Parents have been reassured that a change in the status of Bradford's biggest state school will not affect the education of their children.

Hanson School is the first in Bradford to formally drop its grant maintained status and move back under the control of Bradford City Council as a Foundation School.

It was forced to give up its special funding arrangement - which sees it by-pass and effectively opt-out of local authority control - under new legislation.

But Tony Thorne, head teacher of the heavily oversubscribed Sutton Avenue school which caters for 1,500 pupils, says it will still continue to offer the same standard of education.

"Hanson can prosper as it always has," he said.

"From my point of view Hanson has no worries whatsoever. We look forward to working with the local education authority and with other schools in full partnership."

A GM school gets its annual funding - £3.6 million in the case of Hanson last year - to pay for buildings, staffing and maintenance direct from the government through an agency based in York.

However, the scheme drew fierce criticism from some LEAs who said GM schools received unfairly high funding quotas and created a two-tier state system.

When Labour was elected 18 months ago they signalled an end to grant maintained status with schools being asked to become Foundation or Community schools.

Hanson has canvassed the opinion of parents and governors have voted for it to become a foundation school to establish it back in the local authority auspices - a move which the Secretary of State for Educa-tion, David Blunkett, has now endorsed.

Mr Thorne said the school would probably get less money in the long term than it had under grant maintained status.

"I suspect there will not be as much money around as there has been, but that's all I can say since the school budgets have not yet been set.

"In terms of quality of education, it's my job to make sure there's no change."

According to the legislation that abolished GM status, the affected schools will have a year's more extra funding that will cushion the transition.

Bradford's Chair of Education, Councillor Jim Flood, said he would be welcoming schools like Hanson back into the LEA fold.

"The years of opting out were a monumental distraction from the real issues in education, but they are now over and the priority is to concentrate on working together to raise standards.

"Our schools work together as a family with the LEA as shelter and provider."

What the change means

Hanson is one of more than a dozen in the district to get grant maintained status which was introduced by the last government.

They are Hanson, Bingley Grammar School, Thornton Grammar School, Oakbank Grammar School, Laisterdyke Middle, Wibsey Middle, Foxhill First, Hill Top CE First, Hollingwood First, Keelham First, Killinghall First, Myrtle Park First, Oakworth First, Russell Hall First and St John CE First. The essential difference between GM and foundation schools will be the presence of three LEA nominees on the governing body and the school buildings and land will be owned by the governing body or a charitable foundation.

If a GM school decides to become a Community School, more LEA representatives will sit on the governing body and the buildings and land will be transferred to the Council.

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