Head Teacher Helen Key
Consultation documentation has been issued from the governing boards of Chailey School, Claverham Community College and Heathfield Community College to all stakeholders, including parents and carers of current and future pupils at the schools, pupils, teachers, and members of the community, regarding the proposal outlined below in order to help them come to a decision with regard to the future direction of the three schools.
Until 2025 the government agenda for school improvement has been an Academy Trust led model. Academy Trusts working to improve failing schools, with enhanced freedoms and structures, has been a pattern of the educational landscape. This has not motivated many existing strong schools, like our schools, to join a Trust. Recently, a number of factors have led leaders and governors at our schools to engage in discussions about strengthening partnership arrangements that are not based on the Academy Trust model.
Facing sustained restricted budgets, reduced capacity for Local Authority support to schools and the expansion of bigger academy trusts in our area, it has become important to secure the strengths of our schools and their ability to continue to improve.
We are three strong schools who are looking to continue to strengthen our own individual institutions whilst looking to form stronger bonds with other like-minded local schools in order to grow and develop further.
We have enjoyed positive relationships with many local schools and developed closer relationships with some based on mutual strengths, values and development priorities: student opportunities, joint projects and staff development. However, the increasing pressures on stand-alone schools, however successful, means that leaders and governors feel that it is in the long-term interest of the schools to join together in a federation.
It is clear to us that existing working partnerships need to be strengthened in order to develop and enhance all our strengths in increasingly difficult times
This consultation period runs from Friday 2nd May 2025 to Friday 13th June 2025.
The process for providing feedback can be found on this page.
Federation Consultation Document
Head Teacher Helen Key