An academy trust running three secondary schools and one primary in Hambleton and Richmondshire has been merged with a similar group in Ryedale.

Areté Learning Trust and Ryedale Learning Trust officially merged on April 1 to become a multi-academy trust including five secondaries and four primaries.

The new organisation, known as Areté Learning Trust, will be led by Mark McCandless, who was formerly CEO of the Ryedale trust.

A statement issued by the trusts said their boards had "identified close alignment in terms of vision and values and the communities their organisations serve – market towns and the rural community".

The original Areté Learning Trust was established when Stokesley School converted to an academy in April 2015. The trust later took on Richmond School and Sixth Form, and then Northallerton School and Sixth Form in 2018, after it was placed in special measures by Ofsted.

Darlington and Stockton Times: Northallerton School and Sixth Form College Picture: RICHARD DOUGHTY

As well as those three schools, the merged trust now includes primaries Mill Hill, in Northallerton, Helmsley, Kirkbymoorside, and Sinnington, and secondaries Norton College and Sixth Form, and Ryedale School.

Mr McCandless said: "I am delighted and privileged to be taking up the role of CEO in the newly merged Areté Learning Trust. This merging of two strong and similar trusts will allow us to establish an even stronger trust, with greater autonomy to set direction and deliver the outcomes that are important to all of us.

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"Our focus now is to be the best, not the biggest, locality-based trust in the North of England."

All schools within both trusts are rated as "good" or "outstanding" by Ofsted, and Areté said the new trust has successfully applied for £3m-worth of capital funding for its schools in the latest round of Condition Improvement Fund bidding.

Darlington and Stockton Times: Richmond School

"This will undoubtedly have a significant positive impact on the quality of the learning environment for our learners and staff," said the trust statement.

Catherine Brooker, chair of the Areté Learning Trust, said Mr McCandless is a "strong leader who is clearly totally committed to further developing Areté Learning Trust". She said he "shares our commitment to inclusive and high-quality education," and "will work with the heads, staff and communities, in the interest of trust-wide sustained school improvement".