Teachers at Montgomery Primary School strike over academy plans

Teachers at a primary school in Birmingham have gone on strike for a second time over plans to turn it into an academy. Governors at Montgomery Primary School in Sparkbrook have backed proposals to remove it from local authority control and seek an external sponsor. Education Secretary Michael Gove said academy status would improve standards at some of the poorest schools. Teachers at the school also took industrial action in December. In Ofsted's latest report, dating back to 2009, Montgomery Primary was rated as "satisfactory". Anne Brimacombe from the NASUWT teaching union said: "Parents and teachers feel the school is improving. "Results are set to go up this year and we don't think it's a failing school." She added that there were three outstanding schools in the area that could offer support to improve standards. The 200 poorest-performing schools in the country are being encouraged to seek academy status. The schools have been identified based on Key Stage Two Sats results between 2004 and 2009. 'Right course' Many schools opted out of Sats in 2010. The Department for Education said becoming an academy was the "right course" for Montgomery Primary, which has about 700 pupils and employs 150 staff. It said: "Sponsored Academy status will give the school the impetus it needs to raise standards and help pupils meet the national standards for literacy and numeracy. "Academies have already turned around hundreds of struggling secondary schools across the country and are improving their results at twice the national average rate." Some parents at the school have said they have not been consulted properly over the proposals. Birmingham City Council said it was supporting the school and a consultation over the plans would take place.