Foundation to sponsor new academy

A foundation started by the co-founder of the Carphone Warehouse chain has been chosen to run the replacement for Northamptonshire's Unity College.

Northamptonshire County Council is turning the college into a sponsored academy due to its poor GCSE results and a poor Ofsted inspection report.

The David Ross Foundation has won the bidding process to run it.

Mr Ross said he was "delighted" to have been chosen to run the academy and will listen to parents' concerns.

The businessman lives on the Northamptonshire/Leicestershire border and his foundation already runs Havelock Academy in Grimsby.

He told BBC Radio Northamptonshire he is aware of the controversy concerning the college, which will be taken over and turned into an academy in September 2010.

The council has put in place an interim executive board to support the school.

It is made up of representatives from the county council, Northamptonshire Police, the Diocesan Board of Education and Mr Ross's Foundation.