Richmond Council has urged the borough's state schools to come together in academy trusts to pool expertise and "best practice".

The governing body of Darell School Primary and Nursery School is currently carrying out a consultation about whether the school should become an academy, by joining the Every Child, Every Day Academy Trust, with Grey Court and Hollyfield schools.

The Every Child, Every Day Academy Trust works locally, led by Grey Court School.

The trust is not an academy chain, but a local collective of two Kingston and Richmond schools which have come together to share best practice, economies of scale, joint systems and approaches. Darell would benefit from this formalised arrangement whilst continuing its work with local primary schools and focusing on learning and teaching, the council claimed.

Grey Court School is now one of the most successful secondary schools in the borough, with the highest performing GCSE results.

Councillor Paul Hodgins, Richmond Council cabinet member for schools, has thrown his weight behind the school’s efforts to join the academy trust. He said:“This is a very exciting opportunity for Darell School. Providing the best education for all young people is at the heart of this council’s ambition.

“The Every Day, Every Child group of schools shares our ambition for Darell. This is to make it one of the highest performing schools in the borough.

“Crucially, they have the proven track record to make that happen, and we would continue to work closely together.

“I am a firm believer in local cooperation between all our schools – working together to share best practice for the good of all children and young people.

“I hope that parents will review the proposals and see the great opportunities that can come when working with an exceptional school such as Grey Court.”