Proud to Support the Bromyard Co-operative School Trust
The Robert Owen Group is proud to be supporting the Bromyard Co-operative School Trust. The Trust, consisting of seven schools in and around Bromyard, and supporting partners, are joining together to help safeguard their future.
The Bromyard Co-operative School Trust looks set to be the biggest rural co-operative of schools in the country and could act as a model for other areas. Plans are on course for the Trust to be formally established in September.
The Trust aims to enhance opportunities for young people and work towards greater community cohesion, and by joining together in this way the schools can share resources, staffing and support each other.
The schools involved with the Trust are:
- Queen Elizabeth Humanities College
- Brockhampton Primary School
- St Peter’s Primary School
- Bredenbury Primary School
- Burley Gate Primary School
- Pencombe Primary School
- Whitbourne Primary School
The Trust is to also include the following partners:
- Herefordshire Council
- South and West Co-operative Society
- and The Robert Owen Group
Quoted in the Hereford Times newspaper, Trevor Hayes from Queen Elizabeth Humanities College and leader of the consultation process, said the trust would benefit the Bromyard cluster,
“We want to draw on the expertise in the area to improve the schools and skills as a cluster. Bromyard is a town with a great deal of expertise and here is a way of drawing on that for the good of our students.”
Roger Davies, Chair of the Robert Owen Foundation Trustees, said on behalf of the Robert Owen Group,
“The formation of this Trust demonstrates that the people of Bromyard can see how the benefits of co-operation can help sustain their community.
By basing their Trust on co-operative values such as: self-help; self responsibility; democracy; equality; equity and solidarity and delivering those values through guiding co-operative principles of democracy; equality; equity and solidarity and delivering those values through guiding co-operative principles of democracy; autonomy and independence and concern for community the connections between community learning needs, schools and rural sustainability will be evident.
As a co-operative advocator and practitioner, the Robert Owen Group are proud to support the Bromyard Co-operative School Trust.”
Chris Morgan, President of the Robert Owen Group, added,
“The Robert Owen Group has committed itself to the Bromyard Co-operative Trust Group of Schools with the locating of all our Initial Teacher Education on the site through the Robert Owen Centre for Higher Education.”
The Robert Owen Group ran a Co-operative Trust Schools Workshop back in February this year at Hereford Town Hall, at which Trevor Hayes gave a presentation on the development of the Bromyard Co-operative School Trust. The model set up by Trevor and his colleagues in the partnership is an excellent example to other schools and communities. Further information about Co-operative Trust Schools is available at the following websites:
www.school.coop
www.becolleges.coop
A. Horsburgh 21.06.10