SO City Academy School Whitehawk is being taken over by a national academy chain, a decision which has caused considerable debate over the past few days.

Executive head David Williams says it is the right decision while Labour councillors insist the Aurora Trust has been imposed on the city.

This is a political football but there is only one important thing here and that is the education of our young people.

Go back a few years and Whitehawk was performing badly.

Yes, it is in a challenging area but still there was a genuine feeling that the school needed to be doing better.

Enter City College Brighton and Hove – under a different leadership at the time – which became the primary school sponsor.

David Williams, who we knew well from his time at City College, was drafted into Whitehawk.

And yes standards, the most important aspect of any school, have risen and so much work has been done by staff, governors and the whole community to achieve that.

City College is now in a different place and after a rocky few years itself is moving in a completely different direction.

So where does that leave City Academy School Whitehawk?

The Government has decided that it should now be run by a national academy chain. This chain already operates in Sussex and appears to have made improvements where it has been involved.

Parents, staff, governors, children and the community should be pleased to hear that. The one desire of everyone is that progress continues to be made at the school.

Schools are having a challenging time. Budgets are tight and league tables remain crucial whether we like it or not. Some are in favour of academies. Others – including Labour city councillors – remain dead against the principle.

Push all the politics aside and let’s hope this is the right solution for Whitehawk. Time will tell.