A TRIO of 'outstanding' Winchester schools have expressed an interest in becoming academies, the Hampshire Chronicle can reveal.

Kings', Henry Beaufort and Perins are all keen to find out more breaking away from local authority control, according to the Department of education.

Yet their head teachers insist they are just exploring the pros and cons of such a move and will fully consult parents on the matter.

Also putting its name into the hat is Thornden School, Chandler's Ford, while Oliver's Battery and Hursley's John Keble primaries are seeing what it will mean for their schools.

But it comes as an education boss at Hampshire County Council (HCC) questioned his own party's policy, saying he could see no advantages for the county's schools.

Conservative councillor David Kirk, executive member for education, said: “I don't think they'll be more than a handful of schools in the whole of Hampshire [that will become academies].

“It could potentially create a two-tier system but I'm reasonably confident in good education authorities it won't happen.”

Under the proposals schools that become academies would be given extra money and more control over staff pay and what they teach. They would have to follow an admissions code but would be able to select around 10 per cent of their pupils based on aptitude.

But unions fear schools remaining under local education control would suffer, saying it would be “taking money from Peter to pay Paul”.

Peter Terry, Unison regional organiser, asked whether it would create education apartheid, said: “Ultimately that will happen, we believe it's breaking up the comprehensive system.

“We think they are an unnecessary diversion of funding from education into a select number of schools. It paves the way for selection and if you divert funds from the local education authority to the schools then that reduces the funding elsewhere.

“There's no new money - it's taking money from Peter to pay Paul.”

Cllr Kirk said as a trust school Perins in Alresford already enjoys some autonomy from local education control and there would be no advantages in becoming an academy.

He said: “Perins owns its land so if it wants to develop it they can make their own arrangements and perhaps sell off a proportion in order to expand the school. That's available to Perins but not to other schools because their land and buildings is owned by the local education authority.”

Perins did not return Hampshire Chronicle's calls on the matter but a statement on its website read: “Perins is one of the outstanding schools that has expressed a provisional interest in academy status.

“Please be reassured that this is only the very first step in this process - the governors will want to look very closely at what this might mean for Perins and would want to consult fully on any future actions with staff, parents and students.”

Westgate School - currently undergoing a change of leadership - is the only Winchester secondary not to have expressed an interest in becoming an academy.

Meanwhile among the primary schools to rule out academies, for now, are: Bishop's Waltham Junior; Sparsholt; Barton Stacey; Stanmore; Harestock; Wallop Primary; Stockbridge; Broughton; Winnall; Colden Common; and King's Worthy.

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