Proposals have been unveiled for Sunnydale Community College in Shildon and Greenfield Community College in Newton Aycliffe to forge even closer links.
A consultation process has been launched on plans to create a Federation which, if approved, will mean there will be a single Governing Body for the two schools from September.
Sunnydale and Greenfield have been working closely together successfully since 2009 when the Aycliffe and Shildon Schools’ Educational Trust was formed. The new arrangement will mean establishing a more formal working partnership.
The single governing body would determine priorities and allocate resources, both financial and non-financial, for the Federation.
The proposal does not however mean an amalgamation of the two schools. Each will keep its unique identity, serving its own community, and each will retain financial independence and operate a separate budget.
In the initial stages of the Federation the staffing structures of the two schools will remain as they are, but over a three year period there will be a move to a single senior leadership team that will operate across the Federation.
Peter Berg, chair of governors at Greenfield, said: “We have always seen our success to be based on key partnerships, it will be good to secure an exciting future through closer ties with Sunnydale, built on shared values and vision. This will extend opportunities for our students and allow for even greater personalisation and choice”
Chair of governors at Sunnydale Lesley Wilson said: “The Federation will be based upon shared values and beliefs which put our two communities and all of our students at the heart of our developments.
“As specialist colleges, keeping each college’s special character, we will be able to offer the broadest possible range of subject choices for our students.”
She said governors believed that the proposal would lead to improved and more effective management, a wider choice of subjects for students and improved staff training.
At the same time it would preserve and build on the education and opportunities being provided to the whole community while retaining the care and personalised learning that can be offered to students in a small college.
The consultation process, which began on Monday July 2nd runs up until August 17th.