EVERY Catholic school in Huddersfield could become an academy.

New plans to be debated in the coming weeks show that all the schools are considering forming a multi-academy trust across Kirklees and Calderdale.

It would mean Huddersfield’s only Catholic high school – All Saints Catholic College in Bradley – would become an Academy, along with the town’s three Catholic feeder primary schools St Joseph’s, St Patrick’s and Our Lady of Lourdes.

All Saints, which was recently graded ‘good’ by inspectors, is one of two Catholic secondary schools which together with 14 Catholic primary schools could create a Catholic Multi-Academy Trust.

Other Catholic schools affected by the consultation include St Patrick’s Elland and St Joseph’s Brighouse.

St John Fisher in Dewsbury is the other high school to consider the academies proposal.

Academy plans by schools have been opposed by many parents in the past but a growing number in the Huddersfield area are going down that route.

The schools argue that once free of local council control, they can better decide how to spend funds.

The Diocese of Leeds, which oversees Catholic schools in the region, has invited the 16 schools to consider becoming academies in a move which would be implemented by December.

They would be one of five cluster groups across the Diocese of Leeds affecting 93 schools in total.

The schools would maintain their own identity but like all academies, would receive all funding from central government.

Under the current system Kirklees Council, as the district’s local authority, removes a ‘top slice’ of government funding to construct and deliver a set of support services, such as legal advice, across all their maintained schools.

If approved as academies, the schools would essentially buy back these services or approve their own contractors to carry out the work on their behalf.

But the proposal to move from schools to academies would be simpler for Catholic schools than a local authority maintained school such as Colne Valley Specialist Arts College, which is currently also undergoing academy consultation. This is due to Catholic schools already controlling their own finances and having responsibility for employment and admissions.

The Diocese of Leeds schools are now undergoing a consultation period until May 17 and a string of meetings are scheduled to address stakeholders.

All Saints headteacher Anita Bodurka said: “We have only just launched the academies consultation and are in the very early stages of digesting the proposals.

“Students have been informed but no meetings have been held as yet.”

Asked if the proposals would see additional funding for the school’s resources she added: “That is something which would be identified in the final stages.”

A report produced for stakeholders reads: “Under the Diocesan model, governance of our schools would remain largely unchanged as the majority of governors would be appointed by the Diocese and there would be staff and parent governors as now.

“We now have the opportunity to work even more closely together in a supportive Multi-Academy Trust. “This will give us the opportunity to share good teaching and learning, join together to buy resources and develop a collaborative way of working for the benefit of all our children and families.”

A meeting about the proposals will be held at All Saints Catholic College on April 29 at 7pm.

The remaining schools proposed to become part of the Multi-Academy Trust are: St Josephs, Halifax; St Mary’s, Halifax; Sacred Heart, Sowerby Bridge; St Malachy’s, Halifax; St Patrick’s, Birstall; St Holy Spirit, Heckmondwike; St Joseph’s, Dewsbury; St Mary’s, Batley; St Paulinus, Dewsbury.