Parents are against proposals for Gladstone Park Primary School in Sherrick Green Road

Government officials have dismissed calls from parents to scrap a proposal that would see a popular primary school become an academy, despite new figures showing significant progress by pupils.

Gladstone Park Primary School in Sherrick Green Road, Dollis Hill, is currently battling against the Department for Education which wants a private sponsor for the school and take it away from local authority control.

Last November a report by education standards body Ofsted labelled the school “inadequate” due to slow progress in the middle years.

But parents said they have a plan of action to improve and say figures released yesterday (Tuesday) show a marked improvement.

Parents claim that when using the average point score, a grading system based on test and exam results, pupils have been improving at above average level in reading, writing and maths for the last two terms.

Mike Baker, who has a child in reception said: “The DfE [Department for Education] should recognise the excellent progress made by the school under its existing governance arrangements and end the uncertainty over its future by withdrawing the threat to forced academisation.

“This is in the interests of our children’s education, which should surely be everyone’s paramount concern.”

However, a DfE spokesman dismissed parents’ claims and insisted becoming an academy was the best way forward.

He said: “We are clear that the best way forward for an underperforming school is to become an academy with the support of a strong sponsor.”

For information on the fight to save GPS from becoming an academy go to: http://www.savegladstoneparkschool.blogspot.co.uk/