Nailsea School to become an academy

GOVERNORS at Nailsea School have voted ‘overwhelmingly’ in favour of the school becoming an academy.

They approved plans to become the eighth academy school in North Somerset at a special meeting on Monday night.

Headteacher David New said he was delighted with the outcome and hoped the school would be granted academy status by the Department of Education (DfE) as early as September.

He said: “The governors voted overwhelmingly in favour. The reason why successful schools, like Nailsea, are converting is that at the moment they are working so well.”

Mr New said parents would see little difference in the day-to-day running initially, with no uniform changes planned. A new uniform was introduced in 2009 following the school’s �32million rebuilding programme. But the school will gain greater control over curriculum and finances which will benefit pupils, according to chair of governors Sally-Ann Hancock.

She said: “Being able to prioritise spending on the needs of the students of Nailsea School, rather than the needs of the local authority, means we can be far more effective in putting the resources where they will have most impact.”

Last week the National Union of Teachers said teachers were against the proposed changes after three-quarters of those it balloted raised concerns.

But Mr New said the figures were misleading as a large number of teachers did not return their ballot papers.

He said the extensive consultation period with parents, staff and governors in previous months meant the right decision had been reached.