Schools in the Gipsy Hill Federation will not become academies for the “foreseeable future”, parents have been told.
The six schools in the Federation – which includes Paxton primary school, Woodland Road, Upper Norwood – will remain a group of community schools under local authority control, says a letter from the Federation governors.
The letter, dated June 28th, also announces the departure of chief executive officer Sir Craig Tunstall from the Federation.
News From Crystal Palace, which reported his departure on July 13th after it was revealed on a subscription-only education website, understands Sir Craig may have left as long ago as late January / early February this year.
At a meeting between Gipsy Hill Federation Governors and representatives of Paxton Matters held on Wednesday 19 October 2016 it was reported:
Key points
GHF clarified that the formal transition to Academy status has still not happened due to some technical legal issues. These will be resolved and the Federation will transition but it’s taking longer than expected. For now, the Federation governing body are responsible for the primary schools, and the Trust is responsible for the Gipsy Hill Secondary (GHS). Post academisation, the Trust will be responsible for everything. Representatives of both the Trust and the Governors were at the meeting.
Paxton Matters, a parent and community led action group, was formed to oppose the planned use of Paxton primary school as an interim site for Gipsy Hill secondary school.
The letter to parents and carers reads as follows:
Thursday 28th June 2018
Dear Parents and Carers,
We are writing to notify you that Sir Craig Tunstall is no longer employed as the Chief Executive Officer of Gipsy Hill Federation.
Lambeth Council have prepared the following statement which will be used if enquiries are made:
Sir Craig Tunstall, the former Chief Executive Officer of Gipsy Hill Federation, is no longer employed to work at the Gipsy Hill Federation. For legal reasons Lambeth council and the Gipsy Hill Federation will not be giving any further details about this at this time.
NOTES
Gipsy Hill Federation is a Hard Federation of six community primary schools in Lambeth and Southwark. Since May 2017 the Federation has been run by two Executive Head Teachers who with their colleagues have ensured that the high standard of education provided to the children has not been interrupted as a result of the absence of a Chief Executive Officer.
Although we are unable to share further details beyond what’s outlined above, we want to take this opportunity to assure you that the passion, vision and ethos of our organisation remain the same. We would also like to inform you that The Federation will not become an academy for the foreseeable future and will remain a group of community schools under local authority control. As a governing body, our confidence in the Federation’s resilience and agility is as high as ever, and we believe each individual school is very well-positioned to continue to deliver exceptional educational outcomes to our children.
Our confidence in large part stems from the principled leadership and hard work shown by Susan Holt and Laleh Laverick over the past year. They have ensured the continued excellence of the Federation schools. We would like to thank them for their perseverance and vision, and we are pleased to confirm that they will remain in their posts as Joint Executive Heads. We would also like to thank our staff and parent /carer community for their continued support and ongoing participation in making our schools a success.
Over the past year, our schools have been recognised for their outstanding inclusion practice and were given the Inclusive Schools Award. The schools’ efforts to improve pupil voice resulted in peer mediators across our schools receiving the Diana Anti-Bullying Award. These are just a couple of examples of how our schools go from strength to strength and drive continuous improvement. The Federation also has exciting plans in place for next year, including a dynamic new approach to teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage.
As a governing body, we have been working closely alongside Mrs. Holt and Mrs. Laverick to strengthen the Federation’s governance and put in place mechanisms we believe will build on the effective oversight of our schools. We are very proud of the work that has been done over the past year, and we’re more confident than ever of a bright future for the Federation and the children it serves.
Thank you for your continued support.
The Governors of the Gipsy Hill Federation
(The six schools in the Federation are:
Crawford primary school, Camberwell
Fenstanton primary school, Tulse Hill
Glenbrook primary school, Clapham Park
Kingswood primary school and children’s centre, split-site school on
Gipsy Road, West Norwood
Elm Wood primary school, Carnac Street, West Norwood
Paxton primary school, Woodland Road, Upper Norwood)
Further reading: OFFICIAL: CRAIG TUNSTALL GOES
PAXTON: “NO FUNDING FOR NEW SECONDARY SCHOOL UNLESS SOLUTION FOUND”
December 2, 2016
“EMAIL LAMBETH LEADER ON PAXTON PLANS” PLEA
November 25, 2016
PAXTON: ‘CONSULTATION’ ON SCHOOL PLANS
November 14, 2016
PAXTON PRIMARY: FEDERATION WORK A FLANKER ON SECONDARY SCHOOL PROPOSALS – “No planning permission necessary for interim plans”
October 26, 2016
PAXTON PARENTS LETTER TO EDUCATIONAL FUNDING AGENCY
October 20, 2016
MORE THAN 800 RESIDENTS AND PARENTS SIGN PETITION OVER PAXTON PLANS
October 14, 2016
PRIMARY SCHOOL COULD HOUSE UP TO 480 SECONDARY SCHOOL PUPILS – More than 100 at public meeting
October 7, 2016
CRAIG TUNSTALL SUSPENDED
May 9, 2017
NEWS FROM CRYSTAL PALACE 