Norfolk's biggest school has announced that two primary schools will join it when it officially launches its academy trust in September.

Thorpe St Andrew School principal Ian Clayton said the new organisation would be called the Yare Education Trust, and its founding members would include Dussindale Primary School and Hillside Avenue Primary.

The trust will employ four members of staff, who will each work for it one day a week, including Mr Clayton as its chief executive.

He said: 'We have a strong educational partnership that we have worked on for a long time, and we wanted to strengthen that further. It is looking to provide a three-to-19 education structure in this area. Not all schools will choose to be a part of that, but that is fine.'

He said schools joining the trust would retain their individual identity. He cited two particular areas where the formation of the trust would help extend work the schools were already doing together: further developing the quality of teaching, and reducing costs by working more closely together and freeing more money to be spent on the front line.

Mr Clayton added that the high school would learn from the primaries, and vice versa.

The Yare Education Trust will have four members, who are its owners: Michael Garratt, a former headteacher of St William's Primary; Nick Hancox, a solicitor and former director of legal services at Norfolk County Council; Ian Mackie, county councillor for Thorpe St Andrew; and Brian Slater, former director of education at the council.

Jane Worsdale, headteacher of Dussindale Primary, said: 'One of the reasons we have decided to join it is to get the benefit of working with colleagues in neighbouring schools so we can all do the best for our children.'

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