LANDAU FORTE

Derby's city technology college has expressed an interest in becoming an academy. The governing body of Landau Forte College, Fox Street, has outlined its plan to the Department for Education and Skills and the city council is likely to support this. Academies are run by businesses, churches or other organisations for a one-off sponsorship fee and operate largely outside local education authority control. The business sponsor can set the curriculum, which has caused controversy, and funding for the everyday running comes from the Government. If the conversion to academy status went ahead, the college would get an undisclosed cash boost, to develop its buildings, increase its pupil numbers and have more involvement with other city schools.

It is unclear how the conversion to academy would work for Landau Forte, due to its establishment as an independent City Technology College, in 1992. In doing so it has already been backed by private sponsors, the founding sponsors being Landau Foundation, a charitable trust and hotel company Forte PLC, and Government grants. Landau Forte principal Stephen Whiteley said, "This is just the exploratory stage and we have to take this to parents first." But the move may come as good news to the city council, which might be saved from having to convert one of its own schools into an academy. The Government has said it wants to see at least one academy in every local education authority.

Along with conversion, the other route to creating an academy is through the replacement of an existing failing city school by using the £2m private sponsorship and up to £25m from the Government for rebuilding. But currently the city does not have a failing school that is not already being rebuilt, as is the case with Merrill College, in Allenton. The city council had already been sounding out some of its schools on becoming an academy with little success. The council is concerned that making one of its own schools into an academy could upset the balance and co-operation that currently exists in the city. (Source: Derby Evening Telegraph)

Landau Forte College is pushing ahead with plans to become an academy, a move expected to net it a £10m cash boost. The college could become the city's first academy by September 2007 if a feasibility study being carried out by the school is acceptable. The Government is trying to create 200 academies by 2010 and is demanding each of the 150 local education authorities has at least one.

Academies, like city technology colleges, are run by businesses, churches or other organisations for a one-off sponsorship fee and operate largely outside local education authority control. The business sponsor can set the curriculum, which has caused controversy, and funding for the everyday running comes from the Government. The college already runs its own timetable, based on the National Curriculum, so little would change, although the college is looking at boosting pupil numbers.

Any funding the school receives will be used to increase the admission number in year seven from 150 to 168 and to put the number of sixth-formers up to 285 from 240 currently. The school is also looking to add a business and enterprise specialism to the technology it already has. As a city technology college, Landau Forte would also be required to link up with at least one other school that may be classed as failing or with poor results and with whom it can share expertise and good practice. (Source: Derby Evening Telegraph, Apr/06)

Landau Forte College, originally one of 15 city technology colleges, has been invited by the Government to become one of the 200 academies it intends to set up by 2010. It will mean that the college will have to extend its catchment area, making it available to some children outside the city boundary for the first time. Academies are independent, all-ability, state-funded schools supported both financially and professionally by sponsors.

The college, which was set up as a technology college in 1992, will add specialist business enterprise status to its portfolio. The 1,050-pupil college will receive an additional sum of money, which has so far not been disclosed, and intends to build a two-storey building on its hard play area. It will also extend its intake in Year Seven from 150 to 168 pupils and the sixth form will go from 240 to 285 pupils.

The college will be forced, however, to use the citywide admissions system and potential students will have to apply through the city council. Previously, the college handled its own admissions, calling people for tests and interviews in October. The college will also be subject to appeals against not getting a place and staff are preparing for many such cases. Landau Forte's conversion should take pressure off the city council to nominate another school to become an academy. (Source: Derby Evening Telegraph, Aug/06)