A STRUGGLING Bradford secondary school could need up to £3 million over the next seven academic years to secure an immediate improvement in standards and its future financial viability, a new report reveals.

Belle Vue Boys' School in Heaton was was put into special measures in July after Government inspectors deemed there were few signs of improvement at the school.

Bradford Council has been working on a proposal which would see a "bridging fund" from the authority's dedicated schools grant allocated to support the conversion of the school to an academy under the sponsorship of Beckfoot Academy Trust.

In documents to be discussed tomorrow at the Bradford Schools Forum, the Council's senior school finance officer Andrew Redding, states: "Since the Schools Forum in September, the authority has worked with Belle Vue Boys and with Beckfoot Academy Trust in assessing the level of risk to the improvement in standards that Belle Vue Boys' financial position presents.

"The key purpose of the bridging fund is to allocate an appropriate level of financial support to that Belle Vue Boys' budget is not a barrier to securing both the conversion of the school to academy status under the sponsorship of Beckfoot Academy Trust and the improvement in standards at the school that the conversion will support."

The amount of the bridging fund will depend on pupil numbers, and a financial support model has been drawn up to calculate an annual amount based on numbers of pupils in October each year.

This is expected to be between £2,010,263 and £3,044,697 depending on the upper and lower estimates of how swiftly the school's intake will increase.

Members of the Schools Forum, which is made up of Council representatives, governors and head teachers, will be asked to accept the proposed financial model and fund these transitional costs from the dedicated schools grant.

Councillor Ralph Berry, the Council's portfolio holder for children and young people's services, said: "This will secure the transition of Belle Vue Boys. It means that the new school can be opened with a degree of financial security.

"Without this funding, the conversion cannot not take place. This is good news and it takes the project to the next level where Beckfoot sponsors the new co-ed school."

An earlier report revealed that the school’s financial position is “significantly weakened” by its low pupil numbers. Out of a possible 600 Year Seven to 11 pupils, the school only has 435 on roll.

The Council replaced the school’s governors following poor performance in 2011, installing an interim executive board in its place.

The meeting takes place from 8am tomorrow at Bradford City Hall.

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