Our Offer to Schools

Through a robust ‘score card’ self-review, schools identify 3-4 key areas of focus each academic year. Support is allocated to these areas by SIPs, with additional areas identified by the central team in consultation with the Headteacher.

The program includes school reviews, website reviews, and safeguarding/SCR policy checks at the start of each academic year. Reviews are strategically planned based on need.

Central Services Challenge and Support Strategy:

• CEO undertakes climate walks and informal visits to each school at least once per term.
• Weekly monitoring of core information through SchoolsBi, focusing on staff and student absence, and exclusions.
• Fortnightly Headteachers meetings to review data, discuss topics, and plan events.
• Strategic oversight includes audits and reviews, such as Safeguarding Policy, Website compliance, Financial, HR, and Teaching & Learning audits.
• Extensive ongoing support from highly effective and experienced consultant team.

School Based Advisors (SBAs):

• SBAs are experts in their field, with a track record of achievement, ranging from Headteachers to staff with specific expertise.
• Their role is vital in building capacity and career development opportunities, ensuring excellence across schools in the trust.
• Schools are reimbursed for any time SBAs spend away from their own school.

Leadership and Subject Networks 2023:

• Networks cover all sections of the school community, including Headteachers, DHTs, SENDCo Support, Data & Raising Standards Leads, Pastoral Leads, Governors, Business Managers, and Subject Leaders.
• Networks are additional to whole staff development days for Primary and Secondary.

School Progress Board:

• Headteachers and senior leaders demonstrate progress in their key improvement areas as identified through the score card.
• The Central Improvement Team reviews and assigns support, reviews the Trust Improvement Plan, and supports future development strategies.
• The School Progress Board addresses progress in specific areas identified for development, results, post-Ofsted priorities, behaviour, and attendance and approaches to raising standards and outcomes for students.
• The inaugural School Progress Board meeting sets out key improvement targets for the academic year and discusses results and student targets.

This structured approach aims to ensure continuous improvement and effective oversight across the schools in the trust.

Financial Management and Oversight via SIMS Finance:

• Unlimited advice, guidance, and support from the Chief Financial & Operating Officer, including budget principles, construction, and monitoring.
• Procurement advice to ensure value for money.
• Bank account monitoring and statutory reporting.
• Payroll setup, monitoring, and audit.
• Filing accounts and reporting to the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA).
• Termly meetings for Business Managers.

Internal and External Audits:

• Termly visits from external auditors to ensure consistent policy and procedure adherence across Trust schools.
• External annual audit of school accounts to produce statutory reports for Companies House.

Dedicated School Infrastructure Support:

• A trained Data Protection Officer handles all Freedom of Information and Subject Access Requests.
• A cloud-based Health & Safety Compliance tracker to monitor compliance across trust schools.
• Access to solicitors Stone King for quick concise legal advice, including a legal retainer for unlimited enquiries on single issues.
• HR Advice. Support and oversight from an educational specialist HR Operations Lead, including overseas employer approved status.
• A trained Educational Visits Coordinator (EVC) provides advice and support and signs off H&S Risk Assessments for residential and overseas educational visits.
• Guidance on capital projects from Estates Operations Lead and access to School Condition Allowance for direct capital funding from the Department for Education (DfE).

Trust Intranet:

• Access to theHUB, a one-stop shop of resources including employee toolkits, policyHUB (a policy writing service for schools), risk management system, and data dashboards.

• GovernorHUB: Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) based pricing for schools adopting this cloud-based system to support effective governance administration.

SIMS Support:

• School census advice and support.

School Contribution to Trust Central Services:

The Trust deducts 3.5% from General Annual Grant (GAG) Funding, placing the MAT in the lowest percentile of Trusts in terms of fees. Schools receive all other funding directly

Marketing with Grebot Donnelly Ltd:

• leading education sector marketing consultancy, offers tailored solutions for schools and trusts. Their bespoke strategies, based on in-depth research and evidence, include stakeholder analysis and marketing audits. With 20 years of experience, they're known for enhancing school reputations and branding, focusing on the impactful role of marketing in education.

IT Strategy with EducAite Limited:

• In partnership with EducAite Ltd, the Trust is developing a comprehensive IT strategy for transitioning to a unified trust domain. This strategy encompasses platform standardisation, cybersecurity, and infrastructure planning. Schools are advised to align upcoming IT investments with this Trust-wide strategy for compatibility.

Lettings Strategy with School Hire Solutions and Optimise Lettings:

• The Trust's lettings strategy, in collaboration with School Hire Solutions and Optimise Lettings, is tailored to maximise asset usage. School Hire Solutions manages community group lettings, handling everything from bookings to revenue collection. Optimise Lettings offers bespoke solutions for site utilisation. This approach aims to significantly increase lettings income and generate new revenue streams for schools.