Stoke Gifford’s Abbeywood Community School, which was recently put into ‘special measures’ by Ofsted, has unveiled plans to turn into an academy – according to a report in today’s Bristol Evening Post.
The paper says the secondary school could re-open in September as part of the Olympus Academy Trust, which was formed at the beginning of the year to take over the running of the nearby Bradley Stoke Community School (BSCS).
Dave Baker, headteacher at BSCS, has been running both schools since the previous Abbeywood headteacher Ann Duff resigned suddenly last October.
The Secretary of State for Education Michael Gove has powers, under an act he hastened through parliament last year, to force into academy status any school that is said by Ofsted to need ‘special measures‘.
The Evening Post claims that South Gloucestershire Council, the local authority responsible for Abbeywood, is “urging the Department for Education to select the Olympus Academy Trust as sponsor”.
Prior to being put into ‘special measures’, Abbeywood had said it wasn’t interested in joining a proposed academy partnership with BSCS, Patchway Community College and Brimsham Green School.
BSCS later decided to go it alone and convert to an academy in “a federation of one” on 1st January 2012.
Read more: Struggling secondary looks set to become an academy by autumn
The news has now been confirmed in an ‘important message‘ on the school’s website:
“… the governors have voted unanimously to seek the Secretary of State’s support and approval for the conversion of Abbeywood Community School to academy status under the leadership and sponsorship of The Olympus Academy Trust which runs Bradley Stoke Community School.”
“Representatives from the Department for Education visited both schools and South Gloucestershire Council last week and have agreed to support the proposal which will now be submitted for ministerial approval. Once the outcome is known in the next few weeks, there will be a full consultation process and more information will be shared about future plans.”
The school has today announced that it has received ministerial approval to convert to an academy:
“We received confirmation this week that ministerial approval has been given for Abbeywood Community School to become an academy and for it to be sponsored by The Olympus Academy Trust, the organisation responsible for running Bradley Stoke Community School. This will enable partnership work to be developed further for the benefit of students in both schools and the wider community. The earliest date on which the sponsorship will commence is 1st September 2012 so arrangements between both schools will continue as they are for the rest of the academic year.”
Read more: Academy Status Update March 2012