TWYNHAM School headteacher Jy Taylor is to become executive headteacher of two Christchurch schools from September.

The collaboration will see Twynham School and The Grange work even more closely from the new academic year under the guidance of one leadership team.

For September 2021 this approach has been formalised with leaders and teaching staff in the two schools working together across both campuses.

Headteacher Jy Taylor said: “It is incredibly exciting. Whilst we have been working closely for some time, formalising these structures give us the capacity to set out a truly ambitious vision for secondary education across Christchurch.

“Both schools have significant strengths and bringing these around one table can only be a good thing for the young people attending our schools.”

“Co-locating some new courses across both campuses will allow more students to remain in Christchurch for their post 16 education and take advantage of the fantastic resources available across the two schools.”

Throughout the pandemic, the schools have worked together to provide remote learning for students across both schools, as well as coordinating their response to families in need and delivering hundreds of laptops and school meal vouchers to the families within their community.

The collaboration will also enable Twynham Sixth Form space and the facilities to continue growing.

Mr Taylor added: “As the largest school-based sixth form in the area, we are rapidly running out of room.

“We have long wanted to offer a broader range of courses to enable us to better meet the needs of all of our students and not just those who want the traditional A level and top-university route.

“This year we have co-located a new one-year Post 16 Engineering course across the two campuses with phenomenal success. All of the students have achieved progression onto apprenticeships with two students be offered places on the highly regarded Sunseeker Level 3 apprenticeship.”

The Grange School is currently judged as Inadequate by Ofsted following an inspection in March 2018.

However, the Ofsted monitoring visits since have all recognised the considerable improvements made by the school with the most recent report awaiting publication.

Current Head of School at The Grange School, Mrs Liz Garman, will continue in this role but the additional capacity of a wider leadership and teaching staff will ensure that equity of provision is delivered to students in both schools.

“What Liz and the team at TGS have achieved in the last three years is incredible and parents talk of a totally transformed school with fantastic behaviour and numerous opportunities,” said Jy Taylor.

“The time is right for us to bring the schools more closely together with a recognition that both schools bring strengths to the table and can contribute to the progressive vision for education.

“At the end of the day, these are Christchurch children; they attend the same clubs, go to the same leisure centre and play in the same parks, they should all benefit from a range of really exceptional opportunities to be provided by their schools.”

CEO of Twynham Learning, Mr Gareth Morris added: “This is an exciting deepened partnership for the majority of secondary age children in Christchurch and we are proud to also be relocating the Trust headquarters, our SCITT teacher-training provision and Two Rivers Institute professional development hub to the TGS Avon Campus.”