Two independent schools in Berkshire are to join together at the end of this year, enabling them to enhance their curriculums and share facilities.
St Andrew’s School, a preparatory school near Pangbourne for children aged 3-13, and Bradfield College, a boarding and day school for 13-18 year olds, will join to found the Bradfield Group on 10 December 2021.
The two schools have shared close ties since St Andrew’s was established two miles away from Bradfield, and they have been in talks for 12 months over the merger.
The partnership offers the schools opportunities to share strategic thinking and developments in teaching and learning, for enhanced curriculum and professional development, for better use and improvement of facilities, and for delivering cost efficiencies through economies of scale.
Ed Graham, headmaster at St Andrew’s School, said: “The most exciting aspect of forming the Bradfield Group is the enhanced opportunities for current and future pupils, through providing greater depth and breadth in academic offerings, the co-curricular life and the pastoral support. We believe that this merger only adds to the educational experiences the children will encounter on a daily basis.”
The two schools will each retain their individual identity, character and traditions, and will continue to be run on a day-to-day basis by their own leadership teams, but will be overseen by a single, combined governing body and its committees.
Each school will continue to develop its own provision whilst building upon the links that exist between them. St Andrew’s will continue to feed a number of senior schools in the Berkshire area and beyond, and Bradfield will continue to welcome pupils from a range of feeder schools.
Dr Chris Stevens, headmaster at Bradfield College, said: “This exciting move is a strategic development which will underpin continued success for two excellent schools with their own independence but a shared understanding of a great education.”
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