Avanti Schools Trust invited to sponsor schools in the South West region

The Secretary of State for Education has approved Avanti Schools Trust (AST) as the sponsor in principle for three all-through academies in the SW region (Bristol, Frome and Exeter). The Department for Education (DfE) has asked AST to undertake a listening period before the end of the current academic year to allow parents and staff the opportunity to discuss the trust’s proposals to develop a new culture of high educational standards within the three academies. DfE’s expectation is that Avanti will now undertake a period of due diligence with a view to the schools formally transferring into the AST MAT in the autumn of 2019.