Consultation

On Wednesday 16th March at 5:30 to 6:30pm, there will be a consultation evening hosted at Norlington School regarding the upcoming partnership with Connaught School.

Click here to download our letter regarding this event 

Click here to download our letter that was sent out to parents regarding The Exceptional Education Trust

 

Norlington School has, over the past decade, transformed itself into a highly successful boys' school able to serve its local area. We have learnt that we can't stand still and must always be looking ahead.

In recent years we have;

  • opened a 6th form
  • converted to an academy (Norlington School and 6th form's Trust name is 'The Exceptional Education Trust')
  • bought land next to the school and accessed over £10 million worth of investments in the school site
  • been recognised on three occasions as one of the top 100 schools nationally and regularly achieve in the top 10% of similar schools nationally for progress
  • increased to 162 students per cohort (although we still remain a small school compared to some)

A key element of our success is the positive working relationship that exists with local schools and authority. This has been especially true of our sister school Connaught School for Girls. Connaught is also an Academy.

Following a review by the Exceptional Education Trust, trustees have initiated discussions with Connaught School for Girls' trustees and a proposal has been tabled to formalise a partnership between the trusts that are able to oversee both schools.

The educational landscape is changing rapidly. Both schools recognise that we must take action to preserve our individual character and ethos, which we are very proud of and we know means a lot to the local community.

The proposed Trust would be committed to ensuring Norlington School and Connaught School;

  • remain local schools with their own identity
  • remain a boy's school (Norlington) and a girl's school (Connaught)
  • are able to work together to share best practice
  • are able to create economies of scale to ensure sustainable outstanding performance
  • operates within a framework that promotes individual ownership and autonomy; with its own local Governing Body who have been delegated appropriate powers based upon experience and success

What the proposal does NOT mean;

  • The creation of a mixed school. Both sets of trustees are absolutely committed to Norlington remaining a boy's school and Connaught remaining a girl's school
  • There will be no staff restructures because of the partnership - no one would lose their jobs or be required to reapply for their jobs
  • There will be no lead school - Norlington and Connaught will be equal partners within the trust

The benefits of the proposal;

  • Protection within a changing education landscape for both schools
  • Value for money opportunities and increased economies of scale
  • Training and development opportunities for staff
  • Recruitment and retention of outstanding staff
  • Further access for Connaught girls to Norlington's post 16 offer, with the possibility of a wider offer
  • The ability of both schools to share resources and expertise, helping every student to improve their outcomes.

We shall be opening a consultation from Friday 4th March. (See link below). This will close on Friday 1st April.

Click here to submit responses regarding the proposed Trust