Campaigners against plans to turn Oxford School into an academy have been delivered a blow by Schools Minister Vernon Coaker.

The minister dashed hopes that the scheme is to be abandoned because of concerns over the work done in its existing academies by the United Learning Trust, the educational charity that is sponsoring the proposed Oxford academy.

And he also appeared to say the school would not be able to make the required improvements in standards without being transformed into an academy.

In a letter to Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet member for school improvement, Michael Waine, the minister said the Government wanted the ULT to go on developing an academy at Oxford School.

Mr Coaker also questioned whether the school would be able to improve sufficiently in its present form.

The minister decided to intervene after opponents of the proposed academy raised concerns about the performance of other ULT academies nationally.

The Government has admitted that it had asked the ULT to only focus on existing academies because of “the challenges it faces”.

In his letter to Mr Waine, the minister writes: “It is quite clear that ULT has been bold and courageous in taking on some of the most challenging predecessor schools in the country.

“While there are encouraging signs, equally there is still some way to go before all ULT academies are making the consistent progress towards transformational change that is the goal and expectation of the academies programme.”

Mr Coaker added: “Oxford School has made some welcome recent progress in its performance. That may not be sustainable without it becoming an academy.”

The Government was last week forced to deny press reports that it had advised the local education authority not to proceed with ULT as a sponsor for an academy in Dorset. Some parents with children at Oxford School had called for the county council to scrap its new academy plan when the allegations about the Dorset academy were first reported.

Chairman of the school’s governors, Larry Sanders, pictured, said that the minister’s letter to Mr Waine would “add to concerns”.

“My own view is that if the Government thinks that ULT academies are not good for the rest of the country, they are not a great bet for Oxford,” he said.

The Oxford School academy would be the county’s first ‘straight-through’ academy for four- to 19-year-olds. ULT also runs North Oxfordshire Academy in Banbury.

A spokesman for the county council said: “In its letter, the Government has clearly expressed its enthusiasm for the idea of an academy at Oxford School.

A ULT spokesman said it was “working hard” on the Oxford scheme.