A GROUP of six schools have announced they will converted to academy status and come together under one trust.

Colne Park High School is among those setting up the Pennine Trust alongside Blacko and Laneshaw Bridge primaries.

MORE TOP STORIES:

Lancashire County Council runs the schools, which are all rated 'good' or 'outstanding' by Ofsted, at the moment.

Park, Lord Street and West Street primary schools in Colne will also be part of the new multi-academy trust.

The schools will be independent of Lancashire County Council and get funding through central government.

A consultation has been launched by the headteachers and governors to get parent’s views on the plan.

Each school would keep their headteachers, their governing bodies as well as their uniform.

Jo Sharples, who leads Laneshaw Bridge Primary, said school’s will benefit from each other’s strengths.

She said: “If my school excels in one department and another school doesn’t, they can learn from us and improve through it and vice versa.

“This creates an upwards spiral of achievement and effectiveness between the schools.

“We will bounce off each other and work together to create a better future for our children.”

A meeting with parents will be held at each school to discuss the move.

Duncan Hetherington, headteacher at Lord Street Primary, said the schools would not lose their identity.

He said: “The daily life for children would not change, they would have the same teachers and the same classes.

“Each school is unique and we want to keep Pendle’s history within each school.

“We are becoming a trust through choice, so we will set our own agenda and changes will be on all our own terms.

“The benefits will be noticeable behind the scenes, for example, if the schools need to buy equipment we can buy it in bulk and save money to spend in other ways.”

Parents have been urged to provide feedback before Monday, March 27.

Sarah Burtoft, West Street Primary School’s headteacher, said the merge would help transition from primary school to secondary.

She said: “The amount of schools involved shows the level of trust we have."