News and Updates

Athena Schools Trust

5th March 2018

Confirmation of Decision to join the Athena Schools Trust (AST)

We are delighted to inform you that following a unanimous vote the Governors have confirmed their decision to join the Athena Schools Trust. The proposed date of joining is 1 August. 

The Governors’ decision follows a thorough public consultation exercise and a programme of legal, financial and organisational due diligence.  We would like to thank all parents, carers and other stakeholders who took the opportunity to share their views during the consultation. The full details of the consultation discussions and responses are available on our website.


The Athena Schools Trust is a newly formed multi-academy trust which comprises 5 local schools:

  • Guildford County School
  • Northmead Junior School
  • Pirbright Village Primary School
  • Shalford Infant School
  • Stoughton Infant and Nursery School

The ethos of the Athena Schools Trust is that we are better together.  We plan to work collaboratively to build the best schools in our communities, and to deliver an outstanding education to every child.  Key to the Governors’ decision was the view that the school and our pupils will benefit not just from sharing services and resources, but from collaborating on educational best practice and innovation. The education landscape is constantly changing, and we believe that working with other schools in our area will equip us to better respond to these challenges.

Many of the changes resulting from joining AST will be administrative and will happen behind the scenes.  You shouldn’t notice any difference in the day-to-day running of the school. The school’s name, logo, uniform, hours, term dates and curriculum will remain unchanged.  As you do now, any queries or issues should be addressed to your child’s teacher, Head of House/Year, the school office, or [name of HeadTeacher/HoS].  The Governors will continue to operate as a Local Governing Body and will be represented on the AST Joint Governors’ Council, along with the other AST schools.

Many thanks for all your support so far.  We look forward to starting an exciting new chapter for the school.

Sarah Wynde                                                Jack Mayhew
Chair of Governors                                       Headteacher