Friday 26th March 2021

Dear parents/carers,

We are writing to inform you that, over the past few months, we have been in discussion regarding the possibility of Desborough College becoming a member of Pioneer Educational Trust’s family of schools. Last Monday, Desborough College’s Board of Trustees voted unanimously to support this move.

Desborough College is an 11-18 boys school in .

Desborough College and Pioneer Educational Trust have shared values and both demonstrate a strong ethos of teamwork and collaboration. Our schools are geographically close and we are both proud to serve our local communities. Desborough and Pioneer are forward-thinking, collaborative and outward-facing, and we believe that, as equal partners, Desborough College, Foxborough Primary School, and Upton Court Grammar School have a unique opportunity to grow and flourish together.

There is the potential for a wide number of benefits not least the opportunity for school-to-school collaboration between Desborough College and Upton Court Grammar School as two successful secondary schools. In addition, this partnership will bring increased opportunities for professional development and career opportunities, as well as benefits for all pupils across our family of schools to collaborate through pupil-led initiatives and student leadership activities.

In terms of specific benefits for Desborough College, this collaboration will support the school in its ambition to become an ‘Outstanding’ school. It will provide additional capacity to secure finance and then oversee capital projects to improve Desborough’s estates, as well as overseeing the finances of the school enabling school leaders to focus on what matters most – the quality of education Desborough’s boys receive. The aim for Desborough and Pioneer’s leaders is for the school to become the school of choice locally. Pioneer has a track record of success in all of these areas.

All that being true, Pioneer Educational Trust is also seeking to learn and develop through its partnership work with Desborough College. The Pioneer approach is to co-construct ways of working and achieve aligned autonomy through cross-trust networks. Pioneer’s schools serve a diverse range of intakes and we celebrate that each of our schools is so unique. This brings a diversity of thought and approach that everyone in our family of schools can learn from.

At this stage, Pioneer Educational Trust is completing the due diligence process. This process will be complete by Friday 23rd April. After this time, an application will be submitted to the DfE Head Teacher Board who will then decide whether to approve our application. Should we meet the milestones within this timeline and the necessary legal work, we believe that Desborough College could become a welcome partner in Pioneer Educational Trust from 1st September 2021.

We will be completing a listening exercise with Desborough College’s school community inviting staff, trade unions, the Local Authority and parents / carers to express their views about this proposed change from the 19th to the 30th April. Further details on how to contribute will be provided on the 19th April.

We are all incredibly excited about the potential that this conversion will bring. Over the past few months, we have built positive relationships with one another and can see clearly how our schools can work, in partnership and collaboration, to provide all pupils in our family of schools with equal access to an outstanding education.

Yours faithfully

Dr M Jervis Mr E Neighbour Mrs A Spinks Mr D Moss Ms M Callaghan Chair of Pioneer Co-CEO of Pioneer Co-CEO of Pioneer Chair of Desborough Principal Educational Trust Educational Trust Educational Trust College Desborough Trust College