A YORK-BASED schools trust is consulting on a merger with another academy chain.
Ebor Academy Trust, which runs 25 main stream and one special school across York, Selby, Hull, East Riding and on the Yorkshire Coast and Sheffield-based Nexus Multi Academy Trust have announced they are opening consultation on proposals to merge.
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The merged MAT would cover the majority of the Yorkshire, Humber and Nottinghamshire region serving 45 schools.
Debbie Clinton, chair of trustees at Ebor, said: “At the heart of our proposal to merge is our shared commitment to enriching the lives of thousands of children and young people, and hundreds of colleagues.
“While our proposals are deeply pragmatic – recognising the challenges facing the education sector and the resilience and efficiency that would come with being a larger, more robust organisation – merging would also be a marriage of complementary educational philosophies, driven by a desire to make an even bigger difference to families across our region.”
Rachel Potts, chair of trustees at Nexus Multi Academy Trust said: “We recognise both the privilege and the responsibility we have to provide a safe, inspiring and happy learning environment for our children and young people.
“We firmly believe that by bringing our two trusts with their complementary specialisms together, we’ll be able to make a directly positive impact on outcomes for children and young people across Yorkshire, Humber and Nottinghamshire, as well as using our combined reach to influence educational policy at a national level.”
Gail Brown, chief executive of Ebor, said: “We are really excited to have reached the point where we can consult with our schools and wider stakeholders on this proposal. Trustees have used the last 12 months to do our due diligence and test out the values each organisation holds.
“We’re now at a point where we believe our respective MATs can be stronger together, without compromising on what we each do so well already. We also believe this merger aligns with the Government’s ambition for more inclusive state education.”
“What’s now really important is that we hear from our communities to understand how they feel about this proposal. Our hope and aspiration is that we can ultimately do more, for more children and families.”
