A senior council cabinet member has called for a rethink of plans to force Cavell Primary to become into an academy, following today's formal publication of a report which took it out of special measures.
The school, in Duckett Close, Lakenham, has been at the centre of a row over its future since the county council removed its governors, who wanted to form a co-operative trust with nearby schools, and pushed for it to become an academy after Ofsted branded it 'inadequate' last May.
The school's interim executive board last month decided to ask the secretary of state for education to invite the Right for Success Trust, which runs nearby Eaton Hall School, to sponsor the school as an academy.
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Today's re-inspection report upgraded the school's rating to 'requires improvement', and said: 'Senior leaders have been very successful in communicating their vision for school improvement to the whole staff. Leaders have secured improvements in teaching and achievement, and the school is well placed to continue to improve.'
Labour county councillor and cabinet member Sue Whitaker, who represents the area, called on her colleagues in the Labour-led coalition running County Hall to rethink support for academisation.
She said: 'Personally I am not in favour of academies but I want to see the best thing for kids locally. I have been led to believe that once it's not in special measures there's no requirement to be an academy, in which case it should revert to having its own governing body and be left as it is.'
However, she said she had yet to talked to Labour schools cabinet member Mick Castle, or Labour council leader George Nobbs.
Cavell parent Rachel Ward this week wrote to Mr Nobbs calling for him to back the anti-academy campaign now the school was out of special measures.
Should Cavell Primary still become an academy? Email martin.george@archant.co.uk
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