cooperation

from LEA

School shake-up: head calls for help

The headteacher of a grant maintained upper school is calling for greater co-operation from Bradford council so that it can finalise its proposals. Headteacher of Oakbank upper school, John Roberts, says the school has received little of the information it needs from the local education authority for its proposals.

Mr Roberts says: "The chairman of the governors and myself have both written to the LEA to try and arrange a meeting with them to discuss some areas, and in particular the clarification of pupil numbers because they have obviously made some mistakes. We want to work with Bradford on this and we want their support and endorsement. We don't want to fight them on this, but they are making it very difficult for us.

Oakbank is proposing to take over the site of nearby Bronte Middle School, and it is yet to receive the precise information it needs to compile an accurate report. The grant-maintained school must by law make its own proposals during the local education authority school review.

And governors must let the DfEE know what the school plans to do by July 6, before submitting plans by the the start of September. Oakbank's board of governors voted at a special meeting this week, in favour of taking over the Bronte Middle School site. Oakbank governors want the Bronte site surveyed and an estimate of how much it would cost to bring the property up to scratch.

Due to Oakbank's status as a grant maintained school, they need to reach an agreement with the LEA about the ownership of the site.

It is also predicted that extra funding will be required to cover the cost of running a split-site school.

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