Member Article

Kings Priory Academy decision criticised by Council

North Tyneside Council has criticised the speed and lack of thoroughness of government decision-making on the Kings Priory Academy proposal.

The authority received an e-mail from the Secretary of State at 7pm last night (Thursday, July 26) confirming the original decision to allow the academy would be withdrawn and reconsidered.

However, by 10.30am this morning, a further letter was e-mailed to the Council from Lord Nash, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Schools confirming “The Secretary of State has decided to enter into funding arrangements with the Woodard Academy Trust having considered the matter afresh.”

At the same time the Council received a further email from the Department for Education confirming that they would be unable to comply with the Freedom of Information request submitted by the authority to access the supporting statistical analysis used in reaching the decision.

The basis for refusal is that it would take an estimated three-and-a-half working days to locate, retrieve and extract the information!

A spokesperson for North Tyneside Council said: “We were pleased to receive the e-mail at 7pm last night confirming that the Secretary of State would withdraw the original decision and consider the Kings Priory proposal afresh.

“However, we were absolutely astounded that by 10.30am this morning they have reconsidered it - without being able to set out their reasons or the information used to reach the new decision.

“It is particularly surprising when at 10:14 am we received another e-mail saying it would take three-and-a-half working days to find the information in response to our FOI request when that information would have been used in making the fresh decision.

“In contrast we have shared all our available information with the Department, yet we have been provided with none of the information they are relying on to reach a decision on this proposal which could have an impact on schools in North Tyneside for years to come.”

Once the council receives the reasons for reaching the decision an extraordinary meeting of the Cabinet will be reconvened to consider whether any further action is appropriate.

The Council statement continues: “We fully recognise that this is disruptive and stressful for parents and children affected by this decision and regret that this process is taking place at this time. However, the timescale for our challenge has been completely out of our hands.

“The Council has been seeking to engage fully with the department since September last year when the authority raised its initial concerns. That offer has never been taken up.

“The Minister didn’t issue his decision until mid July 10 – so the council could not have made its formal challenge any earlier.

“We have never understood why this matter needs to be dealt with in such haste. If Kings School and the Woodard Trust had been prepared to set their opening timescale for 2014 this uncertainty would not have occurred as we would all have had more time to sensibly consider this matter.

“And how the Secretary of State has now been able to completely reconsider the decision afresh as they promised, between 7pm last night and 10.30am this morning - when it took six months for them to make the original decision - is absolutely incomprehensible.

“The response from the Minister yesterday evening was encouraging as it indicated the decision was withdrawn and would be determined afresh but the speed which a new decision has been issued at 10:30 this morning raises doubt over how fully the matter has been properly considered afresh. It smacks of pre-determination.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by North Tyneside Council .