Mum or dad energy sees off plans to show Emily Maitlis and Julia Bradbury’s former grammar faculty into an academy after six-month marketing campaign backed by celebrities together with Def Leppard frontman Joe Elliott and Human League founder Martyn Ware

Mum or dad energy has seen off plans to forcibly academise a prestigious Oxbridge-feeder state faculty as soon as attended by TV journalists Emily Maitlis and Julia Bradbury.

King Edward VII in Sheffield, South Yorkshire – the final native authority-maintained secondary faculty within the metropolis – was rated ‘Inadequate’ in a shock Ofsted inspection last year, and told by the Department for Education it must join a multi-academy trust.

A whole lot of oldsters led a six-month marketing campaign, and organised a rally, petition and celeb assist, objecting to the varsity changing into an academy.

The college was reinspected by Ofsted in Might, and this time the report – printed 9 days in the past – judged the varsity to be ‘Good’ in all areas. However the academy order nonetheless stood, and might be revoked solely by Training Secretary Gillian Keegan.

In a letter to oldsters despatched yesterday, headteacher Linda Gooden mentioned: ‘It’s with nice pleasure and delight that I write to tell you the academy order issued to King Edward VII College has been revoked.’

King Edward VII in Sheffield, South Yorkshire – the final native authority-maintained secondary faculty within the metropolis – was rated ‘Insufficient’ in a shock Ofsted inspection final 12 months, and informed by the Division for Training it should be part of a multi-academy belief 

The marketing campaign to avoid wasting the varsity’s independence had been backed by 5 native MPs together with former pupil and choose committee chairman Clive Betts, and quite a few high-profile alumni together with Def Leppard frontman Joe Elliott and Heaven 17 and Human League founder Martyn Ware.

As we speak dad and mom who’ve spent the final six months campaigning in opposition to the academisation order mentioned they had been ‘ecstatic’.

Mom-of-three Emma Wilkinson, aged 43, mentioned: ‘It is a sense of aid, it is nice information, however we must always by no means have had to do that within the first place.

‘Some have urged we have solely received as a result of we’re ‘center class, meddling’ dad and mom – and in reality the demographic of the varsity does not assist that in any respect. However the argument does increase an vital level.

‘Amongst us we’ve had journalistic, authorized, schooling, educational and campaigning experience. That should not be a prerequisite for folks’ voices to be a part of this course of.’

She added: ‘I might hope there’s now the chance to forge a brand new path. There are many methods a college can collaborate with others with out having to change into a non-public enterprise and a part of a multi-academy belief.’

Dave Clay, 68, a former secondary faculty instructor himself whose daughter has simply accomplished 12 months 11 at KES, mentioned he was ‘ecstatic’ – however offended with Ofsted.

‘We as dad and mom have spent tons of of hours of our free time preventing in opposition to a authorities physique that ought to be performing in our greatest curiosity,’ he mentioned. ‘Ofsted has to vary. At greatest Ofsted inspections trigger undue stress and chaos, and at worst destroy good faculties, and the lives of devoted educators.’

One other guardian, dad-of-three and civil servant Ewan Cumming, 54, whose youngest son has simply taken his GCSEs, mentioned: ‘It is a actual vote of confidence within the management and employees at King Edward’s, who’ve a monitor report of getting actually good GCSE outcomes and a powerful report of sending younger folks to Oxford, Cambridge and high universities.’

King Edward VII is a former grammar faculty whose alumni embrace journalists Emily Maitlis and Julia Bradbury, ex-Radio One controller Matthew Bannister, MPs and a former RAF Commandant, Air Commodore Jon Chitty.

Journalist Emily Maitlis, 52, has beforehand mentioned she won’t be the place she is as we speak with out an ‘inspirational’ English instructor at King Edward’s 

Massively well-liked with center class dad and mom, it was the joint second-highest performing of all faculties in Yorkshire in 2021 for the variety of pupils receiving provides from Oxford or Cambridge. Ten pupils acquired provides, 40% of those that utilized.

Recognized affectionately as King Ted’s or KES, it was established in 1908 and its Higher College relies in a neo-classical, porticoed constructing in a leafy suburb a mile from the town centre. Its pupils are drawn from all corners of Sheffield.

However regardless of its robust educational efficiency and former score of ‘Good’, the 1,800-pupil faculty appeared set to be pressured to change into an academy after an Ofsted inspection final September highlighted ‘safeguarding’ and ‘management’ considerations.

No particulars of the alleged considerations ensuing within the ‘Insufficient’ score had been ever revealed to high school governors or dad and mom, and a number of other Freedom of Data requests from dad and mom to the DfE had been declined.

In her letter to oldsters, Ms Gooden mentioned: ‘We had been on the verge of being academised and shedding management of our future.

‘It’s an amazing, astonishing and uncommon achievement to have the ability to rework the fortunes of the varsity in such a brief house of time, so we will management the long run plans of our distinctive faculty for the communities that we serve.

She added: ‘I lengthen a heart-felt thanks for the function you, as our guardian physique, have performed on this course of and our success.’

The controversy follows calls to scrap Ofsted after Berkshire headteacher Ruth Perry took her personal life in January. Her faculty was downgraded from Excellent to Insufficient and her household say her demise was a ‘direct results of strain’ from the report by England’s schooling watchdog.

At King Edward’s, a merger was initially proposed with Brigantia, an academy belief working 5 faculties on a few of Sheffield’s hardest housing estates, two of that are rated as requiring enchancment.

However dad and mom’ group ‘KES – The Future’ was dedicated to preventing the plan ‘tooth and nail’ with one member saying earlier this 12 months: ‘It appears to be like just like the Division for Training is aware of this can be a dangerous alternative and so they tried to slide it via with out anybody realizing or having an opportunity to object.’

Famend tv presenter Julia Bradbury is one other well-known face to have studied on the King Edward VII faculty

Mother and father believed becoming a member of Brigantia would plunge King Edward’s right into a ‘poorly performing’ academy group.

King Edward’s repeatedly sends a dozen pupils annually to Oxford or Cambridge. This 12 months, of simply 31 locations at Oxford to check trendy languages and linguistics, three provides had been made to KES sixth formers.

Ms Maitlis, 52, has beforehand mentioned she won’t be the place she is as we speak with out an ‘inspirational’ English instructor at King Edward’s.

She mentioned she was set to pursue international languages at college however Jon Gallagher’s English classes modified her thoughts and she or he went on to check English Literature at Queens’ Faculty, Cambridge.

She mentioned: ‘A very powerful factor he taught us was that not every little thing is because it appears. He taught us to be sceptical. That’s massively actual and related to what I do in my life now.

‘Authorities, politics and present affairs are hardly ever what they seem like. It’s important to take a more in-depth look and see what’s beneath.’

Ms Maitlis, whose profession on Newsnight spanned from 2006 to final 12 months, is the programme’s solely presenter to have gone to a state faculty.