NORTH Bromsgrove High School is set to become part of the Shires Multi-Academy Trust.
It follows am Academy Order issued during the 2019 summer term when Arden MAT was initially named as the preferred sponsor in the December of that year.
That, however, did not result in NBHS’ academisation and Arden MAT withdrew its intention to sponsor.
Since then the Department For Education has been working with other trusts to find one which would be a ‘perfect fit’.
The Shires Multi-Academy Trust included Studley High School which, through its school alliance, supported North Bromsgrove High following the 2018 negative OFSTED report in 2018.
Lee Gray, the Studley head, and Nick Gibson were appointed joint interim headteachers to begin the transformational journey before Mr Gibson was handed the role full-time.
The new partnership enabled discussions with the Regional Schools Commissioner to develop, so that the positive relationship that exists between Studley High School and North Bromsgrove can be further cemented into a formal partnership.
North Bromsgrove High now has more students on roll with this intake that at any other time, including a sixth-form which has grown to almost 200 from just 57 three years ago.
At this month’s West Midlands Advisory Board meeting, the Shires Multi Academy Trust was named as preferred sponsor for NBHS.
It is a positive step in securing the future of the school by formalising an already successful relationship.
And Mr Gibson said he was excited by the prospect of working with the Shires Multi-Academy Trust to continue the good work the school had achieved since he took over.
“The school has achieved many successes over the past three years and the potential collaboration serves to further strengthen and enhance the future education North Bromsgrove has to offer.”
Mr Gray and a wider team are looking forward to working closely with Mr Gibson and the NBHS team to ensure any partnership formed supports stability and to continue excellent provision across the Trust, through collaborative sharing of best practice.
Mr Gray said “I am delighted to have the opportunity to continue working with NBHS as the school builds on the excellent progress made in recent years.
“There is a great deal of exciting work ahead and a bright future for both NBHS and the Shires MAT as we look to formalise our partnership.”
The process is expected to take time to complete and all staff at North are committed to maintaining the stability and build upon the progress achieved in recent years.
The current School Development Plan North is working towards will also continue to ensure students are challenged to achieve their academic potential and that all staff and students feel part of a vibrant and exciting community school.
NBHS also wants to hear parents’ views they want to voice or any questions they have about the move.
They should be emailed to Ms T Jordan at [email protected] and will then be collated into a video to be shared with the community and, if appropriate, a face-to-face meeting when more is known.
