The campaign at Foundry primary school in Winson Green is at a crucial point. Rob Briscoe, the DfE’s hitman in Birmingham, told the governors on Thursday recently that they had to choose between two sponsors – Oasis and K12 – and make the decision on Thursday 6^th December. The chair of governors had invited Wolverhampton University to sponsor – they have set up the Education Central academy trust – and they were keen, but Briscoe vetoed them as ‘not suitable’.

K12 is an America schools-for-profit company which has just moved into the market here and has set up a front organisation called the Erudition Trust. They are opening their first school in England in Walsall in January, taking over North Walsall primary school. They made a presentation at the Thursday governors meeting. The following day LA officer Sue Twells announced that they had withdrawn – we don’t know why.