School facing academisation and told not to appoint newly qualified teachers nevertheless does so

Campaigners protesting this summer against the proposed transfer of Springfield primary to the REAch2 chain

A beleaguered school,  in the midst of protracted plans to be taken over by one of England’s largest academy chains, has appointed newly qualified teachers even though its latest Ofsted report says it cannot.

Springfield primary, in Birmingham, has been in special measures since May 2015, with academisation in the pipeline since 2016. This is still on the cards despite extensive strike action by staff against the plans last academic year.

However, the parent campaign against the school’s academisation has stated that it went through a different leadership team every year over the period September 2015-July 2018, and that many teachers left the school over the summer.

In a letter dated July 12^th, sent to Birmingham local authority, the head of the “Interim Executive Board” running the school and the local MP, Jess Phillips, among others, the campaigners signalled their unhappiness that the school had then appointed six newly qualified teachers.