Over £2m of taxpayers money is due to be spent on privatising two of Croydon’s schools.

The Save Our Schools (SOS) campaign made a Freedom of Information request for the cost of turning Ashburton Schools and Haling Manor into academies.

Figures obtained from the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) show a budget of £1,058,899 for Ashburton and £981,666 for Haling Manor.

Anti-academy campaigners say the money would be better spent on classroom support assistants and extra learning mentors, rather than on the privatisation of Croydon’s school.

The money is for legal and consultation fees as well as preparing the academies for opening, hiring staff and office expenses.

SOS also asked Croydon Council for a breakdown of its costs for turning the schools into academies.

The FOI request being made in May and the council have still not released the information.

Shasha Khan, a member of SOS and the Green Party, said: “Much of the £2,000,000 has been spent on the feasibility of the proposal, legal and consultative-related tasks plus management fees.

“It’s awful to think that this money could have been spent on classroom support assistants, extra learning mentors, Saturday homework clubs and the like.

“There has always been a feeling that the driver behind the academies programme is the privatisation of community schools at whatever cost.

“What is more galling is that both Oasis and Harris – the respective sponsors – are not obliged to pump any of their own money in as they already control other schools.”

The Ashburton budget includes £281,229 which covers the assessment of the feasibility of the proposal. This includes legal, educational and consultations and project management fees. Haling Manor’s budget for this is £282,697.

Transition and building costs for the opening of the academies are expected to run to £381,352 for the Ashburton academy. For Haling Manor the cost is £234,816.

In addition, £236,318 will be given as grant to the Ashburton academy trust and £304,153 to Haling Manor to cover the early appointment of key staff, office expenses and other costs.

There will also be a small capital grant of £160,000 to the predecessor schools for environmental improvement.

The building costs of the Haling Manor project have not yet been finalised but will run into the millions as it involves building a new sixth form as well as other improvements.

Croydon Council refused to comment.

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