TWO Banbury schools are looking at taking the radical step of breaking away from local authority control and managing their own destiny.

Banbury School, a secondary school in Ruskin Walk, and primary Dashwood School, are two of 14 schools across the county which have made a statement of interest in becoming academies.

If the move is approved, these schools will get extra cash — in the region of £500,000 for Banbury School — and control of their own budgets.

It would also mean school governors and headteachers would make decisions about the curriculum and what areas needed extra resources.

Last month, the new coalition Government threw down the gauntlet to schools to opt out of local authority control.

They would still be state-funded, but Oxfordshire County Council would no longer be responsible for the running of the schools.

Dr Fiona Hammans, principal at Banbury School, which is federated to Dashwood, said: “It is an expression of interest — we want to find out more about the whole thing.

“The governors are clear they have not made a decision because we don’t have enough information.

“But we are keen to make sure we are not going to miss a trick.”

Education Secretary Michael Gove set out his vision of education last month, and schools rated as outstanding by inspectors could be fast-tracked into academy status for the autumn.

Dr Hammans said if 1,700-pupil Banbury School opted to become an academy it could make the change as soon as next April.

At the moment the county council takes a slice of each school’s budget, but academy status could see Banbury School better off by £500,000 a year.

Dr Hammans said: “There are so many questions. Outstanding schools are going through process first so we will be able to see where there are advantages and difficulties.

“We want to make sure there are advantages for our pupils at Banbury or Dashwood schools.

“In Oxfordshire, 93 per cent of education funding goes direct to schools. If that money comes direct to the school to use, we could choose to buy more education psychologists.”

She said academy status would mean the school could focus on improving reading, writing and maths for vulnerable pupils rather than the National Curriculum.

The school, which has been rated ‘good’ by Ofsted, is hoping for talks with the Department for Education before the end of the summer term.

One headteacher who has already made the move to academy status, in September 2007, is Ruth Robinson, at North Oxfordshire Academy, formerly Drayton School.

In the past three years the school has seen massive investment, £16m in buildings and £1m in technology, a change in curriculum and school day, and improved exam results. Ms Robinson said: “The main thing was transforming the school and having a chance to re-open with a new identity, and galvanise the whole community behind it.”