TWO primary schools are planning to join together to create the borough's first academy trust.
Banstead Infant School in The Horseshoe, Banstead, is teaming up with Warren Mead Junior School in Roundwood Way, Nork, in what is thought to be the first primary partnership of its kind in the county.
Banstead head teacher Gill Harradine will become executive head of both schools if their bid to the Department for Education to set up a multi-academy trust is successful.
Banstead Infant School has been consistently rated as "outstanding" by Ofsted, with Warren Mead rated "good".
Mrs Harradine told the Mirror she wanted to spread and share expertise between the trust schools, and with others in the area. She plans to take on a failing school once the trust is established.
She said: "Our vision is to build a family of schools where we can provide an outstanding education for more children than we do at the moment. It is not a power thing – we want to support and help."
The school was initially planning to take the leap towards academy status alone, until Warren Mead suggested the link.
Mrs Harradine said becoming an academy trust would be more financially beneficial than going it alone.
Academy status gives schools more control over their spending and curriculum.
Both schools would retain their individual identities, uniforms and teachers, and respective feeder relationships with their sister schools – Warren Mead Infant and Banstead Community Junior – would be unaffected.
Tony Woodward, head teacher at Warren Mead Junior School, who is leaving this summer, said: "Stand-alone schools are not the future, but schools supporting one another, sharing and developing ideas and resources are."
Richard Wagner, chairman of governors at Banstead Infant School, said Ofsted figures show that 36,000 children in the county attend schools classified as requiring improvement or in "special measures".
He added: "Surrey has launched a determined drive to tackle that disgrace. By linking with Warren Mead Junior School in this way, we will be able to formalise and expand the ad hoc work that Gill and her team have been doing for some time in other schools and build on the assignments at schools facing challenges that I have undertaken as a national leader of governance."
Both schools will now consult with parents about the move.
Colin Sutherland, chairman of governors at Banstead Community Junior School, said the school was, like many others, still weighing up whether or not it will apply for academy status.
