RIDGEWAY School has announced plans to form a multi-academy trust with Weydon, Farnham Heath End and Woolmer Hill secondary schools.

A formal consultation, running until July 11, has started with all stakeholders invited to comment on proposals for The Ridgeway to firstly convert to academy status and subsequently form a partnership with Weydon School on September 1, 2016, with plans to likewise join with Farnham Heath End and Woolmer Hill in Haslemere.

The Ridgeway is a Special School for children between the ages of two and 19 years with severe and profound multiple learning difficulties. Many children have additional complex needs and diagnoses such as autistic spectrum condition (ASC).

The Ridgeway and Weydon both enjoy Teaching School, National Support School and Leading Edge School statuses, and have a history of close collaboration.

The Ridgeway is committed to supporting and furthering the achievement, support and understanding of young people with Special Educational Needs and Disability, (SEND).

Headteacher Darryl Morgan said: “This is a great opportunity for the school to extend its collaborative work with other partners, consolidating and building on existing outreach and shared best practise.

“The Ridgeway has a strong offer of training in understanding, and strategies to support students with SEND across the mainstream sector. This is combined with a proven track record of leading research into raising achievement and outcomes for children in both the special and mainstream sectors.

“Through this proposal, the Ridgeway is looking forward to even closer partnership, and the benefits of learning with and from the expertise inherent in all the member schools.

“Collaboration between schools improves outcomes for children, challenging and raising expectations to the long-term benefit of the community. This reflects the ethos and purpose of the participating schools and the proposed multi academy trust.”

Additional information on these proposals can be found on The Ridgeway School’s website, or alternatively by emailing [email protected].