Another victory for Hove Park School parents opposed to academy status

Campaigners against Hove Park School becoming an academy scored another resounding victory.

Campaigners against Hove Park School becoming an academy - outside of local accountability - scored another resounding victory today.

Three candidates who have expressed views against the school converting to an academy won seats on the governing body.

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In a significant development, the longstanding vacancies were filled by Hands Off Hove Park School (@NoToHPSacademy) campaigners, Sarah Arjun and Mark Radcliffe - along with Andrew Whippey, whose candidate statement indicated he was against academy conversion.

The election results come only a day after 71% of parents voted against the academy plans in a (non-binding) council-run ballot.

Brighton and Hove City Council instructed the school to carry out the elections when anti-academy campaigners discovered three out of the six posts for parent-governors had been left vacant, one since December 2013.

Sharon Duggal, who finished fourth in the polls, said: 'This sends another very, very clear message to the school that people just do not want Hove Park to become an academy.

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'Two of the successful candidates were put forward by Hands Off Hove Park, and the other is anti-academy too - so it's a big win for us.

'It's another statement to the governors, and I don't really see a way that they can justify the decision to convert now.

'The top three candidates got 170, 141 and 134 votes and then I was fourth with 131.

'The next candidates were in the 80s and 70s all the way down to the 30s.'

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