St George's Cathedral Primary School plans to join academy trust
The primary school attached to Southwark's Roman Catholic cathedral is planning to become an academy.
The school - which currently has voluntary-aided status - wrote to parents this week announcing the plan to join the St Benedict's Catholic Academy Trust, explaining that the Archdiocese of Southwark intends for all its schools to transfer to academy status.
"In response to the Archbishop's vision and directive we have been working with local partner Catholic schools where relationships are strong and established and have been examining the best way to shape the future of our schools," wrote chair of governors Andrew Hurley and headteacher Louise Grabowski.
"We feel it is imperative to be in control of our own destiny, and to be in a position where we choose the trust that we feel meets our needs and shares our ethos.
"We are therefore entering a period of 6 weeks consultation which will enable all stakeholders to contribute to consideration of this proposal."
The letter concluded: "Please be assured that our governors act with the preservation of a high-quality Catholic education for the children of our community at the heart of everything that they do."
The nearby Notre Dame girls' secondary school became an academy in 2022, joining the South East London Catholic Academy Trust.
Academy trusts receive their funding directly from the Government, cutting out local councils from any role in their governance.
