CONVERSION of one of the last remaining council-run secondary schools in Blackburn with Darwen to an academy has been completed.

In April, Blackburn with Darwen Council executive board members voted to defer a decision on whether to approve proposals to convert Blackburn Central High School into an academy run by the Champion Education Trust.

Members heard concerns had been raised about the legality of the school’s governing body.

Former council governor services manager, Sean Rogers, had said there were deficiencies in the consultation and issues around the governance of Blackburn Central High School.

Mr Rogers said the school’s governing body was illegal because just five of the 12 governors had been appointed by the East Blackburn Community Learning Trust, when government guidance says a majority must be trust-appointed.

But executive member for children’s services and education, Cllr Maureen Bateson, said the council had now received written confirmation from the Department for Education that the governing body was legally constituted at the point the school applied to become an academy.

And now Government bosses have confirmed the conversion has been completed.

Ofsted director Sean Harford said: "It is important to note that, as the academy converter is a new school, which may not yet

have been inspected, the inspection judgements of the predecessor school are not those of the new academy.

"However, the most recent inspection judgements of the predecessor school are taken into account by Ofsted for the purpose of scheduling the first inspection of the new academy converter.

"Some academy converters have replaced schools which were judged to be outstanding at their most recent Ofsted inspection. Under the Education Act 2011, most schools previously judged to be outstanding will be exempt from routine inspection.

"This means they will not be subject to inspection at regular intervals.

"However, three years after the predecessor school was last inspected it will be subject to Ofsted's formal risk-assessment

process, which may lead to an inspection."