Council joins fight to stop Snaresbrook Primary School becoming academy
Parents and students protesting at the school about Meadow Primary School possibly becoming an academy - Credit: Archant
Councillors of all parties united to throw their weight behind parents trying to stop Snaresbrook Primary School being forced to become an academy.
More than 100 parents and children protested against the move in wind and rain on Tuesday and many attended yesterday’s full council meeting at Redbridge Town Hall, High Road, Ilford.
The council voted unanimously to write a letter to education secretary Michael Gove to oppose the school turning into an academy after the action was proposed by Cllr Richard Hoskins.
He said: “We do not believe that this would be in the best educational interest of present and future pupils.
“It is a message we must send out to the secretary of state, the Department for Education, to the school, its staff, its governors, parents, carers and pupils alike.”
Many councillors spoke in support of the motion, including leader Cllr Keith Prince who said he would “fight” to kept the school in council control and support parents and teachers.
The school, in Meadow Walk, was placed in special measures in June following an Ofsted report but parents say the school has rapidly improved since “super head” Carel Buxton was put in charge.
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Cllr Elaine Norman said several schools with good records had seen Ofsted scores plummet since the introduction of academies.
She added: “Judging schools to be inadequate allowed the government to turn them into academies against the express wishes of parents, teachers, pupils and the community.”
A spokesman for the Department of Education said no decision had been made on the school but academies ensured rapid improvement.
