Council consults on school future

Plans to re-develop a Norwich school into a city academy are to be put to parents, teachers and residents.

Leaflets are being sent out detailing the options for Heartsease High School and the proposals for the academy.

One option is to keep the school open, with 500 to 600 students, maintaining its specialist engineering status.

The other option is to close the school and replace it with an academy, with 950 students, specialising in engineering and the environment.

'Recent progress'

Unlike schools, academies have sponsors who work with the Department for Education and Skills and the local authority.

The proposed sponsors for the Heartsease academy are businessman Graham Dacre, and the Bishop of Norwich, the Rt Rev Graham Jones.

The county council said the academy would not be a faith school and would give priority to those living in the Heartsease area.

Rosalie Monbiot, cabinet member for children's services, said: "We value the public's views on the proposals for Heartsease and will take them into consideration before reaching a decision on whether to proceed with the project.

"Some of the recent progress at the school has been impressive and, whether the school remains as it is or becomes an academy, we hope to be able to build on that progress in the future."