Two community primary schools have announced plans to become academies and join an education trust.
Benfield Primary School and Hangleton Primary School, which formed the Orchard Schools Partnership, have announced a consultation to gather parents’ views on a possible partnership with East London-based Eko Trust.
Brighton and Hove Trades Council described the move as a “complete breakdown in trust” after school governors only informed Brighton and Hove City Council and unions on the same day as they announced that the public consultation had already started.
A letter was sent to parents from Emma Lake, executive head teacher, and Rebekah Iiyambo, chief executive of Eko Trust, explaining that a partnership could be in place by Friday 1 March 2024.
The letter states: “As you may be aware, through the teaching school, we have been working with Eko Trust, a strong multi-academy trust whose approach aligns very closely with our own, since 2017.
“More recently, we have been having conversations with the trust as we believe a partnership with them has the potential to benefit pupils and staff of both Benfield Primary School and Hangleton Primary School.
“We are therefore writing to you today to ask for your thoughts, via a consultation, on initial plans for the Orchard Schools Partnership’s two schools to join this organisation, Eko Trust, from provisionally Friday 1 March 2024.
“While we need to stress that the partnership plan is only being considered at the moment, and no decisions have been made, our view at the moment is that joining Eko Trust would add significant value to our young people and staff, who will gain from the expertise, resources and wider collaboration with the trust.
“We have thought very carefully about this and see Eko Trust, who we have already worked closely with for a number of years, as a perfect match for our schools in terms of its values, ethos, sense of community and approach to learning.”
The Eko Trust schools have more than 2,100 pupils, 400 staff and around £22 million of public funding.
The consultation document said that the two schools would continue to have a local governing body and that the “majority of school management and operational decisions” would remain with governors and head teachers locally.
The consultation started yesterday (Tuesday 12 September) and runs to Friday 20 October, with parents and carers able to attend one of nine consultation meetings with head teachers and Eko Trust leaders.
The small meetings – starting next Wednesday (20 September) – are limited to 10 parents/carers each and the consultation schedule for meetings is available on the school’s websites.
For the past four years, Benfield Primary School has had fewer than 30 pupils starting in reception, while Hangleton Primary School has gone from a three-class year group to a two-class year group.
Parents can email their views and comments to OSP@Hangleton.brighton-hove.sch.uk.
