One of Norfolk's few remaining council-maintained high schools has unveiled plans to become an academy.
North Walsham High School launched a consultation on Monday with parents and staff on plans to convert to an academy and join the Enrich Learning Trust.
It comes after the regional schools commissioner for the East of England, Sue Baldwin, gave her approval to the school's application to join the trust.
The Enrich Learning Trust was formed from the merger of ieTrust and the Mid Norfolk Academy Trust earlier this year and contains five schools including Wymondham High Academy, Dereham Neatherd High and Long Stratton High.
Alex Robinson, chair of governors at North Walsham High School, said: 'We have been seeking to join an academy trust which is locally based, is large enough to be financially secure, contains a sufficient number of secondary schools to provide support and professional development opportunities for staff, caters for age ranges from primary to sixth form and has a proven record in helping pupils achieve good results and success in their education.'
He added: 'The challenge for the governing body has been to find the right partner to work with. We have been in discussions for some months with the Enrich Learning Trust – these things have quite a long gestation period.'
Russell Boulton, chief executive of the Enrich Learning Trust, said: 'We are looking forward to welcoming staff, students and governors from North Walsham High School (NWHS) into the trust.
'We are proud of the trust's achievements in Wymondham, Long Stratton and Dereham and we are glad of the chance to share our strengths and opportunities with NWHS in the next phase of the school's development.'
In a Norfolk County Council document for the 2018/19 academic year, only four secondary schools – Litcham School, Aylsham High, North Walsham High and Old Buckenham High – were not listed as academies.
Figures released by the county council in late 2017 showed that just one of the county's 52 secondary schools, Alysham High School, was not taking steps towards converting into an academy.
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