Academy status is formalised at high school

Standish Community High School is now part of a multi-academy trust with Southlands High School in Chorley.

In a letter to parents, headteacher Andrew Pollard said: "I’m very happy to inform you that the two-year partnership between Standish Community High School and Southlands High School has been formalised by the Department For Education as a Mosaic multi-academy trust."

The conversion was completed on Friday, December 1 and Standish High has been designated as the "lead" school.

It sees both schools leave the control of their respective local authorities

The chairman of trustees will be Adrian Hardy, who has been a parent governor and chairman of governors at Standish High for more than 20 years.

The letter from Mr Pollard continued: "Our chief aim, as a trust, is to achieve outcomes of the highest standard for all students, irrespective of background or ability.

"To that end, we intend to ensure that both schools have excellent systems in place to promote the best teaching and learning, the most appropriate and relevant curriculum for all our students and to provide safe, welcoming and inspiring schools to attend.

"In partnership we have already seen academic success in the 2017 results when Standish outperformed its previous year for progress and attainment.

"Coming top in Wigan for every key performance indicator is something we are very proud to have achieved and equally keen to maintain."

Mr Pollard said the name Mosaic had been chosen because the trust’s aim was "to become stronger as a whole than by the sum of its parts".

Standish High follows Orrell’s Dean Trust Wigan, Hawkley Hall High School, Rose Bridge Academy in Ince and Fred Longworth in Tyldesley in converting to an academy.