Call for county council to support Leamington secondary school over financial issues

Pressure is being put on Warwickshire County Council to help Trinity Catholic School in Leamington to recover from financial difficulties.
GV - Trinity School, Guy's Cliffe Avenue, Leamington Spa, where the School governing body, has been told to stand down. NNL-181109-193148009GV - Trinity School, Guy's Cliffe Avenue, Leamington Spa, where the School governing body, has been told to stand down. NNL-181109-193148009
GV - Trinity School, Guy's Cliffe Avenue, Leamington Spa, where the School governing body, has been told to stand down. NNL-181109-193148009

While there is no threat of the secondary school closing there are still doubts over the continuation of its sixth form.

Helen Adkins, county councillor for the Leamington Willes ward, said: ‘The problems at Trinity school are no one person’s fault.

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“Trinity is a victim of a perfect storm of problems, which include a drop in A Level funding per pupil and the ending of bus subsidies for voluntary aided schools under the Tory government six years ago.

Trinity Catholic School in LeamingtonTrinity Catholic School in Leamington
Trinity Catholic School in Leamington

“As a parent of two children who go to Trinity school, I know it to be an excellent school, with talented and passionate teachers, who work tirelessly for the good of its pupils.

“Trinity remains rated a ‘Good’ school by Ofsted.

“In the negotiations for Trinity’s financial position, I will continue to argue for two key things - one, that the loan Trinity pays back for its deficit be over the longest period possible to enable to the school to make a sustainable recovery and two - that the county council considers helping Trinity by wiping some, if not all, of its debt with money from its surplus.”

Cllr Bill Gifford, whose children also attended Trinity school, added: “The ethos of care and support at Trinity is unique and is often the deciding factor for many parents and students when choosing secondary school placement.

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“This has and will not change in the future with pastoral care being the heart of the school’s focus.

“It is a credit to Trinity staff that despite the pressures they face, they continue to put the needs of their students as the highest priority, never failing to provide the best quality pastoral support for all.”

Both councillors have said that Trinity School continues to play a key role in education provision for the Leamington and Warwick community and is highly recommended to parents by current and previous parents and pupils, despite its recent difficulties.

They have said that the reality is that many schools are struggling financially and moving into deficit due to increasing pressure from the Government.