St Patrick’s and Alice Ingham primary schools join Multi Academy Trust

The Diocese of Salford

St Patrick’s Roman Catholic Primary School, Rochdale, a Catholic Voluntary Academy, and Alice Ingham Roman Catholic Primary School, Rochdale a Catholic Voluntary Academy; joined the St Teresa of Calcutta Catholic Academy on Sunday, a newly created Multi Academy Trust by the Diocese of Salford.  

The schools are making the move after consultation with parents, staff and governors.

Both schools have been accepted for funding by the DfE and will continue under the Trusteeship of the Diocese of Salford.

Central to the development of Multi Academy Trust's within the Diocese of Salford is the principle that all schools, whatever their status, will remain part of the overall diocesan family of schools.

The decision by the Diocese of Salford is to develop geographic clusters of Multi Academy Trust's consisting of a family of primary and secondary schools. It is envisaged that that other schools will convert and some might remain as they are, blending together in a 'mixed economy' within a diocesan family of Catholic schools.

Welcoming the two schools into the Multi Academy Trust, Canon Antony McBride, Episcopal Vicar for Education said: “The creation of Multi-Academy Trusts in the Diocese enables Catholic schools to continue to support each other in the work of delivering in every school the school improvements they require in order to provide the best possible education for all our pupils.

"The schools of our diocese have a long and proud history of working together for the good of all; 'The family of credible schools in the Diocese of Salford.

"Each generation has taken on the challenges that have faced our Catholic Schools and also made the best of the support we have received from the DfE and Local Authorities.

"In this new situation where conversion to academy status is being offered to us by the government as a way of schools supporting each other, there is yet another opportunity for us to continue that Catholic tradition of support for each other with an emphasis on helping the poorest of the poor in our society.”