PLECKGATE High School is set to become an academy, leaving just one other secondary in Blackburn with Darwen under the council’s control.

A consultation on the proposal was launched by the school’s board weeks after Pleckgate came out of special measures for the first time since last February.

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The decision has been branded ‘a kick in the teeth’ to the hard work of staff by community leaders while the NUT said it was a ‘tragic day’.

The proposal for the school, which has almost 1,200 pupils, to sever ties with the local authority has the backing of Nicky Morgan, the secretary of state for education.

It would be sponsored by the Blackburn-based Education Partnership Trust, which already has The Heights Free School and Eden School in the town.

If the school becomes an academy it will leave just St Bede’s Catholic High School as the only secondary school in the borough under council control.

Simon Jones, the NUT’s Blackburn with Darwen representative, said: “This is a tragic day for the borough as we have lost the last community secondary school, leaving just Roman Catholic school St Bede’s.

“The move will affect the education standards at the school and could have a devastating affect.

“We will fight this and I expect that there will be a vigorous campaign in the community as well.”

Former head of geography at the school, David Isherwood, who was there for 20 years, said: “There is absolutely no reason for it to become an academy now it is out of special measures.

“The staff are against it and always have been.

“Five years ago the school was performing well and was one of the best in the town but now it’s just a shell of its former self.”

Ward councillor Phil Riley said: “I’m not convinced that this was a step that was needed.

“I’m astonished by the timing of this as it has just come out of special measures.

“It had clearly been making progress under its own steam and this is a kick in the teeth to the members of staff that have put in the hard work over the last year.”

Council leader Kate Hollern said: “It’s sad that a school that is now doing well should take this route but this is the Government’s preferred way.

“With Harry Catterall, the council’s chief executive, on the board of the trust this ensures it will be more of a partnership than a conventional academy.”

Deputy Conservative leader on the council, Cllr Colin Rigby, said: “Clearly there is a problem in the education department at the council because the schools feel that they do no get the level of support they deserve from the council.”

John Banks, chairman of the interim executive board at the school who has requested the consultation, said: “As Pleckgate is no longer in special measures we can now look at ways in which we can best rapidly improve achievement for all students and access the appropriate support to enable us to do this.”

The school was placed in special measures in February 2014 after being rated as ‘inadequate’ only two years after being considered a ‘good’ school by the inspectors.

At the time the inspectors said that there were tensions between governors, teachers and the then-headteacher Cherry Ridgway, who left the school a month later.

The school is currently being led by acting head Mark Bradshaw and interviews are taking place this week for a permanent replacement for Mrs Ridgway.