A FAILING city primary has performed so disastrously that the local education authority is seeking Government intervention to close it down and re-open it under new leadership.

Elbury Mount Primary School would become one of only a handful of crisis-hit schools in the country - and the first in Worcestershire - forced into a "fresh start".

After five years of falling standards - including both serious weaknesses and special measures - county council chairman Dr George Lord claimed it had "failed" its pupils.

The LEA has already withdrawn financial control of the school from the board of governors, who have failed to satisfactorily address low standards.

And director of education Julien Kramer is hoping the Fairfield Close school can be given a "clean slate" thanks to the Government initiative.

"The county council is committed to keeping a school on the site but the board of governors has not been not carrying out its duties," said Mr Kramer.

"At a meeting last night, it was clear that many of the governors were not aware how serious the situation is, with some not even told the result of HMI reports on the school.

"There has not been strategic leadership, and the board has failed to secure high standards and has not accepted professional advice.

"Recent inspections have shown the situation has become much worse and the people of Elbury Mount deserve better."

Unless the governors agree to resign - which they have not yet done - Education Secretary Charles Clarke will be asked to agree to an interim executive board to run the school.

The Brickfields school would then close on August 31, 2004, and re-open the following day with a new, permanent board of governors.

At the same time, a headteacher from a successful county school would be drafted in to oversee the first 12 to 18 months of the "new" school's development.

"We gave the school a wonderful opportunity in 2000, when we put in money and gave it a real chance to provide quality education to children in the area," said Dr Lord.

"As an authority we need to accept that it has failed a second time."

In the last five years, pupil numbers have fallen by almost 70 per cent - from around 400 to just 134 - in spite of a £4.4m investment, which has begun on the school and nearby Fairfield Centre.

The school was unavailable for comment at the time the Evening News went to press.