St Mary's Church of England First School in Charminster, Dorchester, has formally joined Initio Learning Trust on 1st January 2025.

St Mary's CE First School was given approval by the Department for Education to become an academy in July last year; it has been working with Initio for the past few months, before officially becoming part of the family of schools on 1st January.

The school, which is celebrating its 150th birthday this year, is a core part of the local community in Charminster and looks forward to continuing its legacy with the support of the trust.

Initio Learning Trust is responsible for 19 schools, from first schools to secondary schools, across Dorset. It recently welcomed Corfe Hills School in Broadstone, Poole, which joined the trust on 1st October last year.

Initio is committed to advancing education for the public's benefit and strives to support school leaders to improve school curriculums, teaching methods and the quality of learning for pupils.

Mick Homer, Headteacher at St Mary's CE First School, said: "We have been working with Initio Learning Trust over the past few months and it is great to have our partnership officially in place and fully recognised.

"We are delighted to have the security of being part of a fantastic organisation that is committed to enabling everyone to flourish.

"We are particularly pleased that Initio's vision aligns with ours to 'Be the best that you can be. Shine God's love for all to see' and we look forward to taking St Mary's from strength to strength."

Liz West, CEO of Initio Learning Trust, said: "As we continue to expand as a trust, it is a great pleasure to welcome St Mary's to our family of schools.

"We look forward to supporting Mick and his team as we invest in every child and staff member at St Mary's to offer educational excellence and outstanding opportunities."