To the leadership at Highfield School,

We appreciate the efforts that have been made to ask for our views on the 'academisation' of Highfield Primary School.

However, the meeting that took place on Tuesday 4 June was inaccessible to many parents and carers. It was mid-week, at an awkward time for people with work or commitments with other children to care for and also not inclusive - no information was available for people whose first language in the home isn't English, we were not made aware of any adjustments that were going to be made for people with accessibility needs etc.

We understand that considering the size of the school community, the meeting was not well attended.

The purpose of this petition is to collectively request further opportunities for face-to-face engagement.

The transference from Local Authority control to a MAT is a permanent move which has many implications for the future of the school. The FAQ process and the ability to occasionally talk to Mr Wilson at the school gates isn't sufficient to address all the concerns of the community, as well as really make us clear about all of the benefits of such a move.

We request the scheduling of further meetings, preferably later in the evening, and ideally on a Friday when people are more available. We would also welcome a remote option.

We appreciate this means the Leadership volunteering more of their time and we ask for this with full understanding of the commitment this takes. However, the proposal is a permanent, momentous move. The time invested in listening to our concerns, as well as further communicating the reasons why the Leadership is pursuing this, would be time very well spent.