Parents fight academy school plan

Parents were opposed to the super academy idea

Parents say they are opposed to plans to replace two poorly performing schools in Oxford with an academy for three to 19-year-olds.

St Christopher's Church of England School, in Temple Lane, received the worst Ofsted report Oxfordshire County Council had seen, the council said.

It said the Oxford School was "under performing" too and it had approached sponsors to develop a private academy.

Parents held a protest outside the council offices on Tuesday.

A spokesman for the Oxford School, a specialist business and enterprise school, said it had been described as outstanding in its latest Ofsted inspection.

'Caring school'

However it is part of the government's National Challenge scheme because its 2008 exam results fell below an acceptable level, with only 23% of pupils achieving grades A*-C at GCSE.

The council said it intended to register an expression of interest in an academy with the government, but said it was a complex process and was only one option it was considering in light of St Christopher's Ofsted report in May.

St Christopher's school governor Jayne Harrison said parents opposed the super academy model and felt Ofsted was unduly critical.

The report said St Christopher's was a "happy and caring school" but pupils' academic achievement was "inadequate".

She said: "We want the council to help the school to improve, not to close it down. Every single parent we have spoken to is right behind us, that is why we are demonstrating."

The council previously turned two failing schools - Peers School, Oxford, and Drayton School, Banbury - into academies.