CHANGE is sweeping across the region’s secondary schools with the anouncement that three more schools are in the process of becoming academies.

Governors at Queen Katherine School in Kendal have voted unanimously to start the application process to become an academy school.

Kirkbie Kendal School governors are meeting to discuss whether to proceed with an application and Lancaster Royal Grammar School announced the school would change at the beginning of February next year.

They are all following in the footsteps of Queen Elizabeth School at Kirkby Lonsdale – which yesterday became the first secondary in the county to gain the controversial status.

Dallam School at Milnthorpe is also on target to become an academy next February.

Education secretary Michael Gove invited schools judged outstanding by Ofsted to become academies in June, a move he said would give school bosses more control over their finances, admissions policy and curriculum.

Mr Gove has since opened up the invitation to more schools and now six of the 10 schools in the South Lakes Federation of Schools have registered an interest.

Queen Katherine head Steve Wilkinson said: “I am pleased with this decision. Governors think the extra freedom and financial advantages would be a significant benefit to the school. We are now in a more formal stage of consultation.”

The school’s consultation phase with staff, parents and the wider community runs until January 7.

He added: “Governors are of the opinion that as other South Lakes Federation Schools become academies then this will enhance the purpose of the federation.”

Kirkbie Kendal School is still in the early stages of negotiation over a status change and governors need to vote on whether to start a consultation period.

Head teacher Phil Hynam said that, while changing status was unlikely to yield major changes to school life, it would give better control over the curriculum and ensure the school could use its resources to the best of its abilities. He added that a ‘South Lakes Federation of Academies’ could be seen as a natural progression to the work the federation already did for teacher’s development and opportunities for students.

Lancaster Royal Grammar School head Andrew Jarman said becoming an academy offered two big advantages: greater independence in terms of academic direction and access to funding previously spent on the school’s behalf.