Sutton faces becoming an educationally exclusive borough after all its state secondary schools formed a consortium to become academies, the Sutton Guardian can reveal.

All 14 publicly funded schools signed a joint letter to Michael Gove, the Secretary of State for Education advocating the advantage of becoming academies “without undue delay”.

If the academy scheme is successful Sutton would become the first borough in the country to have no secondary schools under Local Education Authority control.

The move has sparked fears the schools could become more selective and vulnerable Sutton children could fall through the gaps in the borough’s education system.

Tom Brake, MP for Carshalton and Wallington said last month: “In our view, Sutton’s already difficult position would become even worse if schools become academies.

“There is evidence to show that, although there is a reasonably tight admissions code which schools have to observe, some established academies do manage to cherry pick their pupils in a way the code doesn’t allow them to do.”

Sutton Councillor Kirsty Jerome, executive member for education and schools, also expressed her concerns about academies.

She wrote in the Evening Standard that allowing the best local authority-run schools to become independent would see vulnerable children, including those with autism, hearing impediments and emotional or behavioural problems, lose out as money is diverted to academies.

It is understood the schools have acted en masse to avoid some losing out on funding because academies receive a larger share of available funds.

A consortium spokeswoman said no decision had been made. She said: “We are concerned about potential disadvantages to the overall provision and standards of education in the borough with some schools becoming academies and others being left behind.

“We feel there could be advantages if all the secondary schools in the borough were to move to academy status together, thereby maintain-ing and building on our partnership work, supporting each other and seeking economies of scale for shared support services.”

Mr Brake said he believed there were advantages to the schools making a collective approach, which he said would maximise the chances of the system operating for the benefit of all pupils in Sutton.

Speaking this week, Councillor Jerome said: “Of course it is prudent for them to seek clarification on what is being offered and look at how the academy scheme could work. However, residents will want assurances that, should schools want to take this further, vulnerable pupils would not be disadvantaged and their admission policies would offer sufficient school places for local children.”

WHAT IS AN ACADEMY?

Academies are privately-sponsored, state-financed secondary schools.

They are independent of local authority control but still publicly funded alongside some private investment.

Created in 2000 to replace failing schools, they run their own affairs free from Government or local authority interference.

They can change day and term lengths, cherrypick pupils, set pay and conditions for staff and amend the curriculum.

For every academy created the local authority potentially loses funding.

By May this year, 203 academies had been set up in England and recent results show GCSE results are improving twice as fast in academies as in state schools.

All Sutton’s publicly-funded secondary schools are calling for academy status “without undue delay”.

They are: Carshalton Boys Sports College. Carshalton High School for Girls.

Cheam High School.

Glenthorne High School
Greenshaw High School
Nonsuch High School for Girls
Overton Grange
St Philomenas Catholic High School for Girls
Stanley Park High School
Sutton Grammar School for Boys
John Fisher School
Wallington County Grammar for Boys
Wallington High School for Girls
Wilsons School