A THIRD Crow country school has made its first moves towards become an Academy.

Melbourn Village College has opened a consultation with parents, pupils and teachers, following similar recent moves from Bassingbourn Village College and the joint federation of Meridian, Roysia and Greneway schools in Royston.

Elaine Stephenson, warden at the college, said: “We have not entered this process lightly, but with much discussion over many months about what is best for our students.

“We remain committed to offering the best opportunities for our students and achieving even greater academic success as a College. We believe that converting to an Academy is the best way forward for our students and the college and we are excited by the possibilities it will offer”.

Schools and colleges with Academy status operate outside local authority control, which in Melbourn’s case is Cambridgeshire County Council.

The proposal will mean the college retains its own governing body, but will receive less county council funding.

The school has performed well recently, appearing in the top 20 per cent of national schools and having consistently above average GCSE results.

In 2010 it was place in the top three schools in the county alongside Comberton and Swavesey Village Colleges.

The consultation process will run throughout this month with a public meeting at the College at 7pm on May 19 . A final decision will be made following the consultation.