PARENTS at a school which is fighting its way out of special measures have been urged to back a new leadership model or risk ‘privitisation by the back door.’ The governors at Warndon Primary School, Worcester, revealed more details about proposals to enter into a federation arrangement with Abbeywood First School, Redditch, during a public meeting.
The move is aimed at heading off pressure from the Government to become an academy – a move branded by one governor as little more than privitisation by the back door.
Under the plan, the two schools would share Di Smith as their executive headteacher from September.
Warndon Primary has been without a head since Simon Tranter resigned.
The school, which was placed in special measures in 2011, has officially improved since Abbeywood’s headteacher Mrs Smith was seconded to Warndon Primary.
There has been a big decrease in pupil absence.
Worcestershire County Council’s preferred option is for the school to become an academy and Michael Gove, the Education Secretary, wants all failing primary schools to be forced into becoming academies.
But governors at Warndon Primary say there is no evidence to show the benefits.
Mark Clare, parent governor, said the school would be run more like a business if it became an academy and would take until 2013 to set up.
Jill Georgiou, chairman of the governors, said federation would bring strong leadership to the school while keeping the Warndon governors who could help pupil development.
Parents raised concerns about the distance between the two schools, whether Warndon Primary School’s funding would decrease and how a headteacher could split her time between the two sites Staff were candid about the period of uncertainty over the school and asked for clarity – as did the parents – on how the federation would work.
Many parents just want a new headteacher, but Mrs Smith said the education agenda was changing at an alarming rate, while the governors said the only two realistic options left were an academy or a federation.
Governors said the school would still have local governors, pupil funding was not in danger, and Mrs Smith would be based at Warndon to start with as it was the school needing the most improvement.
The consultation runs until July 24 with parents having the option to back federation or academy.
However, the governors were clear there was little time left if parents wanted federation in place for September, with Mrs Georgiou saying the secretary of state for education could just make an order for academy status on the school.
“Everyone has concerns, but I believe working together the two schools can both improve,” she said.
County councillor Alan Amos told the meeting that he would back whatever parents and staff decide to do.
If parents support federation, both schools’ governors will thrash out the final details together.
Warndon Primary must become either a federation school or an academy
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