A Milton Keynes Council cabinet member has called for Stantonbury International School to be taken into council control.
The cabinet member responsible for Children and Families has made the call after the school was placed into special measures.
Cllr Zoe Nolan has said that the recent 'Inadequate' Ofsted inspection result at Stantonbury shows that the school becoming an academy has not done anything to improve standards.
Cllr Zoe Nolan, Cabinet Member for Children and Families said: “For Stantonbury International to become an academy was wrong, and the Conservative zeal to make schools become academies is a failure. There is no meaningful accountability, no local ability to change things and a remote chain who are detached from our community. The school should be returned to Milton Keynes Council, as should all failing schools.”
“The majority of Milton Keynes Council schools are good or outstanding. We work with headteachers and governing bodies and share experience and successful leadership. There is very clear evidence that academisation does not improve schools. Good leadership improves schools and as a local authority we have the support networks to do that. Remote chains that have no links to our area have repeatedly shown they do not improve our schools.”
“The Conservative government have an ideological problem with councils running schools even when the evidence shows we do a better job than academy chains. They force inadequate schools to become academies but if academisation doesn’t work there’s no way back. Why should the local authority not take over control? We are ready to take Stantonbury International back and do what we do best, help the school become good or outstanding, and fulfil our ambition to give every local child a place in a good school.”
In a statement, Stantonbury International School said that children are safe when attending the campus.
A spokesperson said: “Stantonbury had a full safeguarding review by an independent assessor and put into place an updated set of procedures backed by a new responsibility structure within four weeks of the inspectors’ visit."
“The Trust has made significant changes to the leadership of the school. At the time of the inspection the joint heads, supported by the executive head, had already introduced the required strategies to ensure pupils feel safe in school.”
They say the school’s leadership team is able to deal with the issues outlined by Ofsted. “All points have been addressed and effective strategies implemented.”
And when asked how soon the school might be able to come out of special measures they say “at the next inspection which should be within a year dependent on covid.”
