Hemel Hempstead school 'incredibly excited' to become seventh to join growing education trust

The Hemel Hempstead School has announced its excitement at joining a growing education trust.

It is the seventh school to announce its working with the Scholars’ Education Trust (SET).

Buntingford First School, Harpenden Academy, Priory Academy, Robert Barclay Academy, Samuel Ryder Academy, and Sir John Lawes School are already with the multi-school academy trust.

Announced today (30 March) the school officially joins the trust on Saturday (1 April), meaning the board is now responsible for over 6,000 children.

SET was founded in 2012, and will now be working with two primaries, an all-through school, three secondaries and an extended secondary institution.

Although all schools retain their own identities, the trusts states it has created a central DNA which all schools are expected to contain.

Neil Hassell, headteacher of The Hemel Hempstead School, said: “We are incredibly excited to be joining Scholars' Education Trust. Strong schools working together in collaboration creates more and better opportunities for students and colleagues alike, across the trust, to excel and achieve the highest outcomes. We have been made to feel incredibly welcome by our new partners and look forward to great times ahead.“

The trust aims to ensure that the skills and experiences of staff at all the schools are maximised to ensure that the students receive the best education possible.

Claire Robins, Chief Executive Officer of Scholars’ Education Trust, added: “We are delighted to greet The Hemel Hempstead School as the newest member of the Scholars’ Education Trust. Neil Hassell and his team bring a wealth of expertise to our MAT and we are confident that, by

collaborating closely at all levels, we will be able to help the young people in all our schools achieve even more than they ever believed possible.”

The trust share its teaching knowledge across the institutions it oversees and uses a centralised support system to allow the schools to share expertise and knowledge.

Contacts within the trust have enabled teachers to visit China, Denmark and Singapore.

The trust follows an ACE initiative that underpins everything it does, which stands for achievement, care, and excellence.

"Our vision for the school is to produce responsible young people of whom we can all be proud, who have achieved more than they ever believed possible and who are prepared to make a contribution to their local, national and global communities,” a trust spokesman said.