A Catholic body in charge of schools in the area has accused the council of being “aggressive” and spreading “misinformation.”

Brentwood Diocese administers for Catholic primary and secondary schools in Redbridge but is unhappy with how the council has handled discussions surrounding plans to turn a number of schools into academies.

A number of schools, including Our Lady of Lourdes primary in Wanstead, are due to become academies which would involve them receiving funding directly from central government rather than from the local authority.

Redbridge Council is arguing that the track record of academies is poor in terms of performance and so has vowed to fight academisation wherever it appears in the borough.

But John Anthony, who is a member of the Good Shepherd Trust that manages existing Catholic academies in the area and works closely with Brentwood Diocese, took particular issue with Redbridge Council’s language when approaching the issue.

He said: “The diocese has made clear its policy through a series of meetings over the last three years to which every headteacher and chair of governors was invited.

“From the perspective of the Good Shepherd Trust, I have made clear our concerns over comments such as ‘arrogant disdain’, ‘blatant disregard for the need to be accountable in the public arena’, and ‘squalid behaviour’, in relation to the diocese of Brentwood.

“It is not language I would expect to hear from the local authority, it is aggressive and an intrusion into matters that are under the remit of the diocese, not a local authority.”

Mr Anthony went on to question the authority’s use of the words “forced academisation” to describe the process being embarked upon by the diocese.

He said: “It is emotive and does not reflect how we work in the Catholic education world. It is no more than the bishop’s policy and vision for his schools in the diocese of Bentwood.”

Mr Anthony explained Catholic schools are not under local authority control in the first place and are not being removed from local authority control when they become academies.

He believes there has been “considerable misinformation” about the process from the council.

He added: “I’ve been a governor and trustee of a number of Catholic schools in the local area for over 35 years. Our relationships with the local authorities are always, as far as I know, very positive. I am surprised, and quite saddened by the recent response by Redbridge to the bishop’s plans. I hope that the local authority will review its choice of language and in future make sure it sticks to the facts.”

Cllr Elaine Norman, cabinet member for children and young people, said: “The council stands with the school, parents, staff and professional associations who all share concerns about proposals from Brentwood Diocese which would see Roman Catholic schools in Redbridge forced to become academies without their agreement.

“Redbridge Council has a clear and unequivocal policy which opposes any school being forced to become an academy against the wishes of the parents, carers, staff and school community.

“The council has been proactively trying to engage with the diocese to secure a way forward which will see these high performing schools continuing to thrive and succeed in the future as they have done for many years as Voluntary Aided Schools.”