School asks parents about academy plans

ACADEMY bid . . . Greenacres Primary School

GREENACRES Primary School is consulting parents on a proposal to become an academy.

The Dunkerly Street school wants to join the Huddersfield-based Moor End Multi Academies Trust which runs several pre-schools, primaries and secondaries, including Stoneleigh Academy and Waterhead Academy in Oldham.

Greenacres was rated good (grade 2) in its last Ofsted inspection in January 2014, up from requires improvement (grade 3) in 2012.

The inspectors praised the "outstanding" leadership of former head teacher Lynne Mullen, who then left in August 2014 after allegations of bullying against her by three members of staff were not upheld by a council investigation.

The Ofsted report said she had re-invigorated the school and brought about rapid and significant improvements in teaching and pupils' achievement.

Academies are independent, state-funded schools which receive their funding directly from central government rather than through the local authority.

The head teacher or principal is responsible for their day-to-day running, but they are overseen by academy trusts and may be part of a chain of several schools.

Current head teacher Gordon Leach said: "We believe that the greater freedoms and flexibility available to us as an academy will enable us to secure the long-term future of Greenacres.

"By joining Moor End Academy Trust we will be working in partnership with other schools who share our values and aspirations. The opportunity to work collaboratively, with the support of the trust, will help us to drive school improvement forward and allow Greenacres to flourish."

Consultation runs until June 2017 with a questionnaire at www.meatrust.org.uk or www.greenacres.oldham.sch.uk.

Representatives from Moor End will also answer questions at a drop-in session at the school from 2.30pm to 4pm on May 24.