Two small village schools in North Yorkshire have joined Ebor Academy Trust, a multi-academy trust exclusively for primaries.
Luttons Community Primary School and Sherburn Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, between Malton and Scarborough, had been identified by school inspectors Ofsted almost two years ago as needing support and York-based Ebor was asked by the local authority to help, initially with leadership capacity.
Now, with significant improvements having taken place, the schools formally joined (on 1 July 2024) 23 other Ebor academies across York, Selby, Hull and the East Riding and on the Yorkshire Coast. Luttons and Sherburn are part of Ebor’s Yorkshire Coast hub, where it already has schools in Filey and Scarborough.
“This is excellent news for the schools and the village communities and a new chapter in their history,” said Mrs Gail Brown, chief executive of Ebor Academy Trust.
“We all know that there is much anxiety with small schools and their viability. Small rural schools can be vulnerable to closure because of their size and a lack of support because of their isolation. Within Ebor there is strength and expertise and we have established successful small school models where collaboration is key and working together is the norm.
“We are delighted Luttons and Sherburn are joining our family of schools and look forward to sharing good practice with them as they continue their journey of improvement.
“I’d also like to thank the interim executive board of school governors brought together to help smooth the transition process and I’d like to use this opportunity to ask the community, especially professional people with transferable skills, to consider joining us on the new governing body. Now is the best time to step up and volunteer to be a school governor – a crucial role and one which can bring a lot of satisfaction.”
Mrs Jo Evans is headteacher at both Luttons and Sherburn and was formerly deputy headteacher at another Ebor school.
Mrs Evans took over earlier this year from Mrs Jo Mould who was initially seconded to help the schools on their road to educational recovery. Mrs Evans praised Mrs Mould’s work in establishing firm foundations and added: “Excellence, Belonging, Opportunity and Respect are the values are at the core of all Ebor schools. Joining the trust brings a fantastic opportunity for collaborative working, support and professional development to the schools enabling them to flourish in a way where everyone, whether adult or child, will be supported to achieve excellence in all they do.”
Ebor’s central support team run many of the back office functions in all its schools, allowing school leaders and staff to devote more time on teaching and learning.
• Photos show headteacher Jo Evans with children outside the two North Yorkshire primary schools, Luttons and Sherburn, who have joined Ebor Academy Trust
