PLANS to remove two secondary schools from local authority control have been deferred indefinitely, it has been reported.

The Guardian understands that a unanimous decision was made by governors at George Mitchell All-Through School last night not to form a school trust with Norlington School for Boys until certain conditions are met.

It is not yet known where these conditions are and it is understood no time frame has been set to meet them.

Under the plans, part of the Government’s Building Schools for the Future scheme, the two schools would have come under a single trust, headed by the Institute of Education.

A last-ditch bid by members of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) to persuade governors at Norlington to drop the council-backed plans at a meeting last week failed but the decision from George Mitchell has sparked cautious celebration.

Rinaldo Frezzato, Waltham Forest secretary of the NUT, said: “I’m extremely happy about this – it shows what we’ve said all along.

“My recommendation would be for the local authority to forget it, withdraw the plans and consider the schools still community schools.”

NUT members, who have staged a number of strikes at the school in protest at the plan, say the move would remove local accountability and not benefit pupils.

They are opposed to the change of employer and feared the decision would have a damaging effect on their pay and conditions.

Members of the University and College Union at the Institute of Education have also spoken against the plans.

The plan to incorporate the trust schools on a new leisure complex on part of Leyton Sports Ground, off High Road, has also prompted anger.

Campaigners fear a loss of valuable green space will have a detrimental effect on the local community.

Helen Jeffery, who is head of George Mitchell and has been strongly in favour of the plans, said: "The George Mitchell governing body met last night to discuss further the trust proposals and took the view that they were still not in a position to take final decisions.

"They have sought assurances from the local authority on a small number of issues - these included location of the new school and finance."

A spokesman for Waltham Forest Council said: “The governing bodies of George Mitchell and Norlington formally agreed last May that their schools should become trust schools under a trust with the Institute of Education as a partner.

"The trust's constitution needs to be agreed by both governing bodies before the trust is implemented. Norlington's governing body approved the documents at its meeting on 18 November.

"The executive director of children services was there and answered various questions from governors, but some required more detailed answers. The governing body deferred a decision until these had been received.

"The Council will provide written answers within the next few days, so that the governing body can approve the trust constitution as soon as possible and the trust can be implemented on January 1, as planned.”