WROUGHTON’S leisure centre will return to control of Ridgeway School after a short-lived management contract with Nuffield Health was terminated early by mutual agreement.

The partnership, which saw the not-for-profit organisation take over management of the leisure centre in 2013, will finish at the end of August, several years early.

Steve Colledge, executive headteacher of Ridgeway School and Sixth Form, has said the decision was made with the consent of both parties after agreeing the school would be able to run the facilities equally well.

The contract was taken up two years ago following concerns the school could be incurring unnecessary financial risk.

“The contract with Nuffield will come to an end by mutual agreement at the end of August and we will then take back direct control of the leisure centre,” said Mr Colledge.

“We undertook the idea of outsourcing management to see whether it could be run in a different way, and also to mitigate any financial risk to the school of operating the centre.

“At the end of the year as we reviewed it, it would be true to say it could be run as effectively by the school as by any managing group.

“There is no animosity in the separation.

“Nuffield have sharpened our thinking and challenged our ideas about the leisure centre as a business for community provision.

“We have worked closely with Nuffield and they have updated our procedures and will continue to be involved with us in training.”

Concerns were first raised in August 2013, when posters began appearing around the leisure centre informing residents of the proposed change of management, sparking an angry reaction from residents who feared a sell-off. However, for the last two years, the provision of the leisure centre, which boasts a swimming pool and gym, has not altered dramatically.

Ridgeway School have said the arrangement has meant they are better able to understand the business of running the centre, and now feel confident taking back the reins.

“When they hand it over it will have been refocused and restructured,” Mr Colledge added.

“Nothing perceptible to the community will change when they hand it back over.”

Resident Adam Poole opposed the original handover as there was no public consultation, and is now calling for a management committee for the centre to ensure residents have an input.

“Whilst I broadly welcome this as a victory for common sense, particularly as the leisure centre has been partially funded by both Lottery money and the local community through sponsored activities, I am a little concerned about what may happen in the future to this widely-used facility given the school’s past failure to consult the local community,” he said.

“I would therefore call on the school to establish a management committee for the leisure centre that includes representatives of the local community and the people who use the leisure centre.”