Campaigners fighting against the ‘forced academisation’ of a North London primary school have lost the battle after the Department for Education (DfE) confirmed the takeover will go ahead in September. The group had been trying to overturn the decision since the order was first made following an inadequate Ofsted inspection last year.
Parents and staff of Byron Court Primary School in Wembley fought against the rating – which triggered an automatic academisation order – including by organising strike days and staging protests outside the school gates. ‘Save Byron Court’ supporters managed to secure a meeting with the new Secretary of State for Education, Bridget Phillipson, last month and were hopeful an agreement could be reached for the school to be re-inspected before a final decision was made.
Campaigners described the talks, which were attended by local MP Barry Gardiner, as ‘positive’ but the department has ultimately decided to move ahead with the order, claiming further delays will result in ‘further uncertainty’ so close to the start of the new term. The decision means the school is no longer under the control of the local authority.
READ MORE:What time A Level results come out for 2024 and what to expect on the day
In a letter to the Chair of Governors, DfE Regional Director, Claire Burton, wrote: “Many local stakeholders have voiced their desire for certainty, for the pupils, the parents, the staff and the wider community. This is particularly acute given how close we are now to the start of a new academic year.”
She added: “Pausing the process now will bring further uncertainty without a clear alternative. In all likelihood, it would lead to a longer period of upheaval, which is not in the best interests of the children at the school.”
Following confirmation of the decision, the school will be renamed Harris Primary Academy South Kenton when it reopens after the summer holiday, as its takeover by Harris Federation goes ahead. A letter sent from Harris to new parents said: “We are delighted that Byron Court Primary School will be joining Harris Federation in September, we are very excited to welcome you into our group and to support the school as it continues to raise standards.”
Campaigners have been left ‘devastated’ by the news, claiming the school has been ‘stripped of its identity’ with its rich heritage being ‘bulldozed over’. A statement released by ‘Save Byron Court’ Campaign Group pointed to ‘many factors at play’ which ultimately lead to the academisation order being issued.
It said: “[…] turbulent leadership with an absent headteacher during the inspection; ineffective support and scrutiny from Governors and the local authority; an understaffed senior leadership team – yet despite this, with parent scrutiny, greater leadership capacity, and local authority support, the improvements made at the school in one academic year were incredible.
It added: “The staff at Byron Court really believed in the school and in keeping it a community school, they too are victims of this unjust system, they too were failed by those entrusted with Byron Court – we needed them to fight for us, not to hand our school over to a corporate machine.
“Whilst we did get public support for a pause in this process from the school leadership and chair of governors, with only a week to go before the DfE deadline, it was all too little, too late.”
Don’t miss out on the biggest stories from across the city: Sign up to MyLondon’s The 12 HERE for the 12 biggest stories each day
