PARENTS are furious that a principal on a six-figure salary is being sought for the Portland Academy before a ‘community consultation’ is due to start.

The post of principal/chief executive is now being advertised by the £7million academy’s lead sponsor the Aldridge Foundation and interviews are due to be held on September 26 and 28.

Parents blasted the consultation process and described the advertisement as ‘underhand’ and ‘hasty’, ahead of the academy’s planned opening in September 2012.

The search for a principal comes ahead of the drop-in ‘community consultations’ which will be held on the island on September 8, 9 and 10.

The advert was originally placed online in July and was withdrawn again.

Sarah-Jo Boyle, whose daughter Lauren attends St George's Primary School and son Jacob is at Royal Manor School, said: “I was under the impression the advert had been withdrawn.

“It does sound like they're being quite hasty in trying to get somebody to lead it. It gives me even more of the impression that it's a done deal before anyone has had the chance to have their say.”

Mum-of-two Rachel Siddons, whose son Conagh goes to Southwell Community Primary School, said: “A lot of parents are angry about the way this consultation is being done.

“It was underhand to advertise this during the school holidays.”

Alison Moore's son Douglas, six, attends Southwell Primary. She said: “Why are we being told that it's still in the feasibility stage when it's obviously further along?

“We are not being told the whole story – I think that’s what’s annoying most parents, we are being kept in the dark.

“It might be good for the older children but not the primary school children, they need to leave the primary schools alone. They need to be open and up front about what they’re doing.

“The salary seems quite high but it doesn’t surprise me.”

Sian Thomas Cutts, chairman of St George’s Primary School PTA, said: “This does seem very underhand. A six figure salary, that’s an over the top wage. It’s not going to sit very well with people, especially if they are not being asked if they want this development.

“We’re told there’s going to be a consultation but it all seems to be a foregone conclusion.”

Hannah Barnwell, who has two daughters at Southwell Primary, said parents should have been allowed to vote on the future of their children’s education.

She added: “To be advertising a job now and telling us it’s not set in stone is wrong.”

West Dorset District Councillor Ros Kayes criticised the consultation process.

She said: “It’s forward of them to be advertising for a job when they don’t know what the school is going to be. To me it suggests it’s a done deal – it’s not transparent.

“To advertise a six figure salary when they haven’t decided on a business plan, I’m concerned about where all the money is coming from.

“They have got the whole process the wrong way round. It suggests that things are being decided behind closed doors.

“The community of Portland deserves better than that.”

Peter Craske, communications manager for the Aldridge Foundation, said: “We want to get the right person for the job so applications are open now. There will be an interview process to find the right person.”

He defended claims that the principal’s six-figure salary is excessive.

“This is to be the principal of a huge academy, it's a much bigger scale project than the principal for an individual school at the moment on the island.

“It’s planned that the academy will open next September so we are looking to get someone in place for January because there will be a lot of work to do before it opens.”

Mr Craske stressed that the appointment would only be made if the academy went ahead.

“The process to appoint someone has got to start because if the academy does go ahead, it’s such a long time line to get the right person in place,” he said.

How the saga unfolded

PLANS to site the academy at Southwell Business Park from September 2012 are described as offering ‘opportunities that most schools can only dream about’ including purpose-built theatre and cinema sports facility, swimming pool and gymnasium, residential accommodation, safe inner courtyards and spaces for younger pupils.

Plans are also outlined for keeping education at ‘two existing and trusted smaller sites on the island’ to ensure that all younger children can go to a local base and to provide the first ever proper post-16 facilities for Portland for the very first time.

The Aldridge Foundation is to become the lead sponsor of a proposed innovative “all-through” Academy in Portland, Dorset, catering for four to 19-year-olds.

The government is to put £7million into the project.

Your chance to comment

HEADTEACHERS and governors of Portland schools are inviting people to a series of ‘drop in’ sessions to comment on the proposed academy for Portland.

The formal consultation process runs from September 5 to the end of October.

These meetings will give people a chance to learn more about the plans and to discuss ideas with representatives of the schools taking part and the sponsors in person.

The sessions will be taking place at the following times: Thursday September 8, British Legion Club, Fortuneswell, 6pm - 8pm, Friday September 9, Southwell Business Park, Ocean Bar and Bistro Foyer, 6.30pm-8.30pm, Saturday September 10 Southwell Business Park, Foyer, Maritime House, 9am to 12pm.

At these events, there will be material providing more details about the Academy, the sponsors and the ambitions they have to create one of the country's best education facilities.

Attendees will be invited to complete a questionnaire, which can be returned to any of the schools that are forming the proposed Academy for Portland.

In addition, during the consultation period, online questionnaires will be available via the websites of the individual schools or at www.aldridgefoundation.com