Two high schools are to merge in Great Yarmouth, the government has confirmed.
The Inspiration Trust has announced the green light has been given for its Great Yarmouth Charter Academy and Trafalgar College to formally become a single school at the start of the next academic year.
It will see the school named as Great Yarmouth Charter Academy, and work will start on extending the school in Salisbury Road and refurbishing the current building.
MORE: school merger planAll new pupils will start at the Salisbury Road site from September, but existing Trafalgar College students will initially remain at Thamesfield Way to allow the schools to gradually come together.
The full merger will be completed by September 2019.
The trust says the new facilities at Charter Academy will continue Trafalgar’s focus on science, engineering, technology and maths.
Inspiration Trust chief executive Dame Rachel de Souza said: “Bringing the schools together was a tough decision but we believe it offers the best opportunity to secure the broadest, highest quality curriculum for children in the town.
“Now the government has confirmed our proposals we can get on with working with pupils, parents, and staff to make sure that all our young people can achieve their very best.”
MORE; merger consultation criticisedThe trust has said that overall staff numbers at the combined school will remain the same as now.
Courses beyond GCSE are scheduled to start from 2021.
The proposals were first put forward by the Inspiration Trust in September 2017.
The plan met resistance from Trafalgar College parents who raised concerned about the impact it would have on their children’s education.
Concerns were also raised about the distance between the two school sites, which are two miles apart, and whether buses would be put on.
It was also said that a consultation process was a “done deal” and there were protests.
Building work at Salisbury Road is expected to use existing school land subject to planning permission, with the work going out to tender next month.
To help ensure a smooth transition Charter Academy’s deputy headteacher will be based at Trafalgar College with immediate effect.
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