It faces being taken over by Matrix academy trust, a large corporate west midlands wide trust with no existing specialist special educational needs expertise. The takeover will see the end of Elmwood having its own dedicated governing body with parent and staff governors accountable to the school community and key decisions will be made by Matrix instead of the school. Elmwood currently has a dedicated and ring fenced school budget but once taken over it could lose valuable Special needs funding to other schools in Matrix. The School take over will also see a drop of 2% in core funding and the loss of around £700 per pupil per year on an already tight budget. The school also sits on valuable land that could be lost in the future.

We are calling on the school to

Stop the academisation plans

Maintain its own dedicated board of governors

Fully and transparently consult with parents, staff and the local community over the plans for the school