Walsall Council axes Serco school contract

Thursday 28th July 2011, 11:29AM BST.

Walsall Council has axed its £345 million contract with the private firm that its runs education services – leaving hundreds of jobs hanging in the balance.

The authority has terminated its deal with Serco, which employs around 400 people.

Services will be transferred from Serco back to the council in the next 24 months. Some staff are also expected to transfer but a full assessment of their futures will take place.

Serco has been working in Walsall for a decade and the decision is said to have been prompted by “major changes to government policy”, such as more and more schools becoming academies.

A council spokesman said: “The decision will not have an immediate impact on any service or member of staff.”

View more: Education news, Schools news, Walsall news, Walsall Council news.

1
Saddled Up

July 28, 2011 at 12:03 pm

A proud day for Mike Bird MP!

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2
Irony

July 28, 2011 at 3:10 pm

This is almost as sad as the community of Bloxwich West losing their community school, uprooting children and making their teachers redundant…..

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3
Protestor

July 28, 2011 at 4:18 pm

I shall shed a tear for them… NOT!
They ignored the local people and shut down Sneyd school. ( Which came out of special measures and improved.) This years results will be very interesting in a few days time. I suspect the hardworking Staff and pupils will have made fantastic improvements.

Now the primary school pupil numbers are rising. Back to overcrowding then at the schools remaining. Can we have our money back please SERCO ?

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4
shouldhavelistened

July 29, 2011 at 9:35 am

Pity Serco wasn’t axed years ago then Sneyd school would still be open,is it only me who thinks it dodgy that one of the newest schools in walsall is handed over so easily.

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