Shifnal's Idsall School joins the Marches Academy Trust

Idsall School in Shifnal has reopened after the summer break as part of the Marches Academy Trust.

Last year, the school was rocked following an Ofsted inspection that saw its Good rating plummet to Inadequate and raised concerns that the school was not taking sexual harassment between pupils seriously enough.

The school robustly disagreed with the Ofsted findings but made a vow to improve.

A monitoring inspection report published in June this year said the school was making progress but "remains inadequate and requires special measures".

Now, the school has joined ten other schools in the Marches family, including St John Talbot's in Whitchurch and The Grove in Market Drayton.

The decision follows a series of public engagement events where stakeholders were invited to comment on the move.

Sarah Finch, CEO of the Marches Academy Trust, said: “We believe by working together our schools are ensuring that we are developing as a strong multi-academy trust based on achievement through caring.

"This is a wonderful opportunity for the trust to grow in strength with a school that has so many wonderful attributes, and through the trust, Idsall School will continue to grow."

Michelle King, Idsall School's headteacher, said: “This is an exciting prospect for the whole school community.

"Being part of the Marches Academy Trust will give the students and staff at Idsall School many more learning experiences and memorable moments that will stay with our children for the rest of their lives and inspire them to become life-long learners.

"We can share our knowledge to provide excellent learning opportunities and experiences for our students, whilst continuing our strong working relationship with our parents and carers."