Accolade for Vardy school

Mar 11 2008 by Neil Mckay, The Journal

A SCHOOL sponsored by a business leader at the centre of a political row over education in the North has been officially recognised as the most improved academy in the country.

The success of Trinity Academy, which opened in the former mining town of Thorne, near Doncaster, in 2005, will heap more pressure on county councillors in Durham who snubbed Sir Peter Vardy’s offer to open a similar one in Consett.

Wearside-based Sir Peter, head of the Emmanuel Schools Foundation (ESF), accused councillors of “putting politics before children” after they rejected his offer to co-sponsor an academy in the former steel town with ex-Sunderland football club chairman Bob Murray.

The council instead favoured a consortium called Deep (Durham Excellence in Education Partnership) led by Durham University, and co-run by itself, to sponsor three academies in Consett, Durham and Stanley.

But last week the Government’s Schools Minister Lord Adonis, told council bosses he would not sanction Deep’s sponsorship of all three academies.

David Williams, director of children and young people’s services at Durham County Council, said: “Lord Adonis expressed reservations about Deep sponsoring three academies on the grounds that the group has not sponsored an academy before and because he would like to see greater diversity.

“We have agreed to hold further discussions with Deep and other possible sponsors to see whether we could put together a revised proposal.” The success of Sir Peter Vardy’s Trinity Academy, which was praised yesterday by Lord Adonis as a “beacon of excellence and hope,” could add weight to the argument for a similar academy in Consett.

The Vardy/Murray bid was favoured by former chief schools inspector Maurice Smith and local MP Hilary Armstrong, a former Cabinet Minister and Government chief whip, but strongly opposed by local county councillors.

Ms Armstrong said the establishment of an ESF academy – which would involve the closure of two secondary schools in Consett – would present a “marvellous opportunity” for children in the former steel town.

Trinity Academy almost doubled its pass rate for students achieving the national benchmark of five or more GCSEs at A*-C from 33.9% last year to 63.2% this year.

The improvement took it to sixth place in the league table of Doncaster’s 17 secondary schools from 16th place when it first took over from the former Thorne Grammar School.

Sir Peter said: “We are all very proud of what Trinity Academy has achieved in such a short space of time.”