The government has said the interim governors of a school at the centre of an academisation row do have the power to apply for it to change status.
Norfolk County Council replaced Cavell Primary School's governors with an interim executive board (IEB) after it went into special measures last year.
The IEB's decision to apply for academy status, despite the school no longer being in special measures, has sparked a legal challenge from the Norwich Co-operative Learning Trust, which Cavell's previous governors had wanted to join.
A Department for Education spokesperson said: 'An IEB's members have the same rights and duties as a school governor. This means the IEB may seek an academy order which will enable a school to convert to an academy.
'The main function of the IEB at Cavell continues to be the need to secure long-term improvement at the school. Provisional results indicate some improvement last year, but results remain well below the national average.'
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