Six of the leading schools in Dudley and South Staffordshire have banded together to form a Multi Academy Trust.

The schools are: Ellowes Hall Sports College in Gornal, The Crestwood School in Kingswinford, Leasowes High School in Halesowen, Pedmore High School in Pedmore, and from Staffordshire: Kinver High School in Kinver and Wombourne High School in Wombourne.

We have come to believe that such a Trust is absolutely the best way forward for our communities and especially for those most intimately involved, i.e. students, parents and staff.

There will be a strong emphasis on achievement and excellence. We will make every effort to maximise the potential of all our students.

This sums up what we want for our students – a strong sense of direction and a strong independence rooted in robust values.

The six schools firmly believe that, by working together, they will be highly achieving, and able to provide elite educational experiences for their students. In simple terms, we want to be able to give any school in the country – be it state or independent – a ‘run for its money’. We believe that whilst we are locally based we could become nationally important.