Queen's Manor pupils at Hammersmith Town Hall
Three popular Fulham primary schools have consulted with parents, staff and other stakeholders on their plan to join forces.
Hammersmith & Fulham Council is supporting Sulivan, Queen’s Manor and Fulham primaries as they look to form a multi-academy trust, sharing resource and expertise to the benefit of all three schools.
“These excellent schools already do amazing work with their pupils and we think this partnership will only enhance that,” said Cllr Sue Macmillan, H&F Cabinet Member for Children and Education.
“From sharing expertise and facilities to the introduction of new and exciting activities and additions to the curriculum, it will be the pupils who benefit most. This is something I believe parents, teachers and the local communities will support.
“These schools are meeting a growing need for places in Fulham. In particular, in recent years Sulivan has gone from being threatened with closure to now being oversubscribed. By working with other schools, it will be better able to make even greater improvements to the high quality education it provides.”
“We will continue to work closely with all three schools both now and in the years ahead as they continue to inspire their pupils to become confident, capable young people.”
The schools have consulted, with a final decision from the Governors at each school planned for 24 May.
Headteachers at the three schools say the plans will bring many benefits, including:
- Creating more learning opportunities and activities for pupils
- Learning from each other’s good work
- Training staff more effectively
- Bringing down running costs and freeing up more money for pupils’ education
The schools’ success has seen a high number of applications from parents, with Sulivan Primary School increasing capacity this year to 60 to enable further offers from their waiting list.
If the plans for a multi-academy trust go ahead, pupils will still wear the same uniforms, and be taught by the same staff in the same buildings. Headteachers will share their expertise but would still be responsible for their own schools which would have their own governing bodies.
The multi-academy trust would have its own board of up to 11 directors made up of current governors, headteachers and people with particular expertise.
If approved, the three schools will form a multi-academy trust on 1 September.
