SCHOOLS in South Devon have formed a new Multi Academy Trust - Education South West.

The new trust was formed by the merger of the Templer Academy Schools Trust and Academies South West to form a new Trust of 4,794 pupils, 347 teachers, 462 other staff and an annual turnover of £25 million.

It is made up of Kingsbridge Community College, Dartmouth Academy, Coombeshead Academy, Teign School, Christow Primary School, Rydon Primary School, Blackawton Primary School, East Allington Primary School, Kingswear Primary School and Stoke Fleming Primary School.

The Trust is led by two Executive Principals, Roger Pope and Matthew Shanks. Roger Pope said: ‘We are united in our desire to build great schools for the children of South Devon. We share a common belief that this is best achieved by working together.

‘We live in times of unprecedented change and of rightly high expectations on schools. By coming together we are a strong, united voice for the parents and children of the southwest. We can challenge and support one another in order to get better and better.

‘In uncertain times, we believe that schools can develop their own individual ethos and success under the common umbrella of our trust’.

Chair of the ESW Board, Peter Di Giuseppe said: ‘We are very excited by the formation of Education South West. Our schools are already very successful. By drawing on our common strengths we will make sure that all our children can go to great schools which have the resources and stability to remain great.

‘We will offer teachers rich career pathways across the variety of schools in our trust and give them the professional development and support they need to become great leaders.

’In short, once a teacher joins Education South West, we never want them to leave!’