The uphill struggle begins

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The uphill struggle begins

16 March 2012

The campaign hitting the headlines over the last few months is over; the DfE have stepped in and replaced Downhills Primary School’s governing body with a high-profile interim-executive board (IEB). This follows several years of underperformance and an Ofsted inspection that resulted in the school being placed in special measures.

The IEB includes the chair of the Young People’s Learning Agency, Les Walton, head of the Harris Federation, Dr Dan Moyniham, and Dame Sylvia Morris who are now consulting on whether or not the school should convert to academy status.

The power to replace a governing body has only been used three times since its introduction under s.69 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006. However, with the government determined to raise educational standards quickly and tackle failing schools this may be the first of a number of ‘take-overs’. The message is clear: if you are a governor of a failing school and resist calls to become an academy your days could be numbered.

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