WEDMORE First School is set to become an academy by July 1.

Governors have applied for academy status as they believe it would be in the best interests of the school, the community and its partners.

As reported in last week's Weekly News, King Alfred School in Highbridge is also considering converting to an academy, which means breaking away from local authority control and being funded directly by central Government.

Wedmore's governing body says it would bring many major benefits including 'significantly' more funding, greater control over budgets, less bureaucracy, increased flexibility with the curriculum, and enhanced support for partner schools.

In a letter to parents, head teacher Jackie Hipwell and chairman of governors Andy Whitehead wrote: “We remain committed to your child's education.

“We believe that academy status is an excellent opportunity to build on the high quality education that is provided at Wedmore First School and develop further the opportunities for all our pupils, staff and community.”

The school is currently holding a consultation and invited parents to an information evening on Monday where some of the finer details about the proposals were on show.

These include the timescale for becoming an academy, which the school hopes to achieve by July 1, and smaller points such as the school uniform remaining the same but the school name on the logo changing.

All staff will also continue to be employed by the governing body in the form of an academy trust.