A Middlewich school is set to be transferred from local authority control to become an academy.

Cheshire East's children and families committee will be asked next month to give the go-ahead for Cledford Primary School to become part of the Alexandra Academy Trust.

The school is currently maintained by Cheshire East and the council owns the land, building, equipment and employs the staff.

The school and governing board began to consider options for academisation in September 2022 and the Department for Education granted an academy order in December 2023 for the school to convert on September 1, 2024.

Cheshire East's consent is not required for the school to convert to an academy but council consent is needed for the commercial and land transaction.

The children and families committee will be asked next month to give officers authority to deal with the transfer agreements.

Once this has been agreed, Cledford Primary will no longer be under the control of the local authority and will be transferred to a charitable trust.

The staff and assets of the school will also be transferred to the charity with the school building and land being leased to them by the council on a 125-year lease, and the charitable trust receiving funding direct from the government.

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The report to next month's committee states: "Alexandra Academy Trust was established on 1 February 2016. It currently has two Cheshire East primary academies."

Cledford Primary School is a two-form entry school with a capacity for 420 pupils.

It currently has 300 pupils on roll.

It is one of 51 primary schools in Cheshire East which has not already converted to an academy.

There are currently 72 primary academies in the borough.

The children and families committee meeting takes place at 2pm on Monday, June 3 at Cheshire East Council's Westfields offices in Sandbach.