The trust responsible for two schools in Great Lever is to transfer the schools to another trust this weekend.

Essa Academy and Essa Primary are to transfer to Northern Education Trust (NET) as of Saturday (June 1).

Essa Academy was created around 15 years ago, via the academy conversion of Hayward School, while Essa Primary was created around 10 years ago on the same site at the corner of Lever Edge Lane and Morris Green Lane. Together the two schools, co-sponsored by Bolton Council and Essa Foundation, cater for around 1500 pupils.

Essa was Bolton's first academy school.

The council's cabinet member for children's services, Martin Donaghy, said there was no impact on the pupils at the two schools after he signed off on the council's side of the transfer last week.

He said: "There is continuity at the primary school and the secondary school so there is no interruption for the pupils.

"We will still be a sponsor and NET will be the second sponsor."

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NET has more than 20 schools across the North East and North West including, in Bolton, Ferns Academy on Plodder Lane and Kearsley Academy on Springfield Road. It has a reputation for taking struggling schools and turning them around, but this is not such a problem at Essa Academy and Essa Primary, both of which are rated "good".

The reason for the transfer appears in an annual statement by Essa Foundation, towards the end of last year, which said the aim is to ensure "economic sustainability" and "educational excellence".

It said: "In consultation with the Department for Education the trustees identified NET as the ideal trust to transfer the schools. This proposal was supported by all trustees who want Essa Foundation to be a part of the NET multi-academy trust and share its visions, values and commitments and are prepared to live them out in practice. 

"They expect school leaders to lead within their local context in order to fulfil these visions, values and commitments."

The Bolton News asked NET for a comment.

This article was written by Jack Tooth. To contact him, email jack.tooth@newsquest.co.uk or follow @JTRTooth on Twitter.