PARENTS made their voices heard on Wednesday night as Neale-Wade Community College held a consultation meeting to discuss becoming an academy.

Governors are still considering whether the March school should break away from local authority control - receiving their funding directly from central government instead.

It is thought that becoming an academy would lead to a significant increase in the school’s funding as well as giving it freedom from the National Curriculum.

It would also have the ability to set its own staff pay levels and conditions and the ability to change the length of school days and terms.

New Neale-Wade Principal Jason Wing said around 50 parents attended the consultation meeting and most were “generally in favour”.

He said: “Any negative comments were associated with the ‘old style’ of academy which is where the school was failing and then was instructed to become an academy.

“This is certainly not the case with Neale-Wade and we are only at the stage of consulting with staff, parents and our students.

“The majority of the parents could see the benefit of possibly converting to an academy as it would allow the college greater flexibility and increased funding.

“Any additional funding would be channelled into enhancing the teaching and learning and the driving up of standards for all of our children.

“At the moment no decisions have been made by the governors of the college.”

Ofsted judgements could lead Neale-Wade to collaborate with other Fenland schools in order to achieve academy status.

The outcome of the consultation will be presented to the full governing body before a final decision is made.

Phase one of Neale-Wade’s �25million redevelopment under the Building Schools for the Future programme has already been completed.