The Government has approved Academies Enterprise Trust (AET) as the preferred co-sponsor for the academy at Shene School and has agreed the next stage in the process can begin.

Richmond Council announced AET as its choice for co-sponsor of a new academy - an independent, all-ability school run by sponsors - on the site of the Park Road school in the summer and earlier this week it was approved.

The borough’s education supremo said he was “very pleased” with the decision and also the news that the authority and AET can prepare an Expression of Interest document (EoI), which sets out more information about the plan.

Richmond Council will act as co-sponsor of the new academy and Councillor Malcolm Eady, cabinet member for education and children’s services, said one of the reasons AET were chosen was they were prepared to work with the authority.

He added: “This partnership will bring valuable educational expertise and resources, and will enable it to move quickly to being an outstanding school.

“AET believe in strong participation by the local community and have also made it clear they will work in co-operation with other local educational establishments.

“Shene, as with out other proposed academies, will stay firmly within the family of Richmond schools.”

A formal consultation on the proposed closures of Hampton Community College (HCC) and Whitton School started last month and if agreed both schools will close on August 31 2010 and be replaced with academies run by Swedish education firm Kunskapsskolan the following day.

The process at Shene is behind due to problems with sponsor Edutrust, which was subsequently dropped as the main partner and replaced by AET.

David Triggs, chief executive of AET, said his company was committed to working with the council and doing everything possible to ensure pupils can make a contribution to the world.

The EoI for Shene is set to go before the council’s education overview and scrutiny committee in early November and be signed off by cabinet later that month - it is hoped the academy will open next August.