of this film and his journey as he documents this up rising and more.... 
This film charts the history of education and the welfare state and explains how we find ourselves in this situation where public services are being given away to private companies.
Chester, a parent, teacher and filmmaker finds himself at the heart of this battle. He has no choice but to point the camera at his community as the campaign spreads, he discovers that Academisation has hidden agendas.
The film reveals how people in power are abusing their position to manipulate funding for personal gain, it reveals how almost £1billion has already been spent to privatise schools, money which should have been spent on teachers, pupils and the schools.
Once a school is Academised it cannot revert back to public hands.
Today, over 72% of secondary and 42% of Primary schools with their land and assets have been privatised. 
From the beginning of the process of Academisation has been hidden from the public and only now, because of the campaigns, the effects of the Academies Act 2010 is revealing itself and the evidence is coming to life and the actual dangers it has on our future generations is becoming clear.
The Great Schools Robbery film is paramount to the debate on education, the dismantling of the welfare state, the rise of inequality, hate and lack of democracy in forging a progressive way forward for humanity. The film will give an honest and unbiased view on the path the country has taken to reform education and society. 
WHY I NEED THE MONEY:
2 years on, many campaigns won and lost. I have almost finished filming and I am now in post-production. At the moment I need funding to complete the film, (editing 100's of hours of footage takes time.)
I need to pay the animator and to re-construct certain key scenes which I wasn't able to film.
I need to show the film to legal experts to make sure the film is ok to go out due to it's political substance and fraudulent exposures. I need to create a soundtrack for the film and to set up a campaign to inform, inspire and challenge the unfair Academies Act 2010.
OTHER WAYS TO FINANCIALLY SUPPORT THIS FILM:
Send a cheque payable to CY Film Productions Limited, and send to 4 Old Park Lane, London, W1K 1QW
Send money via Paypal to chester@cyfilmproductions.com
ABOUT ME
Making these sorts of films is my life’s work. I document the relationship and the gaps that exists between the people, the government and the private companies. I believe it's important to be informed so we can make the right choices for a better future for all.
Over the past years 16 years I have documented crucial events in the political and social battles between the state and the people, such as the student riots and the anti-war movement.
My films have been broadcasts worldwide on Sky, HD Freeview, Russian TV, RT, Together Films and Internationally.
War Matters 2013
Kettling of the Voices 2015
Sierra Leone's Disgruntled Youth 2018
See Chester Yang's work on http://cyfilmproductions.com/. 
CREW list
Producer, Director and Editor - Chester Yang
Post Producer and Editor - Nikita Woolfe
Sofia Pages - Researcher, Assistant Camera and Editor
Mari Gurruchagha - Production Manager
Sara Augusto - Animator
Eliana Verissimo - Music Composer
