The local authority and St James' school

Trying to make some sense of the issues surrounding Audlem St James' School, last week Audlem Online put a number of questions to Cheshire East about the local authority's role in the school.

As regular readers will know, a letter went out from the chairman of governors to parents and carers on 15th April saying that an Interim Executive Board would replace the governing body.

The local authority then claimed there were inaccuracies in that letter and it emerged that the school governors had until 23rd May to produce a report on the way forward for the school that would, hopefully, satisfy both the local authority, Cheshire East, and OfSTED.

In turn, three ex-governors then gave their position – published on Audlem Online on 20th April.

The questions put to Cheshire East by Audlem Online focussed on why, currently, there was no local authority appointed governor at Audlem School. We suggested that the presence of a local authority appointed governor may have avoided some of the current problems.

We have now received a statement from Cheshire East which says: "There is a requirement that there is a place for a local authority appointed governor.

"However, when the last appointed local authority governor voluntarily stepped down last term, the local authority was in the process of using its intervention powers as it judged the governing body was not operating effectively.

"As a consequence it was not felt appropriate to make an appointment at this time. This will be reviewed during the course of this term."

Audlem Online has been told that the previous local authority appointed governor, who had been in post for over four years, resigned in mid-December 2010 in good time to allow the appointment of a successor.

We understand that the Audlem School's governing body is working hard on the report detailing the way forward for the school. It has to be completed by 23rd May.

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