CAMPAIGNERS have dismissed council findings that people are in favour of a controversial academy school in Great Lever after collecting thousands of signatures opposing the plans.

A petition signed by 3,000 people against proposals to turn a secondary school into a privately-backed academy has been handed to Bolton’s education boss, Cllr Ebrahim Adia.

Campaigners say that people are against transforming Hayward School in Great Lever into an academy — which they claim contradicts the results of a previous study carried out by the council.

Council figures suggested 84 per cent of people they spoke to were in favour of Hayward becoming an academy.

Hayward School, and Withins School in Breightmet, have both been earmarked to become an academy. A “notice of closure” for the schools was issued by Bolton Council in October and a consultation period was launched.

The decision on the future of the schools will be made by the council later this month, following another, more formal consultation period. Academies are managed by “sponsors” — in the case of Hayward it is the Bolton-based Cohen Chemist Group and the local authority — and the council says the scheme will attract £45 million in investment.

But Alan Johnson, member of Bolton Anti-Academies Alliance, said: “This petition was focused on Hayward School and the results are clear. We spoke to people living in the catchment area of Hayward School and they do not want businesses running their school, they want it to remain a community school under the local authority.” Cllr Adia, executive member for children’s services, said: “We will of course consider all the views made known to us through the consultation process.”