A LONG-serving school governor claims he was removed from his post for voicing concerns about Dudley Council 'forcing' pupils from Coseley School onto others.

Sedgley councillor Michael Evans was worried about Dormston School's ability to cope with more than 80 extra pupils and said it was speaking up about that which had cost him the position he had held for 16 years.

The school saw an increased demand for places after Dudley Council decided to close Coseley School by August 2017 in light of falling pupil numbers and exam results.

Cllr Evans said: "All of the governors were extremely concerned about the situation, we had worked very hard to bring Dormston out of special measures.

"There was still a lot of work to do to improve quality and education at the school, so I didn't feel it was right at the time to accept more than 80 children into the school."

School bosses wrote to the Secretary of State to determine whether the council's decision to allocate the places complied with the law.

But soon after the Department for Education confirmed the council had acted reasonably in requiring Dormston to accept the pupils, Cllr Evans was given two options - to resign or to be removed from the position.

After refusing to resign, the council relieved him of his role and although he went on to appeal the decision, it was later upheld by an independent panel.

Despite being "disgusted" by the way things have panned out, Cllr Evans has vowed to "keep a very close eye" on the situation at the school, adding: "If it affects the quality of education I will be taking it up with Dudley Council."

Councillor Ian Cooper, cabinet member for children’s services, said: “The role of a local authority governor is to work with the local authority in partnership with local schools and to commit to the education of all children in the borough, not just those attending a single school."

He continued: "Governors play an extremely important role in driving forward the strategic direction and development of our schools and, in order to demonstrate their willingness to undertake these duties, all of our governors, be they parent, co-opted or local authority, agree to abide by a code of conduct, which if breached can result in their removal from the post of governor.”