King’s Lynn school sponsor switch approved by regional body

The proposed transfer of a Lynn secondary school to a new sponsor has been given the go-ahead by education chiefs.

Newly published documents confirm the plan for the King Edward VII (KES) Academy to switch to the Inspiration Trust has been approved by the Regional Schools’ Commissioner’s headteachers’ board.

And the school’s principal, Sarah Hartshorn, is looking forward to a new chapter with an organisation she knows well, having previously worked with them while at the Thetford Academy.

She said today: “Having worked with the Inspiration family for three years previously, I am delighted about the opportunity of working with them again.

“It is a positive move for the school and the local community.

“I continue to be excited about the journey King Edward VII Academy is on.

“With the support of Inspiration Trust I can see our already evident progress being accelerated and us becoming, once again, the school of choice in King’s Lynn.”

Although the transfer proposal was approved at a headteachers’ board meeting last month, the decision has only been confirmed now after notes from the meeting were published.

The current sponsor of KES, the Eastern Multi-Academy Trust (EMAT) announced in March that it was seeking a new organisation to take over.

The document said Inspitation was chosen because of its track record in the secondary sector after EMAT “concluded that they did not have the resources to drive rapid and sustained improvement at the academy.”

It added that a transfer was felt to be “in the best interests of all concerned.”

That transfer is now set to be completed ahead of the start of the new academic year in September.

Inspiration chief executive Gareth Stevens said: “We’re looking forward to welcoming King Edward VII Academy to our family of schools.

“The academy will be our first in the King’s Lynn area and we’re pleased that local young people will soon be able to benefit from our knowledge-rich curriculum, breadth of cultural experiences and talented teachers.

“We are committed to making sure every child receives an excellent education and we’ll be supporting the school on its journey to outstanding.”

EMAT’s acting chief executive, Paul Shanks, added: “We continue to work with the academy to support its continued improvement journey and look forward to fostering a close working relationship with Inspiration Trust as the term progresses to ensure a smooth transition for students and colleagues.”

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