Academy status was ‘best path’ for Edenham Primary School

A village primary school has entered a new chapter in its history by becoming an academy.

Edenham Primary School worked in close partnership with a group of other schools known as the Pathfinder Partnership to become academies, while at the same time remaining part of the Lincoln Anglican Academy Trust (LAAT).

The school will maintain its Church of England character whilst becoming part of the LAAT family of church and non-church schools.

Headteacher at Edenham Kris Radford-Rea said: “Whilst many in our school community fundamentally disagree with the academies programme it became clear that if we wish to maintain our genuine character and distinctive curriculum, it was the best possible path for us.

“We are very proud of our individual character and we have always worked in partnership with other schools and organisations. Ultimately, schools exist for improving the learning and life outcomes for all pupils – not just those in our own school.

“Increasingly the requirements on schools have become formalised, restrictive and isolationist. Every school or even individual academy trusts, should not be ‘islands’ and we did not want to be part of a group who promoted this.

“We all know that becoming an academy does not automatically guarantee record-breaking academic standards or that any school will be better off financially.

“However, as an academy, the LAAT is already striving to shoulder some of the bureaucracy that we are subject to freeing our staff up to focus on the main job of a school – teaching, and teaching well.”

Mrs Radford-Rea said becoming an academy would also “allow us more freedom in our curriculum”.

She added that past and present members of the Edenham School community, including parents, governors and Friends of the School, supported the Governors’ decision to convert.