One of Trowbridge’s largest secondary schools, the John of Gaunt School, has become the latest in a growing number of schools to join the Equa Multi Academy Trust.

The announcement follows the departure of former headteacher Matthew Woodville, who only joined the school in September and left recently.

After almost a year of detailed due diligence, in June 2022 the governors at the John of Gaunt School decided to join Equa Multi Academy Trust.

With formal approval granted by the Department for Education in October 2022, the official conversion took place on April 1.

The mixed school has more than 1,260 pupils and is named after John of Gaunt, the 1st Duke of Lancaster as the school is built on land that he once owned.

Paul Skipp, the chief executive of Equa and former head of John of Gaunt, said: “We are delighted to welcome the John of Gaunt School into our family of schools.

“We believe there are significant benefits for schools when they work closely together and share expertise and resources.

“The John of Gaunt School is characterised by its high expectations and an inclusive nature which aligns very closely with our vision of Every Child, Every Chance.

“It is an exciting time for Equa as we continue to grow and look to welcome more schools across our locality in the future.”

Ben Rhodes, the new headteacher at The John of Gaunt School, succeeds Matthew Woodville, who unexpectedly resigned, effective from April 1.

Mr Woodville, 43, joined the school at the start of autumn term in September, after taking over as headteacher from Mr Skipp, who left in July.

He went off work with a sickness absence in mid-February and later emailed the school saying he would not be returning, citing personal circumstances.

Previously, Mr Woodville had worked at the Oldfield School in Bath, Wellsway School in Keynsham and Bedminster Down School in Bristol. The latter two schools are both part of the Wellsway Multi Academy Trust.

Following Mr Woodville's departure, two assistant headteachers, Helen Kerr and Linda Baines, wrote the John of Gaunt School newsletters dated March 3 and 17 respectively.

Mr Rhodes, formerly the school's deputy headteacher, wrote the school's latest newsletter, dated March 31.

He is well-liked and well-respected by his colleagues, having worked at the school for the past eight years.

A senior colleague, who did not wish to be named, said teachers had "applauded" his appointment when it was announced. Mr Rhodes is understood to have beat nine other candidates to fill the vacancy.

Mr Rhodes said: “We are all very pleased with all the positive developments in our school over the last four years and we want to ensure we continue on that positive trajectory.

“We provide an excellent education and experience every day in John of Gaunt and we believe by being part of Equa and working closely with other schools we will be able to stay at the forefront of educational practice.

“We believe this decision has the potential to lead to a range of positive opportunities for both staff, students and our whole community.”

Government data shows that just over 80 per cent of secondary schools in England and almost 40 per cent of primary schools have converted to become academies, with many already in Multi Academy Trusts.

The Equa Multi Academy Trust now consists of nine schools, made up of two secondary schools, The John of Gaunt School and Lavington School, seven primary schools and two nurseries.

Equa, which launched in April 2019, initially started with five schools working together and is likely to continue to grow further over the next few years.