Academies consultation to be launched at Staffordshire schools
An interim board brought in to replace governing bodies at two failing Staffordshire primary schools will launch a consultation over turning them into academies, the Department for Education has said.
Some parents at Norton Canes Primary and Heath Hayes Primary Schools have been campaigning against plans to turn the schools into academies.
Both have now been put under an academy order to allow discussions to take place about converting.
It comes after letters were sent to governors at both schools alerting them they will be removed and replaced with an Interim Executive Board (IEB).
A spokesman for the Department for Education today said: "Norton Canes and Heath Hayes are schools with a history of under performance and have been judged by Ofsted to require special measures.
"The secretary of state has therefore decided to appoint an interim executive board at each school to give the schools the leadership and expertise they need to improve.
"There will be consultation led by the IEB on whether the schools should change to academies, where parents, staff and the local community wull be able to make their representations. The Secretary of State will consider the outcomes alongside other evidence before taking a decision."
Around 50 protesters gathered in Cannock town centre on Friday to show their opposition to the proposals.
Staffordshire County Council has been recruited to the IEB and chiefs today said it meant there would be some local knowledge on board.
County councillor Ben Adams, cabinet member for learning and skills, said: "We are broadly supportive of an IEB at Norton Canes and wrote to Lord Nash a few weeks ago to confirm our views on this. We had also agreed that we would continue to work with Heath Hayes given the positive progress that had recently been made.
"We are also pleased that we have been asked to be part of the IEB as this ensures local knowledge is represented on the board."
