County Upper, Horringer Court, Westley and Tollgate Primary, which were all schools of the former Bury St Edmunds All-Through Trust, have joined the Unity Schools Partnership.

The schools officially joined the Trust yesterday, 1st July, but say that they will continue to operate their ‘all-through’ model as part of Unity.

Vicky Neale, Head Teacher at County Upper said “The excellence of our teaching and results over so many years is the result of hard work, partnership-working and a very special spirit between staff, students, families and the local community. We know our vision of providing an all-round education is shared by Unity and that’s why we are excited to be joining them.”

Tim Coulson, Chief Executive of Unity Schools Partnership, said: “We are delighted to welcome the four new schools.

“They each bring a strong identity and reputation to our Trust and we look forward to working closely with leaders, staff, students and families.

“At Unity, we offer a close network of both support and challenge while also ensuring each of our schools retain their local identity.”

The schools say that they will continue to offer curriculum continuity and to provide a huge range of extra-curricular experiences, including all-through subject days, sport and their big arts events at The Apex and the Theatre Royal. 

Hannah Brookman, Head at Tollgate said “We have a lovely community feel and we are fortunate to be so close to County Upper, so, for instance, we have some of their staff teaching music, drama and PE at Tollgate. All four schools have a close working relationship that really benefits all our pupils We are really excited to be joining Unity Schools Partnership as we continue to promote Tollgate and our all-through approach.” ()

Steven Palmer, Horringer Court said “We offer high quality education with specialist staff and facilities to children from across a wide area of West Suffolk. We are caring, inclusive schools and we want our children to be the best they can be, academically, socially and morally. I believe joining Unity will ensure the sustainability and approach of our four schools.”

Ian Kearns, Head at Westley said “I have been a headteacher in both primary and middle schools and I’ve taught secondary school age groups. I have seen all sides of the educational spectrum and I believe the vision of Unity Schools Partnership really fits into my own vision for Westley.”

Unity, which is based in Haverhill, has nine secondary schools, two middle, three special schools and seventeen primary schools including Sybil Andrews Academy and Abbots Green Academy