SCHOOLS have joined forces to drive up standards of education in the Dorchester area.

They have been given the green light to start working towards ‘trust’ status to give them greater control over their own affairs and the chance to gain more funding. Headteachers are claiming students will reap the benefits.

The Dorchester Area Schools Partnership (DASP) already sees 19 schools in and around the county town work together to share resources and ensure continuity for pupils.

Headteacher of Prince of Wales School in Dorchester Peter Farrington said that, although six schools are officially bidding for trust status, any trust formed will involve all 19 schools in the DASP.

He said: “All of the schools in the DASP are looking at formalising our relationship by seeking trust status and this will involve all of the members of the partnership working even more closely together.

“It will also involve a range of further education partners and partners from the industry.

The Prince of Wales School, Milborne St Andrew First School, Broadmayne First School, Cheselbourne Village School, Damers First School and Dorchester Middle School are among 31 schools nationally that have been given the go ahead to join the Supported Schools programme to work towards Trust school status.

Mr Farrington said: “The six schools that are on the list are termed as community schools – rather than church, voluntary aided or voluntary controlled schools – and if we wanted to go further down this route we change our status to become a Foundation Trust.

“But all of the schools in the DASP would be members of this new trust.”

Mr Farrington said that trust status could mean access to more funding.

But he stressed that official trust status was still some way off, although all of the schools had signalled their intention to work towards it.

He said “At the moment all it means is we will be provided with advice about moving towards that and making sure it is the right thing for us to do.”

Mr Farrington added that the ethos behind the schools’ closer co-operation was ‘getting it right for every student by working together’.

Headteacher of Milborne St Andrew First School Tom Leech said: “Dorchester schools work very closely together in any case and what trust status would do would be to secure the future of the DASP partnership.

“It also enables us to have access to some funding, which will help us to continue promoting excellence within these schools.”