A WELL-KNOWN Cumbrian grammar school has been given the go ahead to join an academy trust.

Queen Elizabeth Grammar School has been given the go ahead in principle by the Department for Education to join the currently named West Lakes Multi-Academy Trust on January 1 2023.

The Trust, which will be called Changing Lives Learning Trust, is sponsored by Sellafield Ltd, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and the University of Central Lancashire and receives state funding to support schools with its vision to 'change lives through learning'.

By joining the Trust, staff will 'share their expertise, knowledge and skills to collaborate with other members and improve education even further'.

David Marchant, headteacher at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, said: "I am very excited about this next stage in the life and development of our historic charitable school.

"We have been supporting excellence in education since 1564 by Royal Charter.

"Joining the Trust will further enhance the education of our children by drawing on their experience and proven track record of ‘Changing Lives through Learning’ by providing an education for each child that is excelled by no other institution in the land.

"What struck us was their aspiration to be modestly, but steadfastly, the most respected Trust, rather than the largest.”

He added: “We have a common purpose and an absolute commitment to working together to achieve the very best for the children and young people of our county.

"We will retain our selective status and indeed, our protected diversity as a family of schools is our greatest strength, as we learn from the excellence that exists in every one of the newly expanded Trust’s other schools now and in the future.

"In addition to celebrating our past, we must also be fit for a modern world in which we can thrive. It is a world and a future I am excited about and it is the right choice for our historic school.”

In a joint statement, Queen Elizabeth Grammar School’s chair of governors, Martyn Worrall, and West Lakes Trust’s chair of trustees, Michelle Pearse, added: "We are delighted with the approval in principle and we are proud to unite as a family of schools that make up what will be Changing Lives Learning Trust.

"Our joint decision is the result of significant strategic planning and engagement, and we are enthused by the opportunities to collaborate across the Trust to further improve the educational outcomes for the communities we serve.

"Our schools are still the same as they were yesterday, our teachers are still providing the same high-quality education as they always have been, but the Trust and QEGS’ addition will allow us to thrive in ways we could not have previously imagined."

Jonathan Johnson OBE, chief executive officer, said: "This agreement in principle for the historic Queen Elizabeth Grammar School to join in partnership with us will further contribute to our ambitious mission to provide a preparation for life that is excelled by no other.

"Learning from the excellence of each other will enhance our efforts to ensure all schools are outstanding providers of a quality of education that change lives through learning.”