Governors at ailing Chorley school may be ousted (From Chorley Citizen)

Governors at ailing Chorley school may be ousted

1:33pm Wednesday 6th February 2013 in News By Lisa Woodhouse, Assistant picture editor

A CHORLEY primary school in special measures has been warned its governing body could be scrapped and replaced by an interim executive board.

The existing board of governors at Highfield Primary School, in Wright Street, would make way for a team of ‘experienced professionals’ who would move it towards ‘forced’ academy status.

Chorley MP Lindsay Hoyle, who has been notified of the proposals, said that if a new governing board was elected it should be made up of local representatives.

He said: “I fully support the governors at Highfield Primary School in their attempt to ensure that we have local representation on any future governing body.

“The governors understand the needs of the local community and if we are to ensure that the school moves forward to provide quality education we have to maintain local representatives.

“The school has been through a difficult period and I will be working with the governors to ensure that future reforms work to the benefit of local children.”

Lancashire County Council leader Geoff Driver, the school’s governing body and Helen Denton, executive director for children and young people were also informed of the proposals by Lord Nash, the parl-iamentary under secretary of state for schools.

In a letter, Lord Nash said: “We firmly believe that the school faces very significant challenges and that change is required in order to secure sustainable improvement. The Secretary of State is now minded to make an academy order, and then to constitute the governing body as an interim executive board.”

Andy Purcell, head at St George’s CE Primary School and chairman of governors at Highfield Primary School, said: “We are in the process of drafting a very robust reply detailing the governing bodies planned action.”

The consultation will close on Wednesday, February 13. The school was placed in special measures in November 2011.