A SCHOOL in Dorchester has announced it will be joining a multi-academy trust.

St Osmund’s Church of England Middle School on Barnes Way will officially become a part of the Wessex Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) this Sunday.

The MAT currently has three schools on its books: The Thomas Hardye School, Damers First School and Bere Regis School.

Saira Sawtell, headteacher of St Osmund’s, said: “We are really excited about this opportunity to work in partnership with other schools. We have been working towards this since the summer of last year.”

It is understood that the school’s name will not change as it joins the multi-academy trust.

Mike Foley, headteacher of The Thomas Hardye School and chief executive of the Wessex Multi Academy Trust, said: “We are trying to establish the Trust as a force for good in raising standards in the area. We are delighted that St Osmund’s are going to be joining us on March 1. We can offer them a lot in terms of improvement and leadership and there is a lot they can bring to the MAT.”

Mr Foley said the idea for the Wessex MAT came out of the Dorset Area School’s Partnership (DASP).

He said: “We are very used to working with St Osmund’s through DASP and it is a continuation of that. DASP was ahead of its time really. It’s a group of schools coming together to work for common good. It was a pre runner of the multi-academy trust movement in many ways. Where DASP is a loose partnership, the MAT is a legal entity so it is on a more concrete footing.”

St Osmund’s was rated ‘Inadequate’ by Ofsted following an inspection in November 2018 and was placed into special measures. Following a monitoring visit in September 2019 to check on the progress being made by the school, the education watchdog said the school’s action plan was “fit for purpose” and that leaders and managers were “taking effective action towards the removal of special measures.”

The Wessex MAT has been assisting the school to improve since being rated ‘Inadequate’. In the report of the monitoring visit, the inspector noted the MAT “has provided ongoing support for school leaders and governors. The chief executive of the trust has participated in meetings to evaluate the progress of improvements against the action plan.”