Protesters outside Holland Park School
(Picture: Twitter)
Governors at Holland Park School have voted for it to join the country’s largest multi-academy trust despite a campaign against the move.
The governing body has announced that it will recommend the school – once known as the Socialist Eton - joins United Learning.
The final decision now rests with the government.
The school’s reputation has been battered in recent months after a bombshell investigation found a culture of “fear, favouritism and inequality.”
Former teachers and students said the school was a toxic working environment where bullying and intimidation was rife and that excessive shouting was used as a form of discipline.
New governors were brought in to tackle the problems, but there has been a major row over the future of the school, with some parents opposed to it becoming part of a multi-academy chain and saying they were not consulted properly.
A spokesman for Holland Park School said there has been a “comprehensive consultation process” and a decision on the school’s future will now be taken by the government.
He said: “For many years before the Governing Body was reconstituted late last year, Holland Park School was a place where a significant number of students and staff – as evidenced in the recently published independent investigation – experienced toxic practices, inequality, failure to safeguard and bullying.
“These were endured over a long period of time. There was poor pastoral care, leadership and governance, and there was financial mismanagement, as highlighted in the Notice to Improve issued to the school by the Government.”
He said the new governors have worked “incredibly hard” to address the school’s problems, adding: “We are aware that not everyone will agree with the Governing Body’s recommendation of United Learning. However, its decision reflects the fact that the Board believes the school’s future is best served within a strong academy trust that has the capacity and experience to support the school given its position. More importantly, they believe it is in the best interests of the students, so that they all have the best educational experience possible.”
