BRADFORD Council has called for an urgent meeting with a Government officer for academies to try and determine the future of one of the city’s largest schools.

Earlier this month the Wakefield City Academy Trust announced that it would no longer be taking over the running of Hanson School in Swain House.

Last year the trust announced that it would add local-authority-run Hanson, with more than 1,700 pupils, to its group.

It has yet to give a reason for pulling out of the partnership, but said it would work to “ensure an effective transition”.

Now the Council has called for a meeting with Vicky Beer, Regional Schools Commissioner for West Yorkshire, to look at the next steps.

Preparations for academy conversion date back to 2011, and the school was initially to become part of the Schools Partnership Trust. It had reached the point where it was re-branded Hanson Academy on uniforms before the trust pulled out for “unresolved financial and legal issues”.

Councillor Imran Khan, the Council’s executive for Education, said: “We are pushing for a meeting with the Regional Schools Commissioner to ensure the transition to a new sponsor for the school can be made swiftly and smoothly.”

Bradford East MP Imran Hussain said he too planned to meet the commissioner, adding: “My main concern is making sure the children at Hanson aren’t effected negatively by this. I’ll be demanding some answers as to what can be done next.”

A spokesman for the DfE said: “Our priority is to ensure the pupils’ education is not disrupted while we work with the trust and school to find alternative partners.”