School mergers announced in Solihull

Leading establishments to offer improved education opportunities.

Leading local schools Solihull and Saint Martin’s have announced that from September 2020 they will merge to form a combined co-educational 3-18, day school, on two campuses.

The merger will create a larger Solihull School, which will provide a Junior and Infant department on the Saint Martin’s Campus and a Senior School and Sixth Form on the Warwick Road Campus.

Following these changes, pupils will continue to benefit from excellent facilities, with investment planned for both campuses. Lessons will continue to be in small classes and pupils will enjoy a diverse range of music, sports and creative and performing arts opportunities. In recent years, both schools have opened new buildings, including a Performance Arts Centre, the David Turnbull Music School and Sixth Form Centre.

The merger aims to strengthen the reputation of the combined school as a leading provider of high quality, holistic education in the area, renowned for its strong pastoral care.

With effect from January 2020, the school will have an enlarged governing body with representatives from both Solihull and Saint Martin’s. The Chairman of the Board will be Mark Hopton, current Chairman of Solihull. The new governing body will have sole responsibility for the governance of the combined school. The merger is conditional upon a number of legal matters being completed and in the interim, there will be a transitional steering group comprising governors and senior leaders of both establishments.

Head of the combined school will be David EJJ Lloyd, current Headmaster of Solihull. He said, “We are delighted to be merging with Saint Martin’s. It provides a significant opportunity for pupils and staff of the new combined school. They are a good fit in terms of our shared ethos and approach to the education of young people.”

Mark Hopton, Chairman of Solihull Governors, added: “We look forward to working together to take both schools forward to preserve and improve the education and opportunities for the pupils in our care.“

Nicola Smillie, Head of Saint Martin’s, said: “The new school will continue to provide a stimulating environment in which pupils want to learn through excellent teaching; where they take responsibility for their own learning, both in the classroom and outside of it; and achieve the very best results of which they are capable, in the spirit of Saint Martin’s founding principles.“