An academies trust is to consult on the closure of Charles Read Academy, with staff and pupils being moved to a Grantham school.
The Corby Glen high school is one of four schools under the umbrella of the West Grantham Academies Trust, along with St Hugh’s, Earl of Dysart Primary School and Spitalgate Primary School.
The 230 pupils at Charles Read, a school with more than 300 years of history, will transfer to St Hugh’s by September 2014.
Academies trust CEO Trudy Brothwell said she believes the move will “increase opportunities for the Charles Read Academy students”. They will be able to enroll on courses such as drama, dance, media, engineering, Spanish and hairdressing currently offered at St Hugh’s.
Mrs Brothwell said: “The education standards are very different in the two schools. Educational standards in St Hugh’s is outstanding. Pupils’ attainment on entry is low but standards achieved when they leave is outstanding.
“A lot of work has taken place at Charles Read to raise it up to the same standards. This has not happened so obviously we want to make sure that youngsters have access to the best possible provision they can.”
As reported online and in the Journal on Friday, Charles Read Academy is among the worst 200 schools in the country in the latest school league tables, with just 38 per cent achieving five A*-C grades at GCSE level. Mrs Brothwell said there is no link between poor attainment and the decision to close the school.
She said the decision to close the school is in part a result of Government funding changes which is allocated per pupil. According to local authority figures, there will be fewer children starting secondary schools in the next few years which will result in less funding for all Grantham area schools.
Mrs Brothwell said there would be no job losses as a result of the school’s closure.
Additional classroom space is already available to cope with the addition of 230 Charles Read pupils, as the two primary schools under the trust have merged. Pupils of Earl of Dysart Primary School are now educated at Spitalgate, allowing school bosses to use the Earl of Dysart site for practical lessons.
* For more on this story, see Friday’s Grantham Journal.
Comments