A PRIMARY school in special measures has left local authority control to join a school partnership.

Millbrook Primary School in Grove officially joined the four-school Vale Academy Trust, led by King Alfred’s Academy, Wantage, on Monday.

The move to academy status means Millbrook as a school, with special measures designation, officially ceases to exist, although its Ofsted web page will still record its former status.

Headteacher Jane Ratcliffe said the move would “without a doubt” help Millbrook improve, by sharing best practice with other trust schools.

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She said: “The political imperative here is about the demise of the local authority. Schools can be better doing it themselves, but we need to work together.”

In the academy trust, specialist teachers oversee subjects such as English and maths, sharing good practice across the five schools.

The move will also save Millbrook money because schools can share services such as catering and IT.

Mrs Ratcliffe added: “We will be better as part of a collaboration, and it will give the school time to focus on deeply-embedded improvement with the support of professionals we trust.”

The 435-pupil primary failed an Ofsted inspection in 2012 and was put into special measures after a second inspection rated it “inadequate” last April.

At its latest Ofsted visit in September, inspectors said the school was making “reasonable progress” to coming out of special measures. Inspectors said: “The quality of teaching continues to improve, but is not yet consistently good enough in all classes.”

The Vale Academy Trust was formed in October 2013 when King Alfred’s joined in partnership with Wantage CofE and Charlton primaries.

The move leaves just Stockham School in Wantage under the authority of Oxfordshire County Council in the area.

Fitzwaryn special school, Wantage, is a member of the Propeller Academy Trust with Abingdon and Witney College and Abingdon’s Kingfisher Special School. Grove CofE became an academy with the Oxford Diocesan Schools' Trust in December 2013. 


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