A meeting will brief parents and carers on new plans for education in South East Cornwall.

After 15 months of talks involving senior and primary schools, the new South East Cornwall Multi Academy Regional Trust (SMART) is to be launched on Wednesday, March 1.

Saltash.net, which has been running its own academy with Landulph Primary School since 2014, has been used as the role model.

It will now join ‘Wave One’ of the new multi-academy of six schools, which will include Liskeard School and Community College, Looe Community Academy, and Dobwalls and Trewidland Primary Schools.

Wave Two will be introduced at a later date as talks progress with more schools which have shown interest, among them Bodmin College. Although in Mid Cornwall, it matches the criteria for the new multi academy that all schools must be within an hour’s drive of one another.

The acting chief executive officer of SMART is Isobel Bryce, who said: ‘There has always been a strong partnership between the local secondary heads and we talked about the possibility of expanding into a multi academy for South East Cornwall. There has been a huge amount of work and commitment on everyone’s part. This is an exciting time for staff and pupils and my mantra, which I believe is the same for others, is we are “stronger together” and I really believe that.’

Alex Lingard, headteacher at Liskeard School and Community College, said: ‘The primary reason for SMART is to be able to provide greater opportunities for all students. It’s about working closely together and sharing skills which will benefit the students and staff.’

Mr Lingard said with a projected forecast of an eight per cent cut in education funding, schools needed to be creative in the way they coped with their finances.

He said: ‘The multi academy means we can draw on our skills among the various staffs instead of outsourcing. Money saved can be invested in our students.’

The meeting for parents and carers will take place at Liskeard School at 6pm on Tuesday, January 24, with a presentation by Isobel Bryce.