A Suffolk headteacher is “excited” about his school’s future after it was announced it is to become an academy.

Great Heath Primary School, in Mildenhall, is due to be taken over by Academy Transformation Trust.

The academy sponsor will have overall responsibility for the school instead of Suffolk County Council.

August 1 is the date given for the conversion – with the school’s name also changing to Great Heath Academy.

Steven Vincent, the school’s headteacher, said: “We are very much looking forward to becoming part of Academy Transformation Trust’s family of academies.

“This is an exciting opportunity to provide an environment that inspires learning for all our children and helps realise our ambition of becoming outstanding.

“Working in partnership with the trust, we know that together we can continue to improve and provide our pupils with the first class education they deserve”. The school’s uniform and logo will also change in the move, with the trust providing a free tie and jumper for each pupil.

Academy Transformation Trust already runs Mildenhall College Academy and Ipswich’s Westbourne Academy, as well as Ravens Academy in Clacton.

Ian Cleland, the trust’s chief executive officer, said: “We are delighted that staff, governors and parents from Great Heath Primary School have chosen to join our family of academies.

“Great Heath is a ‘good’ [as marked by Ofsted] school that has an excellent relationship with our Mildenhall College Academy (MCA), to which it sends most of its children.

“This partnership will be further strengthen with the launch of the new Great Heath Academy (GHA) this summer and ensure that pupils moving to MCA have an excellent start to their secondary education.

“GHA will play a key part in the exciting development proposed for the creation of a learning community in Mildenhall.

“As well as supporting the learning and achievements of pupils, the plans provide for new combined civic, health and leisure services and the opportunity to access further education provision.”

He added the trust would invest in improving the quality of its buildings and work towards turning Ofsted’s ‘good’ rating to ‘outstanding’.

Parents, staff and pupils were consulted about the proposals through meetings, a questionnaire and letters.