Governors at the school have initiated a consultation process with the aim of converting Sweyne Park into an Academy from September 2013, and of adding a Sixth Form to the school from 2014.
By converting to Academy status, Sweyne Park School - which is already rated as ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted - would be able to build further on its success, by giving its Headteacher, Andy Hodgkinson, and the Governors greater financial freedom and by making the school less reliant on local authority approval for initiatives they wish to undertake, in order to improve the life chances of pupils.
Commenting on the news, Mark Francois said:
“I am a strong believer in the Academy process and I am therefore wholly supportive of the school’s ambition to convert to Academy status. As someone who has visited the school on many occasions, I am already aware of the high standards at Sweyne Park School, as clearly evidenced by their achievement of an Outstanding rating by Ofsted in 2009-10.
With regard to the proposal to add a Sixth Form the following year, I do appreciate the value that Sixth Forms can add to a school, not just in helping to develop its ethos but also in helping to prepare pupils for further opportunities, including in higher education. Given that no secondary school in Rayleigh currently has a Sixth Form, I think it would be a very positive development to have such an institution available to young people in the town and I hope that both projects are successful.”