TAVISTOCK College has unveiled new plans to pursue academy status.

The college, which was placed in special measures by Ofsted in 2010, has seen vast improvements over the past five years, under the leadership of former principal Helen Salmon. Now it is hoped to be taken to an outstanding level, by new headteacher Sarah Jones.

On January 5, Tavistock College’s governors voted unanimously to convert to a multi-academy with other local co-operative schools.

Academies are publicly funded schools, which are not controlled by the local authority and therefore have additional independence in a number of areas.

A multi-academy is two or more schools converting to academy status together.

A single academy board (a company limited by guarantee) is formed to provide the strategic leadership and oversight of each school. Each school will retain its local governing body which will operate in much the same way as it does at present.

Kevin Wilson, chair of governors at the college said: ‘This is a positive move for Tavistock College. We believe that by forming a multi-academy trust in partnership with other local co-operative schools, we can confidently secure the future education for our students. We believe we will be better placed to maintain the co-operative identity of the school and deliver high quality education for all our students.’

Principal of Tavistock College Sarah Jones said: ‘We haven’t gone into discussion with any other local schools yet, we are not at that stage. We will first set up as a single academy trust that is seeking to work with other like-minded schools.

‘We wanted to convert on our own first, as it gives us freedom that we can make the most of and continue on the journey we are on without being forced to become an academy.

‘We are taking the opportunity which will allow us to choose the schools we want to form a multi-academy with.

‘We will be able to take more of the revenue that the authorities hold back to pay for services and we can instead share services between other schools – 52 percent of secondary schools in England have already converted to academies.

‘This will reduce the funds taken by local authorities and allow us to receive funds directly from the DfE (Department for Education) then we can choose which services we want to buy back, or if we would like to buy from other local authorities or private companies.

‘It is already within the public knowledge that our government would like to see all secondary schools turned into academies, so we are doing it while we have the option and can choose other like-minded schools to work with, rather than being forced.

‘We want to take the opportunity to sustain our current rate of progress but are not in consultation with any other schools at the moment.

‘Some of these services that we will be able to make our own decisions on include payroll, HR, school improvements and professional development. We will be able to look at what best suits us — maybe that will mean sharing professional development training with other local schools.

‘It is very important that we will only join together with other co-operative schools so that we can sustain the identity and values that we already understand and have developed with the school governors, staff, parents and students. We wouldn’t want to lose those values by being forced into an unsuitable partnership.

‘This is an extremely exciting opportunity for us and we would welcome the engagement of our parents, students and the local community as we progress on our journey.

‘In the years ahead, the education system faces a significant number of changes which may be of concern to some. These changes will affect us, whether we become an academy or not.

‘However, we believe that we will be able to manage change well, and that in joining together as a multi-academy with other co-operative schools, we will be able to strengthen our ability to meet future challenges with a single stronger voice.

‘Tavistock College is a successful school. The greater independence that academy status brings increases our opportunity to build upon our current success and ensures that we continue to improve our service to families in our local community.’

Parents, carers and students are invited to an information evening on Wednesday, January 20, at 5.30pm in the main school hall.

There will be an opportunity for those who attend to discuss the proposal with governors, voice their views and ask questions.