An exciting new chapter for The Skipton Academy as part of Moorlands Learning Trust
I am delighted to announce that The Skipton Academy has from December 1st joined forces with Ilkley Grammar School as part of Moorlands Learning Trust.
This has been one of the most successful years in the history of the Academy and the confirmation that the two schools can continue to build on their already strong relationship and formalise this through TSA joining the multi academy trust opens up fantastic opportunities for the school and its students.
The opportunity to join forces with a local outstanding comprehensive school gives us the chance to increase the pace of improvement even faster than we could have hoped. Our staff have support from colleagues who share our ethos and belief that the students at The Skipton Academy deserve an outstanding education and for the first time ever students also have the opportunity to have an academic pathway to “A” level study at Ilkley Grammar School as our partner.
This new dawn for The Skipton Academy is the first step in what is a bright future securing quality comprehensive, mixed education for the young people of Skipton. Our Ethos of Belong, Challenge and Inspire will not change and those beliefs about local high quality education are passionately shared by our colleagues at Ilkley Grammar School. As part of Moorlands Learning Trust we can provide our staff with opportunities to continue to improve and challenge themselves to achieve results for our learners that match if not exceed other local schools. As part of Moorlands Learning Trust we will continue to be a proud part of the Skipton educational community and will continue to develop even closer links with our primary school colleagues to ensure that we play a full role in ensuring that all children in Skipton receive the best possible educational experience.
These exciting developments create the perfect conditions for The Skipton Academy to continue to grow and provide a first class education for the students who choose to join us on our journey. Plans are being developed to improve in every area of the Academy from further developing the curriculum on offer right the way through to catering and the fabric of the buildings. All of these areas will directly benefit our students and their future outcomes and destinations and having been able to have secured this is a massive step forward for the Academy.
Helen Williams CEO of Moorlands Learning Trust said “ Everyone at MLT is delighted that The Skipton Academy has become the first formal partner for Ilkley Grammar School in our trust and we are already well underway with our plans to expand our support for TSA so that their improvement journey continues at pace.
Ensuring that all students and parents have a choice of first class education providers directly in the Skipton Community is now our key priority and I look forward to working even more closely with Mr. McManus and his team over the coming weeks and months to build on their recent successes to rapidly bring about the further improvements needed. Using the full capacity of the trust and expertise that exists at Ilkley Grammar School, we will work tirelessly to ensure that The Skipton Academy can soon become the comprehensive school of choice for Skipton parents!
Richard McManus Principal of The Skipton Academy said “The next stage of our journey with Moorlands Learning Trust will prove to be a watershed moment for the Academy creating opportunities for learners to be inspired and reach their full potential.
We as an Academy will remain committed to continuous improvement and I would invite anybody from the local community to come and see us in action and witness first hand the improvements already underway by emailing us to make an appointment to visit. We will go from strength to strength with the support of Moorlands Learning Trust and both myself and my team of committed staff welcome the support from Helen Williams and the Moorlands Learning Trust team.” Richard McManus, Principal.
