THE new look £28 million Culcheth High School looks set to become Warrington’s first academy status school – if agreement can be reached on the repayment of a £600,000 loan.
Council chiefs, who look set to agree to giving the school a 125 year pepper corn lease for just £1 a year, say the “public money” must be repaid – with interest, before they agree to transfer.
Earlier this year the governing body of Culcheth High School voted in favour of seeking academy status under the government’s education reforms and its application was subsequently approved by the Department for Education.
The council is now required to authorise the legal transfer and a 125 year lease of the education property to the new school, which will be looked at by the council’s executive board at its meeting next Monday. (Sept 19).
The school is seeking to officially become an academy on Saturday, October 1.
Chair of Governors Roy Sutton said: “The school governors have passed a resolution to proceed towards Academy Status.
“But they will not make a final decision until any existing financial arrangements are resolved satisfactorily.”
The government says Academies benefit from greater freedoms to innovate and raise standards.
These include: Freedom from local authority control, the ability to set their own pay and conditions for staff, freedoms around the delivery of the curriculum and the ability to change the lengths of terms and school days.
Pinaki Ghoshal, Warrington’s assistant director of children and young people’s services said: “The council has worked in partnership with all schools in Warrington to build and deliver excellent educational opportunities for all of our children and young people. We will ensure that they continue to receive the best possible education.”
Only last March senior councillors from all three main parties and union leaders at Warrington joined forces to oppose any plans for academy schools – which they said would threaten existing educational establishments.
In a joint statement, they said that opening the Academies Programme to all could disadvantage maintained schools and create a two-tier system.
There was no appetite for academy schools at Warrington, they added.
High school set to be first Academy
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Gary Skentelbery
Experienced journalist for more than 40 years. Managing Director of magazine publishing group with three in-house titles and on-line daily newspaper for Warrington. Experienced writer, photographer, PR consultant and media expert having written for local, regional and national newspapers. Specialties: PR, media, social networking, photographer, networking, advertising, sales, media crisis management. Chair of Warrington Healthwatch Director Warrington Chamber of Commerce Patron Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace. Trustee Warrington Disability Partnership. Former Chairman of Warrington Town FC.
3 Comments
It is immoral for the school to become an academy. That new build was paid for with Government and Council money – they wouldn’t be in this position with the crumbling relic that they used to have! No consultation with the community and the majority of parents that did respond were AGAINST! Good on WBC for demanding their money back, that can go to other schools in Warrington.
Give the council back its money Mr Sutton
I agree, totally immoral and the council should be demanding the cash back, before this maverick school are let loose to ruin Warrington’s excellent school network!! Yesterday we saw the intention of the Labour group to attack council staff (many on very low pay, not mega high salaries like top management) by cutting their terms and conditions. Deal with the debt owing to the people of the town, dont attack the staff, maybe to subsidise mad moves such as academies.