The Brooksbank School in Elland is joining Together Learning Trust after recent Ofsted report

The news will be formally confirmed in an update to the RSC Advisory Board on June 29.

The trust, which includes schools in Kirklees and Calderdale including the highly regarded Ryburn Valley High School and Honley High School, has already been part of the immediate improvements at The Brooksbank School enacted since an Ofsted report in February found significant issues at the school.

Working as part of the Education Exchange partnership, a large number of experienced senior leaders were brought in and swiftly implemented structural and systematic changes to ensure the safeguarding of students and to support high standards in the school.

David Lord, CEO of Together Learning Trust, said: “We are delighted to welcome The Brooksbank School to Together Learning Trust and we are excited about the challenges ahead. The Brooksbank School was founded in 1712 and has a rich and proud history (most recently as a hugely successful sports college). With that in mind we are confident that a poor Ofsted report is a setback that can be overcome quickly by working together successfully.

"We have been deeply invested in the rapid and sustained improvements which will return this school to being a leading local school that nurtures, supports and drives its students to flourish. Having been a part of the response with Education Exchange, we can offer the stability and continuity to ensure that the changes we have already made are securely embedded and that the school can move forward confidently.

"Our schools have high standards, excellent behaviour, a culture based on shared values, personal development and student leadership, and an innovative PSHE curriculum that equips students for the future. I want to reassure the Brooksbank community that their school is back on track.”

David Hewitt of Education Exchange, who has been Interim Headteacher at Brooksbank since February, said: “I am very pleased that the staff, students and wider school community now have the certainty of knowing the future plans for their school. In my short time working at Brooksbank, I have been very impressed by the determination, resilience and creativity shown throughout the school, which has come together in a very impressive way. I have worked with the Together Learning Trust Team, as part of the Education Exchange project, and am confident that they will embed and develop further the systems, structure and processes we have introduced. I wish David and the school the very best on the next steps of their school improvement journey.”

Paul Tarn, Professional Partner at the Education Exchange and CEO Delta Academies Trust, said: “Working with colleagues from across Yorkshire and the Humber has transformed Brooksbank school more rapidly and comprehensively than is possible for any stand alone team. I am delighted that we have been able to make new friends in Calderdale and the Together Learning Trust have been close partners in the journey. A great group and a bright future for the school and community. We are looking forward to working closely with David and his team in the future.”

Members of the Brooksbank community who would like to meet the team and find out more about our future plans, are invited to attend a Community Information Event on Tuesday, June 28 at the Brooksbank School, with meetings at 5pm and 6pm. The school team hopes that the event will inform and reassure the local community that the school is in safe hands and has a bright future.