Leeds primary school joins academy chain after deal reached with council
The school will officially reopen as an academy next month
A primary school in a Leeds town is set to join a chain of academies after a transfer agreement was reached with the city council.
Otley The Whartons primary will be taken over by the Collaborate Learning Trust.
The primary can officially re-open as an academy from June 1 after a Commercial Transfer Agreement was reached, Leeds City Council said.
The deal was agreed between the council, the school governing body and the trust, which already runs schools in Leeds, Otley, Bradford and Bramhope.
It means assets, staff and contracts will be transferred into the Otley-based multi-academy trust (MAT).
The report said: “The proposed conversion date is June 1, 2026, or such later date as advised by the Department for Education (DfE).
“The local authority has a duty to promote high standards and champion educational excellence.”
Otley The Whartons was rated as a ‘good’ school after its last two-day Ofsted inspection in November 2022.
Ofsted said: “There are high expectations of all pupils. pupils are proud of their school and enjoy attending.
“Pupils say they feel safe and trust the adults to look after them.”
The Collaborative Learning Trust said it “places children at the very centre of everything that we do.”
Its website said: “There is no doubt that working together in a formal partnership brings many benefits.
“At the same time, the Collaborative Learning Trust differs from many trusts because we also recognise the importance of autonomy.”