Education chief says aim is to revive Harrogate school's student numbers as Red Kite Learning Trust moves to Rossett

Striking a positive note, Richard Sheriff, chief executive of Red Kite Learning Trust, said the closer relationship between the two schools was, in practice, a partnership, not a merger.

And Mr Sheriff, who was headteacher at Harrogate Grammar School for 11 years, pointed to a range of ways in which he says the new partnership is flexible and beneficial.

Most prominent among these is the relocation to unused premises at Rossett School of all of the Red Kite Learning Trust’s operations, including its entire teacher training centre.

"Words like “merger” were being bandied about earlier in the year but what is actually happening is the start of a developing partnership which we are confident will become more equal in the years to come,” said Mr Sheriff.

"We are delighted to be moving our main office to Rossett and our teacher training facilities – and we are paying rent to Rossett to do so.

"We provide new teachers not just for Harrogate but the whole region.”

The growing relationship between the two schools was sealed when Rossett School joined the Red Kite Learning Trust at the start of the new term in September.

Parents’ fears had been voiced in advance of the move that falling numbers of students at Rossett, in particular those going into sixth form, meant Rossett sixth form students would, in effective, just be transferred en masse to Harrogate Grammar School.

Mr Sheriff said the partnership was, instead, designed to revive student numbers at Rossett and ensure it bounces back successfully from its troubles with Ofsted.

“Rosset student numbers have dropped from 1,500 to 1,000 in recent years.

"We intend to grow those numbers back as part of Red Kite Learning Trust.

"There weren’t enough Year 12 students at Rossett to do all their courses at Rossett but we are now running more courses at Rossett.

"That is only possible because we are working in partnership with Harrogate Grammar School.

"The two schools are working together precisely to ensure the widest possible curriculum is always available to students at both schools."

The Ofsted assessment in January labelling Rossett as “requiring improvement” has weighed heavily on the school but under the new set-up the mood was now positive, said Mr Sheriff.

"Both headteachers at Rossett and Harrogate Grammar – Tim Milburn and Neil Renton – are doing a fabulous job.

"Both are committed – with teachers and governors – to make this work and there is a confidence now that it will work.

"We aim to create a thriving partnership which will be good for Harrogate as a whole and for pupils and parents.”