Why join SELCAT?

The draw of developing a thriving MAT is to raise student attainment, share the burden of business operations, support local decision making and enhance strong, professional leadership.

Becoming part of a Trust isn’t heralded to give improvements overnight. However, formally being part of a group of schools can have enormous benefits, both the technical and non-technical.

Stronger Leadership: School leaders and teachers can combine their knowledge and planning abilities to work on challenges and solutions together.

Increased capacity at school level:  Enabling school staff and governors to concentrate on their core business of teaching and learning and welfare of staff and pupils.  Possibly, with the reduction of some repetitive administrative tasks.

Cross Phase Co-operation:  The opportunity for Catholic Primary and Secondary schools to work together, sharing ideas and experience.

Greater Protection: Smaller Catholic schools become part of a much larger organisation through membership.

Strategic Management: Governors and trustees can draw on each other’s experience to formulate strategic approaches.

Shared Staffing: Where appropriate, human resources within schools can work across multiple sites, particularly in a localised Trust. This can appease the recruitment challenges facing the teaching industry and offer more varied opportunities to staff.

Specialist Resources: With combined funding in a Trust, specialist knowledge can be bought in many different areas, spanning academic, extra-curricular and operational functions.

Professional Development: Increased training and development opportunities for all staff including leadership development at all levels.  This can be organised across multiple schools, thus spreading the cost per school and upskilling as many individuals as possible per session.

Setting the Agenda for Diocesan Schools: The opportunity to be involved in an exciting new Diocesan development and the opportunity to shape the development of the MAT.

Economies of Scale: A Trust is able to purchase as a whole, thereby achieving economies of scale not achievable by schools as individuals. With ever tightening budgets, this can help schools maintain and build upon the resources and standards they aspire to.

Shared Accountability: As a Trust represents multiple schools, it is in its interest to raise the profile of each, in line with rising expectations.

Protecting Individual School Identity: Our schools already have specific individual and cherished identities.  The Trust will not override these identities.  Through the Trust they will be strengthened, encouraged to develop and celebrated.

What will change for staff?

• The Trust become the employer, but all staff are TUPEd across, therefore their terms and conditions are protected and will remain the same as currently in place for all staff.
• The Trust will continue to use the CES and Diocesan policies.
• Positive impact of improved training and development opportunities
• Working with staff across schools in the Trust and sharing practice

What will change for pupils?

• On a day-to-day basis, quite simply nothing.  Everything that pupils know and love about the school will remain exactly the same.
• Over time as the Trust develops there will be greater opportunities to enhance the experience of pupils within our schools