Warwickshire News Mine

The six week consultation will include meetings for staff, governors, parents and the local community and present an important opportunity to comment on the proposal and shape the plans for the proposed Academy to replace Manor Park School and Alderman Smith School in 2010.

After receiving initial approval from the Department for Children, Schools and Families last month, the next stage of the process is the consultation along with carrying out a detailed feasibility study.

Mark Gore, Warwickshire County Council’s Head of Transforming Education, said: “The timescale for establishing the Academy by September 2010 is very tight, so running alongside the consultation a feasibility study will be carried out to sort out the practicalities of establishing a new school.

“It is important to stress however that final decisions to establish the Academy will only be taken once the outcome of the consultation and the feasibility study have been considered by the Cabinet of the county council and Ministers. Although some practical steps have to be taken, this is by no means a ‘done deal’.”

A letter is being circulated at the start of term to parents and carers of pupils at both schools informing them of the latest developments.

The sponsor of the proposed Academy for Nuneaton, North Warwickshire and Hinckley College, is now recruiting for an Academy Principal to ensure the right person is in post for September 2010, should the Academy become a reality.

Leading an Academy that will benefit from an extensive new build, enjoy a huge investment in facilities and deliver an inspirational and high quality learning experience will require a very experienced, skilled and senior practitioner.
Marion Plant, principal and chief executive of North Warwickshire & Hinckley College, said the decision to recruit a year in advance of a school opening is common practice in order to secure a person of the right calibre.

She explains: “We are fully aware that the future of the proposed Academy has not yet been decided. We have therefore secured agreement from the government that they will cover any recruitment costs involved in this appointment – including any salary payments – should the Academy plans not come to fruition.

“We are taking our role as sponsor of the proposed Academy very seriously and as such it is vital that we do everything we can to give it the best chance of success should it become a reality. This includes making sure we have a strong leader in place to benefit pupils of the new Academy from day one. We simply cannot wait until January 2010 to get the recruitment process underway.

“The position of Academy Principal is obviously a very senior role so we are looking to advertise and appoint this term, enabling the successful applicant to work out what is likely to be a substantial notice period before taking up their post.”

Further information, including the county council’s Expression of Interest document and a list of frequently asked questions, can be accessed at http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/academyeoi

The Academy investment is a central element of the county council’s drive to raise educational standards, improve school buildings and deal with surplus places in Nuneaton.

Academies are publicly funded, all ability, independent schools established by sponsors working in partnership with the Government and local authorities.

The Nuneaton proposal is for an Academy, with North Warwickshire and Hinckley College as the sponsor, to be developed on the existing Alderman Smith site. The flagship Academy is scheduled to open next September and building work is scheduled to be completed by September 2013.

If given the go ahead, the Nuneaton Academy will provide 1,050 places for 11 to 16 year-olds and post-16 provision of 150 places. It has also been earmarked to specialise in engineering and science, although the college remains committed to continuing the good work of the two existing schools in their chosen specialisms of sport and performing arts.

Link to WCC