More than 60 members of staff from the high-profile Durand Academy Trust have signed a letter to the board of governors, urging it to cease its campaign against a takeover by the Harris Federation.

The South London academy launched the campaign earlier this year, after the Department for Education announced that it wanted Harris to run the school.

The school’s website links to a separate campaign site, including a petition calling for Durand to be allowed to partner with the nearby Dunraven School, instead of becoming part of the Harris chain.

But a letter seen by Tes, signed by 37 teachers and 27 other staff, states that the campaign no longer represents the views of staff and is simply “delaying the inevitable”.

Many staff members, it says, “are not opposed to being taken over by Harris Academy”. It adds: “In fact, we believe this option has the potential to take the school in a positive direction.”

‘A good option for both staff and pupils’

The letter continues: “Although we were in support of the campaign to begin with, we now feel it does not accurately represent the opinions of staff. The campaign has started to refer to the Harris Federation in a negative light and could lead people to believe that this is a common viewpoint shared by all staff here at the school.”

A recent tweet sent from the school’s official Twitter account shows the chair of governors, Angel Leue Taim, with a Hoover. Ms Leue Taim says in the video: “Durand Academy does not want to be swallowed up by the Harris Hoover.” The video - shown in the screenshot below - was seen by Tes, but has now been deleted.

The letter from staff, dated 27 March, states: “The common consensus amongst staff is that in continuing to pursue ‘Protect Durand’, we are delaying the inevitable.”

Staff want to see the school’s future decided as soon as possible, and are also anxious about their job security, it says.

The letter adds: “Although Dunraven would have been a great opportunity for the school, we feel that the window of opportunity has closed. Harris Academy is an established federation with 44 Ofsted ‘good’ and ‘outstanding’ schools, and we believe this will be a good option for both staff and pupils.”

Last June, the DfE gave the trust one year’s notice that its funding agreement would be ended and the school would be transferred to a new sponsor, because of breaches to its funding agreement and its refusal to comply with requirements from the DfE.

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