MP's visit to see '˜significant progress' being made at trust

Ms Rudd took a tour round Rye College and Rye Community Primary School, meeting students, staff and school leaders, before a meeting with the trust’s chief executive Tim Hulme, chair of trustees Stephen Ward and director of finance and business Andrew Ferguson.

Rye Academy Trust has been working closely in partnership with the Department for Education since Tim Hulme’s appointment in September 2016 to stabilise the organisation and ensure that the trust’s schools provide the best possible educational experience for children and families in the local area.

Following a recent Ofsted monitoring visit, the Department for Education has commended the significant progress the trust has made over the last year, in strengthening leadership and management through the appointment of a new senior leadership team at Rye College and a new board of trustees, including a new chairman.

CEO Tim Hulme said: “We were delighted to welcome the Secretary of State and show her the changes underway.

“The new Board of Trustees has a bold strategic vision for our Rye campus to ensure we are able to sustain the long tradition of education in Rye and meet the needs of children, young people and families well into the next century.

“At the heart of this vision is securing a new school building for Rye College.

“A strong educational offer is our core business but our trustees have ambitions to bring together a range of other community services onto our campus.

“Their vision is to deliver education-led regeneration in Rye and a holistic approach to meeting community needs in a broader sense which is so essential to a thriving community.

“Although these plans are embryonic, we were delighted that Ms Rudd recognised the ambition as being right for Rye.”

The Rye Academy Trust includes Rye Primary, Rye College and Rye Studio School, covering ages two to 19 and all based on the same campus in Love Lane.

For more information, visit https://ryeacademytrust.org/.