Tiverton schools vote in favour of becoming partnership trust (From This is The West Country)

Tiverton schools vote in favour of becoming partnership trust

7:00am Sunday 3rd June 2012 in Devon

A TOTAL of 12 schools across the Tiverton area have voted in favour of banding together and entering into a partnership trust.

The dozen schools would continue to have links with the local authority, but pupils, staff and parents could become Trust members, allowing them to have a say in how the schools should be run.

The 12 schools are split into two categories: those run by Devon County Council (Bolham Primary School, The Castle Primary School, Halberton Primary School, Heathcoat Primary School, Tidcombe Primary School, Tiverton High School and Two Moors Primary School), which will have the trust as their foundation; and Church schools/Academies (Bampton Primary School, Bickleigh-on-Exe Primary School, Rackenford Pri-mary School, St John’s Catholic Primary School, and Petroc College), which will join the collaboration as partners but their land will stay in the ownership of their existing trust.

Tiverton High School headmaster Andrew Lovett explained that one of the key reasons for entering into the partnership trust is to give the community more say in how the schools are run.

He said: “The key thing is that anyone, whether a parent or pupil, can become a member of the co-operative trust.

“If you choose to join there’s a democratic framework where people can give their view of things they like and don’t like.

“That’s the co-operative part.”

He added that pupils at the schools will be an important part of the trust and that he hopes they will be as involved as possible.

He said: “There’ll be no disruption to the children, and what we’re looking for from them is for them to take the chance to say how they want the school to develop through their student councils.”

The schools will now publish a statutory notice, and if approved they will become a co-operative trust in August.