College bids to sponsor academies

If parents and the community approve, Barnfield College in Luton would be the first FE college to sponsor an academy.

The Department for Education has backed the £120m bid to sponsor Halyard High School and South Luton comprehensive.

If it goes ahead the college and academies would have a combined register of 33,000 students.

Barnfield's principal Pete Birkett said the project would allow a "seamless progression" for students from age 11 to 18.

"It's really about raising standards and sharing good practice," he said.

'Turn around'

Mr Birkett said Halyard had been seen as having made some improvements but both schools had been identified as underperforming, and both have acting heads.

"I saw this as an opportunity to engage with two underperforming schools and turn them around," he said.

If it gets the backing of parents and the community the college would sponsor the academies from September 2007 with a view to new buildings and a new amalgamated image being in place by 2009.

Each academy would have its own principal, with Mr Birkett in an executive headship role.

Beacon status

Barnfield College was the first FE institution to achieve Learning and Skills Beacon status and its proposal for the schools has been welcomed by the chairs of governors at both Halyard and South Luton.

Mr Birkett said: "The reaction from the schools at the initial stages has been a good one and I think they can see the benefits. We were the first beacon college in the country and we are well placed to make a difference."

As a sponsor, Barnfield would provide £2m per academy with the rest of the funding coming from the Department for Education and Skills.

The government wants to open 200 city academies by 2010, at a cost of £5bn, to try to drive up standards in deprived areas.

Schools Minister Andrew Adonis said: "I welcome this innovative proposal which has the potential to offer high quality education, raising standards throughout school life and helping students stay in further education to gain the skills and qualifications they need and employers expect."

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Department for Education and Skills
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