Becky Costello, Headteacher and Kevin Moyes, Chair of Governors, said: ‘The school looks forward to being part of the ODST family of schools, sharing expertise and supporting each other.’

They described joining the Trust as ‘evolution’ for the school, and part of their journey back to a ‘Good’ Ofsted rating. They added ‘So far, we have worked closely with the trust on developing teaching, learning and leadership, and we look forward to seeing the impact of this over the coming terms.’

Professor Roger Murphy, Blewbury's lead governor for community engagement, said that joining the Trust would present Blewbury with a range of 'new opportunities and expertise'.

Blewbury joined ODST in December, having already received some support from the trust. It will benefit from working closely with several Good and Outstanding-rated ODST schools nearby, such as Northbourne CE Primary and The Hendreds’ CE Primary. It is the 35th school to join the trust.

Blewbury was required to convert to academy status with sponsorship from a Multi-Academy Trust following its ‘inadequate’ Ofsted rating in March 2019. The school has since received a monitoring inspection which found it is making ‘effective progress’. ODST has a strong track record of supporting school improvement, and last year saw Wheatley CE Primary school jump to ‘Good’ from special measures, while John Henry Newman Academy in Littlemore achieved its first ever ‘Good’ rating.

Anne Dellar, Chief Executive, ODST said:

‘Blewbury is a welcome addition to the ODST family of schools, and we are well placed to support it. ODST’s purpose is to provide children with a high-quality education, while encouraging schools to keep their unique identity, and we are very committed to ensuring Blewbury offers this for its community.’