Three schools in St Albans have united with another in Hemel Hempstead to form a new multi-academy trust.

Spiral Partnership Trust is celebrating the New Year with a new educational partnership, which sees Fleetville Academies Trust merge with Spiral Academies Trust.

The new multi-academy trust, which comprises four primary schools, Fleetville Infant and Junior School and Mandeville Primary School in St Albans and Chaulden Junior School in Hemel Hempstead, provides education to more than 1,300 pupils.

The new partnership will enable the schools to work closely together to innovate, inspire and share good practice.

Similar to many large secondary schools, the schools will also share services to boost economies of scale and make financial savings to further improve the quality of provision for local children and their families.

Trustee and chairman of the board of directors, Professor Andrew Mayo, said: “This partnership is a model for the future of education.

“The directors compared every aspect of the individual organisations and reached a confident conclusion that the expansion of four schools working in unison, will bring enhances opportunities for both staff and pupils, in sharing expertise and resources.”

Executive headteachers Amanda Godfrey and Androulla Peek have a long history of working together.

Ms Godfrey said: “Working in collaboration with other schools and networks of professionals is a very important part of Spiral Partnership Trust’s ethos and we are very excited about the new opportunities we can offer our staff, parents and children as a result of this partnership.

“The new board of directors includes the directors of both previous trusts.”

Ms Peek said: “Our directors bring a vast array of skills and expertise which will add great value to our schools and further support our commitment to providing excellence in teaching and learning."

“We are extremely fortunate to have such a talented team behind us.”

He four schools have all been judged as good and outstanding by Ofsted.

Each school will retain its own head teacher, governing body and a distinctive individual character.