A CLASS act from Herefordshire could help a group of Bromyard schools that were threatened with merger.

The Robert Owen Society wants to expand its operation at Queen Elizabeth Humanities College.

The teacher training group has developed strong links with the college and nearby schools, which is good news for QE and the Bromyard cluster, who get to see the latest teaching talent.

Abi Horsburgh, customer relations and marketing manager, said the society had a good relationship with Bromyard, and admitted local schools were benefitting from the scheme.

She said: “A lot of our qualified trainees go into local schools because they’ve been trained by the schools themselves.”

“It’s a really good way for local schools to recruit, and it works both ways.”

The society was founded as the Marches Consortium in 1993 and now accepts 300 postgraduates from across the Midlands.

Current and former teachers provide classes, while students get placements and classroom experience around the county. The group moved its second office to the Bromyard college during the rebuild of Minster College, and has just submitted plans for a mobile classroom and parking.

The decision comes 16 months after the college was threatened with merger, along with four local primaries.

Ms Horsburgh said the society had worked closely with headteacher Dr Michael Goodman and was committed to Bromyard. “We’ve developed a very strong partnership with the college and another of our courses is being developed at St Peter’s,” she said.