A DEAL has been agreed in a bid to bring stability to under-fire St Luke’s School.

Back in September, parents of children in years 7 to 10 spoke of their shock after being given just one day’s notice that the school - which caters for pupils who have been removed from mainstream education - was set to close its doors.

A letter from Swindon Borough Council cited health and safety concerns that had emerged after the scale of staff shortages was realised.

The closure was initially expected to be very short-lived, but some pupils ended up missing in excess of a month of teaching.

A damning Ofsted report, published following an inspection last year, saw St Luke’s placed into special measures.

The regional schools commissioner appointed the White Horse Federation (WHF) - a multi-academy trust already responsible for other schools in Swindon - to become the troubled school’s sponsor.

The Adver understands that it was an interim executive board, installed by the federation, that highlighted the scale of concern around staffing numbers and moved to close the doors.

In a bid to bring some semblance of normality back to the school, the borough council and WHF have now reached an in-principle agreement for its management moving forward.

St Luke’s will remain a community school with the council retaining legal responsibility, but the operations, including all aspects of day to day management, will be devolved to the WHF.

The parties hope the deal represents the first step in moving towards a formal deal which will see the council hand over full legal and operational control, finally bringing some resolution to an unfortunate period of uncertainty for the staff, students and families.

Dr Nicholas Capstick, chief executive of the federation, said: “This is an exciting move forward and the stability that this move will bring is just the first step in returning this school to where it should be.

“This joint venture with SBC means that the school’s future will be protected and this will produce better outcomes for St Luke’s, staff and pupils in the longer term.”

Peter Nathan, the council's head of education, added: “I am delighted we have reached an agreement with the White Horse Federation and I am looking forward to this productive partnership and the improvements it will bring to St Luke’s.”