THE Henry Box School is set to become the first school in Witney to reject county council control and become an academy.

Governors voted on Monday night to apply to the Department for Education for academy status, with the conversion likely to take place next June.

Chairman of governors Bob Bradley said it would give the 1,325-pupil school new freedoms and a financial boost.

The school, which was last year judged to be “good” by Ofsted, will consult staff, students, parents and the community about its plans.

Mr Bradley added: “The long-term belief was that the best people to make decisions about the school and the way it is run are the teachers, parents and governors of the school, rather than the county council sat in Oxford.

“That is the philosophical reason.

“In the short-term there is a financial reason, and although the Government has been quite clear that the funding for academies will be the same for academies and local authority-run schools, within that the county council holds back a significant sum to provide services.

“We will be able to buy them much more efficiently, and that way spend more money on education and standards than now.”

The Government is encouraging all schools judged to be performing well to apply for academy status.

Secondary school headteachers elsewhere in Oxfordshire have estimated converting to an academywas worth an extra £200,000 to their annual budgets, and Mr Bradley said the Church Green school was hoping for the “same order” of benefits. He said there were no planned changes to the school name or uniform.

He added: “We are not expecting any radical change immediately, but in the longer term this is about having those freedoms.”

Oxfordshire County Council has written to ministers warning that the rising numbers of schools applying for academy status could threaten its centrally provided education services.

Officers estimate that if all schools converted to academies, it could leave a £24m hole in its children and young people’s budget.

County Hall is pressuring ministers to change their financial calculations for converting schools.

Governors at Chipping Norton School were also due to take a decision on converting to academy status this week.