BARNSLEY’S biggest secondary school is to join forces with two primary schools to form the borough’s first ever primary and secondary multi academy trust.
Horizon Community College is to become an academy before the end of the year, and will join the Hoyland Common Academy Trust whose only members so far are Hoyland Common Primary and Ward Green Primary.
Tom Banham, headteacher at Hoyland Common, is chief executive of the trust which is known as HCAT.
Nick Bowen, executive principal of Horizon Community College, said it was an exciting opportunity to create Barnsley’s first and only cross phase (primary and secondary) multi academy trust to provide an alternative to the other big national chains of academies.
“We will not be changing our name, we will not be changing our uniform, which is exactly the same as the one we introduced back in 2012, and we will not be changing the values and high expectations that have ensured Horizon so much success in its first six years,” he said.
“We will, however, be working hard with our primary colleagues to ensure that the curriculum in year 7 and 8 builds upon the very high standards set by our primary schools and that students make strong progress from the minute they join us.”
Academies are schools which are no longer run by the local authority, and instead are run by their own governors and leaders, and funded directly from the government.
They are now increasingly joining multi-academy trusts and work together under an overarching trust board.
Several operate in Barnsley, but most are based outside Barnsley and Mr Banham said there isn’t yet a cross phase trust based in the borough.
“This is a huge opportunity for all schools involved, he said.
“We will be the first Barnsley-based cross phase multi academy trust, and I think for Barnsley that’s something really special. Who knows Barnsley better than Barnsley schools?
“Hoyland Common Primary and Horizon are both highly successful schools, so this is a real opportunity to learn from each other, and it’s something new for the town.
“It has sent ripples through educational circles, a large secondary school joining what was a primary trust, but Horizon is going to keep doing what its doing well, it’s not a primary taking over a secondary or anything like that at all.
“This is about schools working together and celebrating and sharing what they are good at.
“It’s a mutually beneficial relationship that other schools, primary and secondary, can benefit from going forward.
“We are already in talks with three more primary schools.”
A letter sent to Horizon parents says the date for conversion will be December 1.
