A ROW has erupted over a fresh attempt to turn a debt-ridden Bradford school into an academy, with fears it could face “further disruption” after years of upheaval. 

Bradford East MP Imran Hussain said the “troubling situation” at Hanson School must be resolved, while Councillor Imran Khan, Bradford Council’s portfolio holder for education, said the best solution is to keep the beleaguered school in the hands of the local authority. 

The MP highlighted that “many children have now gone through their secondary education at Hanson without any stability in the leadership of the school”.

The Department for Education made an order to convert Hanson into an academy in 2011 after a critical Ofsted report.

Since then a number of academy chains have stepped in to take on the school, but each arrangement has fallen through and Hanson remains a local authority school.

Although there has been improvement in the school’s performance, its deficit of around £5 million remains a major issue.

And, under current rules, if a local authority school has a deficit and goes on to becomes an academy, the deficit remains with the Council, rather than the academy chain.

Ministers have now been accused of keeping parents “in the dark” about the school’s future amid signs that Wakefield-based Delta Academies Trust is poised to take it on. 

In a letter to Education Secretary Gavin Williamson, Mr Hussain said “neither I, nor the school’s management, nor the local authority were informed that a trust had been identified”.

He added: “Furthermore, instead of an official communication from the Regional Schools Commissioner or the Department for Education, we became aware that a sponsor had been identified through an appearance by the Regional Schools Commissioner at the House of Commons Education Select Committee on Tuesday, April 13.”

Mr Hussain said this was followed by a meeting of the Lancashire and West Yorkshire

Headteacher Board on July 15, at which the consideration of converting Hanson School to an academy and transferring the school to Delta Academies Trust was listed as a draft agenda item.

The MP claims this again took place without the prior knowledge of him, the school’s management, or Bradford Council. 

He said he was “deeply dissatisfied” and “alarmed” at the lack of communication, but also raised concerns about the appointment of Delta Academies Trust, questioning its track record in other schools. The MP also said Delta operates as a “rebrand” of Schools Partnership Trust Academies, the first academy sponsor identified for the school which later pulled out over “unresolved financial and legal issues”. 

Mr Hussain said the academy model has failed the school “time and time again” and added: “The Government must now see sense and return the school to local authority control and ownership to end the uncertainty for pupils, teachers and parents, and to protect children’s education.”

Cllr Khan said he was in agreement with the MP’s letter to the Education Secretary on the issue and said: “The most important consideration for everyone should be the quality of education pupils are receiving. We are starting to see real progress at the school which is thanks to the huge efforts of headteacher, Richard Woods, the staff and the Council’s Education and Learning team. 

“The school has seen more than 10 years of disruption since its first academy order with three different failed academy trusts which has been hugely disruptive for the school. 

“The last thing the school needs now is further disruption from another proposed academy trust. The best solution is to keep the governance of the school in place, which is with the local authority, and continue to focus on the children’s learning. We wrote to the Regional Schools Commissioner outlining our position three weeks ago and we are awaiting a response.”

In a statement to the Telegraph & Argus, Delta Academies Trust said it is one of the “highest performing” academy trusts in the country.

Chief Executive Paul Tarn said: “We have the highest expectations for what children can achieve and back this up with outstanding leadership, excellent teaching and support for staff and for all pupils. We pride ourselves on our inclusive schools and we were recently cited in a Cabinet Office report for our work in closing the gap for disadvantaged children.
“Delta shares only a company number with its predecessor organisation and while our students excel, Hanson remains an unfulfilled promise to the parents and children of Bradford. 

“The school is not a prize to be argued over. It has struggled for many years. Delta has the capacity and expertise to help, and we are privileged and delighted to work with colleagues in the school and local authority to transform outcomes for the students there.

"Our academies provide a safe and caring environment where children are valued and happy. We are proud of our achievements but ambitious for our children and communities; aspirations we share with Bradford Council and its wider partners.”

He added: “We would be delighted to arrange a visit so that the MP can see the inspiring work of our staff and students for himself.”

A spokesperson for the Department for Education said: “Where schools are underperforming, we take action to help them improve by securing a strong academy sponsor with the capacity to support the school and secure the best long-term outcomes for students and their families.

“While it has taken longer than we would have liked to secure a sponsor for Hanson, we are pleased that Delta Academies Trust has now been proposed, and we will continue to work closely with the school’s governing body and Bradford Council as we move through the sponsor process.”