Plymouth Schools Announce Federation

Plymouth schools announce federation to cement benefits of partnership working

Millbay Academy and High Street Primary Academy will form partnership within Reach South to offer pupils best education possible

Two Plymouth Schools have announced that they will be entering a federation to maximise the benefits of working together. Millbay Academy and High Street Primary Academy, both part of the Reach South family, will further develop their close working relationship.

The two schools have been working closely together since the beginning of this school year, sharing strong and effective leadership, teaching expertise in curriculum development and providing wider access to resources across both schools.

Reach South has written to all parents setting out what the changes mean in practice and has circulated an extensive Q&A to help answer any questions.

In summary, the new Federation model will mean the schools sharing classes, with Reception to Year 3 pupils being taught at High Street Primary Academy, while Year 4 to 6 pupils will study at Millbay Academy. The model will provide myriad benefits for pupils, staff and the wider community for both schools through sharing expertise, resources and best practice.

The other key benefits that this Federation model will bring are:

• Specialised teaching staff across both schools with pupils being grouped with their peers in appropriate age classes;
• Pupils and their families will have the opportunity to develop relationships with the school over a longer period of time, ensuring their needs can better be met. They will also have a seamless transition from Key Stage 2 to Key Stage 3, which can sometimes prove to be a turbulent time;
• Millbay Academy pupils will benefit from the high-quality outdoor learning environment at High Street Primary Academy;
• Staff will have more opportunities for high-quality training, career and leadership progression, and the chance to work more widely across the curriculum and with pupils of all Key Stages; and
• Clear financial benefits as the schools will be able to take advantage of economies of scale by merging back-office functions, as well as allocating more funding towards frontline teaching and education.

Stephanie Blake, Interim Headteacher at High Street Primary Academy, said:

“We are delighted with the plans to join our friends at Millbay Academy in this federation. We have been working together for some time now and the benefits of further collaboration are obvious. This will help us provide a better education for our pupils while being more efficient as a school, which is to everyone’s benefit.”

Christopher Toye, Executive Headteacher at Millbay Academy, said:

“These are really exciting plans and will help secure a fantastic future for Plymouth pupils. The team at High Street Primary Academy have been a huge source of support during an incredibly challenging year for all schools, and so the chance to work even closer with them is greatly appreciated. I know that our pupils are really looking forward to the opportunities ahead, and I can already see how much this will benefit us all.”

Dean Ashton, CEO at Reach South Academy Trust, said:

“I am confident that by working together both of these schools will be able to reach new heights and provide a great education for Plymouth children. This is a really good move for both schools and I am delighted by the plans that both school teams are coming up with. Through sharing teaching staff, resources, and expertise, I am confident that both schools will continue to move from strength to strength.”