Barnwood Park School

Governors and leaders have been considering the future of Barnwood Park secondary school in Gloucester and have concluded that it would be in the best interests of the students, parents, staff, and wider community for the school to become an academy, and to join a multi-academy trust. 

The Greenshaw Learning Trust can provide the support that the school needs and Barnwood Park would benefit greatly from the collaboration.

Mary Higgins, Chair of Governors at Barnwood Park, said: “As the government was encouraging all schools to join a multi-academy trust, Governors thought long and hard about the best trust for us to join. We thought about the tough times the school had been through with Covid and leadership changes. We looked for a local trust with good resources that could help us reach high standards whilst valuing our students, staff and identity. Greenshaw Learning Trust is definitely the best fit for us. The prospect of joining them is very exciting for us all.”

Will Smith, CEO of the Greenshaw Learning Trust, said: “We are delighted that Barnwood Park would like to join our family of schools. As part of the Greenshaw Learning Trust, Barnwood Park will benefit from and contribute to a close collaboration of like-minded schools and high-quality support services, while retaining its character and place in the local community. We look forward to working with colleagues at Barnwood Park and helping to improve the life chances of the young people in the school.”

The Greenshaw Learning Trust (GLT) is a successful multi-academy trust of primary and secondary schools and is well-established locally, being responsible for three secondary schools and six primary schools in Gloucester, as well as others across the South West and South East of England. In total, the Trust is made up of thirty schools. 

Subject to the necessary agreements being reached between the school, the Greenshaw Learning Trust, the Department for Education, and Gloucestershire County Council, it is expected that Barnwood Park will become an academy and join the Greenshaw Learning Trust in the new academic year.