Plan to charge academies given go-ahead

Telford & Wrekin cabinet members agreed to charge schools that want to become academies between £4,500 to £6,500 to cover the costs of transfers.

But cabinet members heard that the money will come from grants from the Government given to schools to pay for the transfer.

Councillor Shirley Reynolds, cabinet member for education and skills, told the meeting that schools receive a grant of £25,000 to help with the cost of transfer, but councils receive nothing for their end of the administration.

The charges are already in place in the Shropshire Council area, and at the meeting, at Addenbrooke House on Thursday, members heard that the charges would be less than the neighbouring authority.

There are already four primary academies in Telford and seven secondary academies.

The recoupment of monies towards the council’s costs associated with the academy transfer process will be between £4,500 and £6,500 and this contribution will be subject to annual review.

Councillor Andrew Eade, the opposition Tory leader, asked why the measures had not been implemented earlier and how much money the council could have lost by not doing so.

But officers told the meeting that their had been discussions by the Department of Education that it would provide money to the council, but that it had not been made available to Telford & Wrekin and so the decision had been made to pursue some money from other means.

Members approved the measures.