Herefordshire academy schools 'could cost council £95m' (From Ledbury Reporter)

Herefordshire academy schools 'could cost council £95m'

11:00am Sunday 14th October 2012 in News By Bill Tanner

THE conversion of schools to academies and foundation status could cost Herefordshire Council as much as £95 million by the end of the current financial year.

Academies are publically funded local schools that are independent of the council but responsible to, and funded directly by, central government.

They are free from national restrictions such as teachers’ pay and conditions agreements.

As of June this year, the county had 18 academies with 6,493 pupils or 32 per cent of the county’s total pupil number.

This month that percentage is expected to jump to 40 with a further five new academies, including Whitecross High School – built as a private finance initiative project.

Foundation Schools in Herefordshire:

• St Peter’s Primary, Bromyard,
• Queen Elizabeth Humanities College,
• Brockhampton Primary,
• Bredenbury Primary.

Herefordshire's academies are:

• Ashperton Primary, Lord Scudamore Foundation School,
• Kings Caple Primary, Sutton Primary,
• John Masefield High School in Ledbury,
• Kingstone High School,
• Kingstone and Thruxton Primary,
• Brockhampton Primary,
• Lady Hawkins’ School in Kington,
• Holmer CE Primary,
• Queen Elizabeth Humanities College,
• Lugwardine Primary,
• St Paul’s CE Primary in Hereford,
• Stretton Sugwas CE Primary.

Schools identified as possible future academies by the end of the current financial year are:

• Burghill Community Primary,
• Canon Pyon CE Primary,
• Kington Primary,
• Ledbury Primary,
• Llangrove CE Primary,
• Mordiford CE Primary (already a foundation school),
• Hereford’s Whitecross High School.