Four groups bid to run new school to replace Fartown High School

Nov 11 2010 by Barry Gibson, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

THE Church of England and Holmfirth High School are among the four organisations being considered to run a secondary school in Huddersfield.

Kirklees Council invited offers to set up a new school to replace Fartown High School.

The new co-educational school will serve 1,200 pupils from Birkby, Bradley, Deighton, Fartown, Fixby, Hillhouse and Sheepridge – in Fartown High School.

A planned move to a new site will have to be delayed.

Today the council unveiled the four bids which will go forward for consideration to run the new school.

Holmfirth High School’s governing body is one of the groups which has applied to run the new school.

Andrew Williams, head teacher at Holmfirth, took the reins at Fartown in January to help improve the school’s performance.

He said: “We want to have an outstanding school, which would open early and close late to serve all the community.”

Mr Williams wants to develop a school in partnership with Cummins Turbo Technologies, the University of the First Age; the Parents of Black Children Association and Kirklees Active Leisure.

The Holmfirth governors want to set up a trust school at Fartown – unlike the other three bidders who wish to establish an academy free from Kirklees Council control.

Mr Williams said: “Trust school status gives us a chance to work with local partners in a way we couldn’t if it was an academy.

“In reality, it will be a community school.”

The Church of England’s Wakefield Diocesan Board of Education has also bid to set up an academy at Fartown.

Its proposal says: “The diocese would wish to appoint a practising Christian to the post of principal, would look to appoint a school chaplain and will expect that, in due course, all students have the opportunity to take religious education at GCSE.”

The diocese’s bid points out there are 47 Church of England primary and middle schools in Kirklees, but not a single high school.

The proposal says: “The provision of a new Church of England academy in the Fartown area will maintain denominational provision in Kirklees and provide a degree of continuity of Church of England provision from the primary to the secondary phase.”

London-based E-ACT is also one of the four bidders.

The company runs eight schools across the country, including Parkwood Academy in Sheffield.

Project director Dame Marlene Rowbottom said: “We want to provide high-quality education with innovative teaching.

The school would be non-selective and would engage with the Fartown community.”

The final bid is from Essex-based Lilac Sky Schools. Its bid says: “The proposer expects the academy to be open at all times of the day, evening and weekends to support local families with facilities for sport, theatre and other activities otherwise inaccessible.

“The proposer would like the academy to become a true hub in the local area for the school to help transform not only the education of its youngsters but also their health and cultural horizons.”

Kirklees Cabinet member for children, Clr Cath Harris, welcomed the bids.