19 - Schools commissioner rejects plans for academy

 

The proposals for Holly Hall have been turned down as the school does not meet the schools commissioner’s appropriate academy criteria.  Other proposals for Crestwood and Pensnett schools to form an academy have received the backing of the commissioner.

 

Dudley Council’s education bosses had supported Holly Hall Computing and Mathematics College’s bid to become an academy and following the decision of the commissioner will support the school in any future bid for Trust status.

 

 

"In December 2007 Holly Hall expressed an interest in becoming an academy, and the council was prepared to include that in our proposals for 'Transforming Secondary Education'. Since then the Schools Commissioner, Sir Bruce Liddington, has ruled that Holly Hall School is not eligible to become an academy. The Schools Commissioner has statutory powers on this matter, conferred by the Education and Inspections Act 2006 so we must now move on to look at alternative proposals.”

 

“The council has had to amend its proposals because of the decision of the commissioner. We have certainly in no way abandoned Holly Hall and we are indeed happy to say that we will support it in an application to become a Trust school now that becoming an academy has been ruled out."

The council is now waiting to hear a decision from the school’s commissioner on alternative plans which could see Castle High become an academy along with the existing plans for Crestwood and Pensnett.

 

The schools commissioner has criteria schools must meet to become an academy. The commissioner is currently favouring to offer academy status to schools with a GCSE A* to C pass rate of under 30 per cent.