Government confirms Baverstock Academy closure

A consultation has finished on the future of the academy

A school that has been in special measures since November 2014 will close later this year, the Government has confirmed.

Campaigners have been calling for Baverstock Academy in Druids Heath, Birmingham to be saved but the Department for Education (DfE) confirmed the decision on Thursday.

The DfE said "financial irregularities" were uncovered in November 2015.

The school will close on 31 August 2017 so pupils can finish the school year.

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In February 2017, a former interim principal of the academy, said the school had "no future in its current state" and "should close as quickly as possible".

The DfE said it will work closely with Birmingham City Council to "identify alternative local school places for students."

The school is "undersubscribed", with a capacity of 1,330 but as of October 2016 there were 417 pupils at the school.

The MP for Selly Oak Steve McCabe said the decision to close Baverstock Academy "is nothing less than a complete betrayal of my constituents."