We, the undersigned, call upon the Secretary of State for Education and Regional Schools Commissioner to revoke the academy order which will see our local school privatised and handed over to a multi-academy trust.

We do not accept or want to see Rounds Green Primary School handed over from the local authority to a multi-academy trust and do not believe that academisation will improve outcomes for pupils.

We have serious concerns about Rounds Green being forced to join a multi-academy trust because:

1.     After more than a decade of the academy school project, there is no evidence that academies raise standards

2.     Evidence shows that schools that remain under council control improve faster than schools which convert to academy status

3.     Academy schools are free to employ unqualified teachers

4.     Multi-academy trusts are less accountable to parents and the local community

6.     Academy schools do not receive any extra money

7.     Multi-academy trusts have been criticised for excessive salaries and expenses for CEOs, which diverts money away from the classroom

8.     Becoming an academy is a permanent decision that cannot be reversed

Ofsted monitoring inspections since the school was rated "inadequate" in 2017 show the school is on a trajectory of improvement, with improvements across the school. The most recent inspection in April 2019 confirms this as the school moved to “Requires Improvement”

The monitoring inspection in March 2021 also noted that "Subject Leaders have devised well developed curriculum plans since the last inspection” and “Leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action to provide education in the current circumstances”

Rounds Green Primary School can continue to improve educational outcomes and its Ofsted rating without being forced to join an unaccountable multi-academy trust and should not be forced down this path.