Head Susan Johnson and her deputy Sarah Davidson have stood down from their roles at Longfield Academy of Sport as the school heads towards an academy partnership with top-scoring secondary Hurworth School, in Hurworth, near Darlington.

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The Northern Echo understands another senior member of staff has also left.

The reasons for their departures are unknown but they have left voluntarily.

It is understood there were some concerns over the exam results over the summer.

Pupils were informed of the departure in an assembly on Monday and letters were sent home to parents to tell them about the head's departure.

Three schools - Longfield and Hurworth secondary schools and The Rydal primary have been planning on joining together to form a multi-academy trust.

They have now announced concrete plans to join forces, if approved by Government.

The talks resumed after the summer break and an interim structure has now been established to ensure a smooth transition after Ms Johnson left the school.

The interim arrangements will be led by Dean Judson, currently head teacher at Hurworth, who will spend his time between the two schools as chief executive officer.

Hurworth’s deputy head, Nick Lindsay, will be based at Longfield as head of school, while Nichola Peaker, also joint deputy head at Hurworth, assumes responsibility as head of school at Hurworth. They will be joined in their new roles by The Rydal Schools Head Teacher, John Armitage.

It is hoped the interim arrangements will be formally approved by the Department for Education by the end of the year.

Parents, staff and students have been informed of the move and the response has been “overwhelmingly positive”, according to a joint statement from the chairs of Longfield Academy Trust and Swift Academies, which runs Hurworth School.

Hurworth School directors have been in talks with the directors of Longfield Academy Trust – comprising Longfield and The Rydal schools – since the beginning of this year.

It was hoped that the partnership would be in place before the summer holiday but the process was delayed by the general election and purdah.

Mark White, Chair of the Board at Longfield Academy Trust, said: “We unequivocally feel that the partnership of the three schools will further advance and enhance the educational experiences for all of our students.”

Sam Jameson, Chair of Swift Academies Directors at Hurworth, said: “We are currently engaged in on-going discussions with the DFE and we are very much looking forward to securing this relationship into a formal partnership at the earliest opportunity.

“In the interim period we will be working together to lay the foundations that will provide a strong educational platform.

Mr Judson added: “The response from the students, staff and parents/carers to this proposal has been overwhelmingly positive."