Three schools in academy switch

A FAILING school is one of three Oldham primaries set to become an academy this year.

Richmond Primary School in Winterbottom Street, will be sponsored by E-ACT, which runs 31 academies including Oldham Academy North.

Coppice Primary School — which was told it requires improvement by inspectors in November — will become an academy sponsored by the charity Focus Trust.

Both would open in September if approved by the secretary of state.

And St Chad’s, Uppermill will become an academy in April. As an “outstanding” school it will not have a sponsor.

Academies are state funded but outside local authority control. They have more freedom to innovate and don’t have to follow the national curriculum.

The Government wants local authorities to turn poorly-performing schools into academies run by sponsors. Top schools can choose to switch.

E-ACT will hold interviews for a head teacher at Richmond in two weeks, with an advertised salary of £66,000-£75,000 and a performance-related bonus.

The school was put in special measurers by Ofsted in July because it was failing to give its 530 pupils an acceptable standard of education. The watchdog returned in November and found the school wasn’t making sufficient progress.

Councillor Hugh McDonald, cabinet member for education, said: “With the governors, the local authority considered which sponsor could offer the greatest opportunity to make rapid improvements.”