COLCHESTER Royal Grammar School has entered a new chapter in its history after joining the Thinking Schools Academy Trust.

The move follows an almost year-long process in which the school’s trustees have reviewed all of the options open to the school following a turbulent year after it received an inadequate Ofsted rating in July 2021.

The school has now joined the trust which is made up of 21 schools including three grammar schools.

Speaking to the Gazette in January, school bosses hoped joining the trust would “secure the future” of Colchester Royal Grammar School following a damning Ofsted report.

The school had been threatened with having its funding agreement withdrawn when the watchdog found that its pupils felt “unsafe” after being subjected to sexist or racist comments.

For news updates straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here.

The Ofsted report found school bosses had not ensured that boys understood “how to interact appropriately” with girls.

The report maintained that certain parts of the school “have become a hostile environment for some pupils”.

It said: “A significant number of pupils feel uncomfortable or unsafe in school and report being the subject of insulting and damaging comments regarding their gender, appearance, race or sexual orientation."

Janet Perry, chairwoman of trustees, said: “When we became a stand-alone academy ten years ago, we always knew that this was the first step of a journey and that eventually we would either create, or become part of, a wider family of schools.

“For many reasons, it became increasingly clear that now was the right time for us to take that next step.

“After a great deal of work and discussion, TSAT was an obvious partner for us to work with. Not only do they share our commitment to academic standards, but they also put the wellbeing and personal development of young people at the heart of their decisions and approaches.

“In addition, the partnership gives us the ability to work closely with other like-minded schools so that we can share knowledge, resources and best practice.

"This will further enhance and strengthen the progress that Ofsted has recognised the school has made over recent years.

“It really is an exciting next chapter in our school’s rich history.”