Annual Review 2021
Work hard Be kind Choose wisely
Contents Welcome from our Chief Executive
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Welcome from our Chair of the Board of Directors Our Vision and Values Our Team
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Our Governance Our Strategy
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Aim 1 - Education Aim 2 - People
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Aim 3 - Governance
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Aim 4 - Finance
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Aim 5 - Systems
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Aim 6 - Growth Safeguarding
Annual Review 2021
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Welcome from… Our
Chief Executive It is my pleasure and privilege to welcome you to the first Annual Review of The de Ferrers Trust. In this overview, we hope to give you an insight into our strategic approach to how we are trying to fulfil our vision, which is: To ensure that all the children and young people in our care have the opportunity to fulfil their potential through achieving highly, regardless of their ability or background. Our vision is underwritten by the genuine commitment that everyone in our Trust tries to live our values, which are to: Work hard, be kind, choose wisely. 2020-21 was an incredibly difficult year for society as a whole due to the wide-reaching effects of Coronavirus. Education as a sector faced some serious challenges and, obviously, we as a Trust had our own share to deal with. As independent reports have now confirmed, these challenges were often made even more difficult by unclear and oftchanging directives and guidance. School leaders and staff did an absolutely remarkable job in the circumstances which concluded with teachers in our secondary schools having to run the examination system by proxy with all the extra work that entailed.
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Ian McNeilly Chief Executive
They, and all colleagues in the seven schools in our Trust, undertook significant amounts of work precisely because they want our vision to be achieved. In 2020-21, they were challenged to live our values like they had in no previous year – and they met that challenge fully. I am pleased to say that despite the difficult circumstances, we still made progress towards all of our strategic aims. You can find out more about these in the pages that follow. Whatever your reason for taking time to read this review, I thank you for your interest in our Trust. Ian McNeilly Chief Executive
“ I am proud of all the great work Trust staff have done in the interests of the children in our care in this uniquely challenging year. They really have lived our values.” Ian McNeilly, Chief Executive
Chair of the
Board of Directors It is a great privilege to introduce the de Ferrers Trust Annual Review. This review will give you the opportunity to learn about how the Trust works towards its key strategic priorities and lives out the Trust’s vision and values. The last academic year has been the most challenging in education history. However, the Trust, its school leaders and all our staff have risen to this unprecedented challenge. They have ensured that the education for our young people, their wellbeing and safety has been at the forefront of each day, regardless of whether school buildings were open or closed. And, for clarity, they were certainly open more often than they were closed. Our core business of teaching and learning continued in the most imaginative and creative ways. It is thanks to the dedication of everyone in the Trust that our students continued to thrive, and our vision was lived out in all our seven schools.
You will read in the review about the people and roles which drive our vision and values and make progress toward our strategic aims, including People and Finance. You will read about how the Trust is governed and how this has developed in our seven local governing bodies. Most importantly, you will also learn about how we safeguard our students, and how we have navigated through the changing landscape of the pandemic. I would like to thank our Chief Executive, Ian, the Trust Central Team, the Board of Directors and our wonderful school leaders who have continued to support and drive our vision to ensure that our young people truly flourish. I look forward to our new academic year. A year when The de Ferrers Trust will ensure that all our children and young people in our care have the opportunity to fulfil their potential through achieving highly regardless of their ability or background. Claire Shaw Chair of the Board of Directors
Annual Review 2021
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Our Vision and Values Our Vision
Our Values
To ensure that all the children and
Work hard, be kind, choose wisely.
young people in our care have the opportunity to fulfil their potential through achieving highly, regardless of their ability or background. There are several keywords in our vision. One is ‘opportunity’. Lots of Trusts make some very outlandish statements, peppered with vocabulary that stretches credibility. Ours is highly aspirational but also rooted in reality. It reflects that our young people have a responsibility in achieving this vision, too. We cannot ensure that everyone fulfils their potential because we cannot undertake the necessary work for them. Hence our first value (see opposite). Members of staff work hard and our young people need to do the same. What we can ensure is that we provide them with the opportunity of doing so through giving them an excellent education. Our young people can become anything they want to be and we must help them see that and act on it. Education should provide everyone with opportunities. What can ensure that all pupils, ‘regardless of their ability or background’, are provided with the opportunities, care and encouragement to achieve what they want to in life. This is vital to the success of our Trust.
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We have very simple values and we expect all of our staff and students to try their very best to live by these. We appreciate that it is not always easy to do so at school, at work or in life in general. But they must be more than words on a page. We are unapologetic about promoting a strong work ethic. It is very rare to meet anyone who fulfils their potential or achieves their goals without working hard and we should not pretend otherwise. Our teaching staff are role models in this. They worked hard to qualify and be part of their noble profession; nobody gave them their qualifications or careers and we should not be afraid to convey this to our pupils. In fact, we should celebrate this. There is not enough kindness in this world and even a quick glimpse at the social media that some people are fixated on, including many of our pupils, confirms this. It is our duty to both expect and promote kindness as a way of life. Our third value might very well be the most difficult but also the most important. Everyone makes mistakes. We all need to try and learn from them and avoid repeating them. The thread of realism applies here, too. Adults can counsel and advise using their knowledge and experience but our young people will, on an increasing number of occasions as they grow up, be responsible for making their own choices. These values are present and alive in all of our schools.
“ We are unapologetic about promoting a strong work ethic.” Ian McNeilly, Chief Executive
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Our Team Amy Taylor
Joanne Harrison
Chief Financial Officer
Chief People Officer
Jamie Hawkins
Geoff Stockle
Pardeep Dhami
Vanessa Dodes
Fiona Hinds
Trust Lettings Manager
Trust Estates Manager
Trust Finance Manager
Trust Finance Manager
Trust People Manager
Jamie Livingston
Hannah Mason Trust Finance Officer
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Rhiannon Mayne Trust People Officer
Trust Estates Officer
Rebecca Upton
Katie Gilbert
Trust Finance Assistant
Trust People Apprentice
Ian McNeilly Chief Executive
Kathy Hardy
Nicola Bell
Director of Secondary Education
Director of Primary Education
Steve Hall
Michelle Oliphant
Helen Phillips
Becci Breedon
Joanne Lowe
Acting Principal of The Pingle Academy
Principal of Granville Academy
Executive Principal of Lansdowne Infants and Eton Park Junior
Principal of Horninglow Primary
Principal of Richard Wakefield CE Primary
Sandra Taylor
Kate Priestnall
Nicola Townsend
Katie Pattinson
Trust Governance and Compliance Manager
Trust Director of Safeguarding
Trust Leader: Management Information
Trust Leader: Educational Research
Louisa Cain Trust Safeguarding and Compliance Officer
Joe CallisonHoughton Trust People Apprentice
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Our Governance A multi-academy trust’s board of directors is accountable in law for all major decisions about their academies. However, this does not mean that the board is required to carry out the Trust’s governance functions and many can and should be delegated, including to the Chief Executive, the Trust Executive Team, the board’s committees, and to local governing bodies (LGBs). The de Ferrers Trust is a charitable company limited by guarantee and as such, we are required to comply with Charity Law and Company Law. The Trust is one legal entity with one set of articles of association that governs each academy within the Trust. The autonomy of individual academies is aligned with the need for the Trust to fulfil its corporate responsibilities and accountabilities to the Department for Education, the Education and Skills Funding Agency, Charity Commission, HMRC, Companies House as well as to our pupils, students and their parents, carers and the wider community. The board of directors appoints the Chief Executive to whom it delegates responsibility for delivery of its vision and strategy, and it will hold him to account for the conduct and performance of the Trust, including the performance of the academies within the Trust, and for its financial management. In turn, the Chief Executive line manages the other senior executives and the academies’ principals, setting their targets and performance managing them.
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The board constitutes committees for finance, audit and risk, for resources and for standards; these look in detail at resources and progress and attainment across the Trust. As board committees, at least three directors must sit on each. The board delegates some of its school level monitoring and scrutinising functions to LGBs, and uses these committees to promote stakeholder engagement and as a point of consultation and representation. As the principals are line managed by the Chief Executive, the LGB no longer carries out the governance function of holding the headteacher to account. However, LGBs must be confident that the Trust’s performance management systems are working well, and if not, how they can make the Trust aware of their concerns. This arrangement will also affect the LGB’s role in Ofsted inspections, though inspectors usually ask to meet local governors. The LGB undertakes to uphold the Trust’s vision, policies and priorities. They will seek assurances on behalf of the board from principals and other members of staff regarding the academic performance and quality of care and provision for the pupils in the relevant academy. The directors will appoint the chair, and attempt to ensure that two parents are elected to the LGB.
The directors are responsible for the general control and management of the administration of the Trust, and in accordance with the provisions set out in the memorandum and articles of association and its funding agreement, it is legally responsible and accountable for all statutory functions, for the performance of all schools within the Trust, and must approve a written scheme of delegation of financial powers that maintains robust internal control arrangements. In addition it must carry out the three core governance functions:
• E nsure clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction • H old the executive to account for the educational performance of the Trust’s schools and their pupils, and the performance management of staff. • O versee the financial performance of the Trust and make sure its money is well spent.
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Our Strategy 01
Education
02
People
Deliver a high quality education for all pupils
Recruit, develop and retain high calibre Members of staff
Establish and develop robust governance
1.1 Improve the quality of teaching and, thereby, pupils’ outcomes
2.1 Recruit to attract and retain High calibre professionals across all aspects of the trust
3.1 Ensure that a robust
2.2 Implement fair and
3.2 Ensure that the board is well
robust Systems of Performance Management
informed, and respond To, the views and needs of key stakeholders
standardised systems of progress tracking and quality assurance of staff and students
2.3 Develop appropriate and Personalised CPD Pathways for all members of staff
3.3 Ensure effective risk
1.4 Establish collaborative, cross-
2.4 Commit to Enabling all
school planning, schemes of work, assessment and moderation in order to raise standards
members of staff to have a manageable work-life balance with the acceptance that working in education is demanding
3.5 Recruit people to governance
2.5 Train and develop more leaders than we need and ensure school leadership at all levels is effective
3.6 Ensure that roles and
1.2 Ensure that pupils have access to appropriate curricular and extracurricular provision 1.3 Implement fair and robust
1.5 Create informative and illustrative cross-trust management information 1.6 Develop school to school support to improve identified areas for improvement
1.7 Use evidence and technology to inform and improve practice
1.8 Ensure pupils have access to effective careers advice
1.9 Ensure that pupils are safe and feel so in order to support their development and progress
2.6 Develop a consistent and effective ITT and NQT support and induction programme 2.7 Establish cross-trust working groups for support staff to ensure their development and trust-wide input 2.8 Create an effective strategy To utilise media and cross-trust eecruitment opportunities appropriately
2.9 Establish and maintain productive labour relations
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03
Governance
framework Is in place that supports strategic leadership and direction
management
3.4 Ensure executive reports are fit for purpose
roles who meet our skills needs and ensure their continuous development
responsibilities of those involved in governance are clear to all
3.7 Ensure that statutory and contractual obligations are met
3.8 Establish and maintain, where possible and desired, trustwide policies
3.9 Ensure that all those Involved in governance participate in regular selfreview In order to manage and develop the effectiveness of structures and processes in placeand feel so in order to support their development and processes in place
To ensure that all the children and
of their ability or background. This will
young people in our care have the
be achieved by meeting the following
opportunity to fulfil their potential
strategic aims:
through achieving highly, regardless
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Finance
Ensure financial probity and viability 4.1 Comply with all financial regulations
4.2 Ensure that the financial software used is fit for purpose for a growing trust in order to increase efficiency and productivity
4.3 Develop an effective system of regular financial management reporting between the trust and individual schools
4.4 Review internal audit processes to ensure they are providing adequate assurance, informed by effective risk management
4.5 Ensure value for money efficiencies through effective procurement policy and practice
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Systems
Growth
Develop a highlyefficient trust infrastructure and central services
Establish effective systems to support the sustainable growth of the trust
5.1 Comply with all employment
6.1 Rebrand the trust to create a more appealing and consistent image, including websites of the trust and its schools
legislation and terms and conditions to ensure fairness and equality
5.2 Ensure that the hr software used is fit for purpose for a growing trust in order to increase efficiency and productivity
6.2 Create attractive and accessible promotional and induction literature
5.3 Ensure that central services are fit for purpose and complementary to adequate inschool provision
6.3 Establish and develop positive relationships with key stakeholders in the wider sector
5.4 Develop and establish a clear
6.4 Agree standardised due diligence processes
trust service framework
5.5 Establish and develop an effective trust-wide it system
4.6 Ensure that members of staff responsible for financial management are effectively trained
5.6 Develop and maintain
4.7 Ensure that long-term financial plans are in place and regularly review to ensure that these fit with the trust’s long-term strategic aimsand feel so in order to support their development and progress
5.7 Comply with all statutory
cross-trust estates management processes
health and safety requirements to ensure everyone is well safeguarded
5.8 Comply with statutory data protection requirements to ensure appropriate levels of privacy and safeguardingeffective careers advice
Annual Review 2021
6.5 Ensure that our vision and values are understood and acted upon by every stakeholder, creating a positive culture 6.6 Ensure that all leaders and members of staff in individual schools have opportunities to associate positively with the trust 6.7 Communicate clearly within and without the trust to establish a positive reputation
6.8 Develop a programme to ensure that new academies ard successfully inducted to the trust
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Aim 1
Education
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With the increasing number of responsibilities and expectations placed upon schools, some of which would be better addressed by other agencies, it is a danger that our core purpose is marginalised. Our core purpose is to educate young people and that is why it has to be Aim 1. 1.1 Improve the quality of teaching and, thereby, pupils’ outcomes Despite the significant challenges faced last year, a considerable amount of work was undertaken towards achieving this objective. Sadly, developmental work with Ambition Institute and their ‘Transforming Teaching’ programme was unavoidably derailed in 2019-20 but staff still built on the principles of this to develop their practice. We also saw an increasing number of staff undertaking formal professional development qualifications so that they were personally in a position to better contribute towards meeting this objective.
1.4 Establish collaborative, cross-school planning, schemes of work, assessment and moderation in order to raise standards Our Trust Leader for Curriculum (11-19) in 2020-21, Steve Hall of Pingle Academy, led on a significant amount of organisational work to ensure that progress was made towards meeting this objective. Our Trust Subject Leaders worked industriously with their colleagues across our secondary schools to share best practice and build on our journey towards excellence and consistency. Our Director of Primary Education, Nicki Bell, worked with the Principals and staff of our primary schools to work towards developing our curricula and increasing consistency and alignment.
1.7 Use evidence and technology to inform practice The Trust made a large investment in ensuring that our teachers were in the best position they could be to teach their pupils remotely. Teachers showed their resilience and ability to adapt by quickly coming to terms with teaching by Zoom. Pupils played their own part in this with expectations of their organisational and independent study skills rising considerably. Non-teaching staff also had to adapt to a new world of remote meetings and embracing the use of technologies that had previously been unknown to them. Our Trust Leader for Digital Strategy, Greg Hughes of The de Ferrers Academy, used his extensive expertise and experience to support and guide colleagues, ensuring that good progress was made towards this objective.
Key foci within this Aim for 2021-22 1.1 Improve the quality of teaching and, thereby, pupils’ outcomes 1.2 Ensure that pupils have access to appropriate curricular and extracurricular provision 1.3 Implement fair and robust standardised systems of progress tracking and quality assurance of staff and students 1.4 Establish collaborative, cross-school planning, schemes of work, assessment and moderation in order to raise standards 1.5 Create informative and illustrative crosstrust management information
While there is still a considerable amount of work to be done to fulfil this objective, significant steps have been made.
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Aim 2
People During a period of time where our people had to go above and beyond their roles, staff have showed determination and resilience through one of the most difficult periods in their careers. During this time, we have continued with our commitment to drive areas forward to support all of our staff to gain the right people in the right places at the right time.
The final part of this point is key. This year has been overwhelming for all those employed by the Trust at certain points and some groups more often than others.
2.2 Implement fair and robust systems of performance management
As a result, further provision for wellbeing support was published and available to all staff during lockdown periods and local support offered throughout the pandemic through school leaders.
2.3 Develop appropriate and personalised CPD pathways for all members of staff Despite a number of closure periods and remote working conditions, our support staff fully engaged in our cross-trust project to design a better solution for performance management which was welcomed. Support staff met in their cross-trust working groups to design career pathways and professional standards for all areas. The Trust Central Team then built a career development framework suitable for our workforce which details the training opportunities open to staff to further their careers and support their roles on their pathways. This forms the basis of performance management for this group of staff and we commit to designing the same for our teaching staff.
2.4 Commit to enabling all members of staff to have a manageable work-life balance with the acceptance that working in education is demanding
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In addition, as part of our wellbeing project, we have reviewed our wellbeing service provision and have changed our Occupational Health and Employee Assistance Programme providers for a better provision to our staff members.
2.5 Train and develop more leaders that we need and ensure school leadership at all levels is effective As part of our continued model of collaborative leadership, we know have more than 35 Trust Leaders supporting our organisation in their areas of specialism. This in turn supports Aim 1 in its entirety and objective 2.1 to recruit and retain high calibre professionals. These are excellent CPD opportunities for staff members to embrace and make an impact on our students and enables staff to show their leadership capabilities. In addition, our leadership teams in schools and our Trust Central Team have committed leaders who act as ambassadors for our trust and our values.
2.6 Develop a consistent and effective ITT and ECT support and induction programme Significant work has been undertaken by our Trust Leader for Initial and Early Career Teacher Training, Brenda Parker of Pingle Academy, in building a fantastic ECT framework to support our newlyqualified teachers. Not only does this cover the fundamentals of the induction period itself, but we have welcomed a number of instructors to the team to lead on the delivery of this framework from September 2021.
Key foci within this Aim for 2021-22 2.2 Implement fair and robust systems of performance management 2.3 Develop appropriate and personalised CPD pathways for all members of staff 2.4 C ommit to enabling all members of staff to have a manageable work-life balance with the acceptance that working in education is demanding
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Aim 3
Governance
“W e have made significant improvements in our governance arrangements over the past three years” Joanne Harrison, Chief People Officer
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Our Governance and Compliance team has undergone staffing changes
a response in writing. They also have a link Director which they did not have previously.
over the course of this period and this has had a positive impact on the governance structure including our overall framework. 3.1 Ensure that a robust framework is in place that supports strategic leadership and direction We have a strong governance framework in place. Work has been undertaken to ensure that role and responsibilities are clearer at Board level with the revision of Committees, Terms of Reference and role descriptors. Having more robust documentation and clarity of roles ensures that the focus remains on strategic leadership and our direction of travel. Our governance cycle has also been reviewed and improved to ensure that workload is manageable for all involved.
3.2 Ensure the Board is well informed and respond to the views and needs of key stakeholders
The Risks and Priorities report was created following a suggestion from a Director and we think it is a good addition for a variety of reasons – it is timely, illustrative, accessible. This has been slightly amended over time to further improve it. We think the same of the Trust self-evaluation snapshot. We have plans to improve this further but the plan is for it to remain in its current format.
3.3 Ensure effective risk management Our Trust risk register has been through quite an overhaul in the last 12 months in order to measure our risks against our tolerances to inform the management of those risks. Our academy level registers utilise the same model and are subject to review at Trust level in order to inform the Board of significant issues at regular points and discussion at our finance audit and risk committee meetings.
Key foci within this Aim for 2021-22
3.4 E nsure executive reports are fit for purpose
3.5 Recruit people to governance roles who meet our skills needs and ensure their continuous development
Our reports to the Board have been through continuous improvement for a number of years but more so within the last 12 months.
3.6 Ensure that roles and responsibilities of those involved in governance are clear to all
Directors now have formal reports from each subcommittee which are drafted by our Governance and Compliance Officer from the minutes (to save the Chairs’ time); they are then provided to the relevant Chair for them to review and amend prior to circulation to the whole Board.
3.9 Ensure that all those involved in governance participate in regular selfreview in order to manage and develop the effectiveness of structures and processes in place
LGBs now have a standing item on each agenda to ask Board Directors questions and they receive
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Aim 4
Finance The past 12-18 months have demanded that we manage the Trust’s finances in a very different way. The focus was not as much on educational resources and delivery as it might normally be, as social-conscience issues came to the fore during the pandemic. We have had to focus many of our resources, not just financial, on ensuring that the neediest students in our Trust are safe and cared for. We now move to look forwards to the impact that has made on our financial position and the plans we need to put in place to help the ongoing recovery effort.
4.4 Review internal audit processed to ensure adequate assurance linked to risk management strategy
4.3 Develop an effective system of regular financial management reporting between the Trust and individual schools
One of the most widely documented risks for the education sector recently is the risk of cyber-attack. Schools were written to by the Department for Education asking for a report on the measures taken to ensure protection against this issue. As a Trust, we had already commissioned a specific internal audit visit on this matter. The visit gave the Trust a ‘adequate assurance’ opinion but yielded a number of useful housekeeping recommendations which have since been implemented.
Remote working and a lack of face-to-face interaction between the Trust Finance Team and the schools whom they serve meant that the provision of precise and succinct financial information was more important than ever. Our monthly management accounts process has been streamlined throughout the year to ensure it provides useful and meaningful comments and advice to Principals on a timely basis. A number of ad hoc financial reports were prepared to facilitate important decision making around the provision of free school meals during the holidays (prior to the government announcing funding for this). Payments to our important casual staff who were not going to be able to work any hours and the financial impact that schemes such as mass testing and summer schools would have on school budgets had to be fully considered.
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As reported in the Aim 3, our Trust risk register has been through a complete overhaul in the past 12 months. We have worked with our internal auditors to link our specific internal audit foci to the key risks identified on the risk register to ensure additional assurance is provided against those.
4.7 Ensure long term financial plans are in place and reviewed regularly and fit with the long-term strategic aims of the Trust Alongside the financial challenges faced by the pandemic, two of our primary schools continue to face ongoing financial challenges caused by lower than PAN student numbers. We have carried out a very detailed four-year budgeting process for all schools in the Trust but with a particular focus on these two schools, looking at the staffing structures in place to ensure that they reflect both the needs of the schools and the realistic financial landscape in order to ensure long term financial viability.
Key foci within this Aim for 2021-22 4.3 Develop an effective system of regular financial management reporting between the trust and individual schools 4.5 E nsure value for money efficiencies through effective procurement policy and practice 4.7 Ensure long term financial plans are in place and reviewed regularly and fit with the long-term strategic aims of the Trust
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Aim 5
Systems Our systems underpin everything we do and developing those systems in a multi-academy trust can be slow and difficult – a shortage of available resources and the need to ‘bring together’ schools with historically different ways of working all provide barriers to change. But change is necessary to move forward and we pride ourselves on the fact that we have continued to move things forward despite the difficult circumstances presented over the past 12-18 months.
5.2 Ensure that the HR software used is fit for purpose for a growing trust in order to increase efficiency and productivity The Trust People Team has worked incredibly hard with an external company, HR Fusion, to create and implement a new Trust-wide online platform for a whole variety of HR purposes. This will be more efficient for all of our staff, whatever their role, and further developmental work in this regard will be undertaken next academic year.
5.5 E stablish and develop an effective Trustwide IT system This objective has been worked on steadily over the past three years. It started with creating a single Trust domain and then gradually moving all schools in the Trust onto that. Since then, our schools have had upgrades to their broadband, WiFi and servers as well as significant investment in IT hardware. The de Ferrers Academy has a long established 1:1 iPad strategy from Year 9 upwards. This programme was rolled out to our two Derbyshire-based secondary schools in 2018 and next academic year will see the programme expanding again to encompass all students from Year 7 upwards. This is a very exciting development and one which has become even more necessary throughout the pandemic.
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5.6 Develop and maintain cross-Trust estates management processes As with IT, estates has seen significant investment over the past three years. We have invested in specialised asset management and statutory compliance software to provide the robust tools necessary to manage our large and varied estate (which comprises of nine sites). Our use of the Schools Conditions Funding we receive each year is a real success story with huge improvements to the learning environments at all of our schools being made, as well as all key health and safety related issues being addressed as soon as possible. Our Trust Estates Team has recently expanded to include a new Trust Estates Officer to work with and support the ongoing developments being made by the Trust Estates Manager.
Key foci within this Aim for 2021-22 5.4 Develop and establish a clear Trust service framework 5.6 Develop and maintain cross-Trust estates management processes
“ We are proud of how our systems have helped our schools during the pandemic and look forward to all secondary aged students in our Trust being part of the 1:1 iPad scheme.” Amy Taylor, Chief Financial Officer
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Aim 6
Growth Whilst most people in education seem to equate this with increasing the number of schools in a trust, at The de Ferrers Trust we have a different interpretation of this. We have grown a lot internally as an organisation over the last few years with our central services developing, our governance arrangements improving, as well as systemic growth in terms of how our schools work together. Our current Chief Executive on his appointment in 2018 evaluated that the Trust was not in a strong enough position to welcome more schools on board in good faith. Some school results and other events that followed reflected that this was indeed the case. However, despite the challenging circumstances of the pandemic, improvements have been made to the extent that we are now in a strong enough position to consider supporting and working with other schools. However, we are not the type of Trust to bang on doors and actively go looking to recruit for our own purposes. If there is a local school which feels they would benefit from working with us and would like to, we are happy to do so – further, given that our whole strategy is underpinned by a commitment to collaboration for school improvement, this actually does not necessarily mean officially becoming a member of our Trust. We are happy to share our best practice for the wider good. Officials from the Department of Education visited the Trust at the end of the last academic year and thought that this philosophy was refreshing.
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6.1 Rebrand the Trust to create a more appealing and consistent image, including websites of the Trust and its schools Trust Central has committed to a large financial investment and contracted leading specialists in our sector to design new websites for the Trust and all of its schools. Launching early in the academic year 2021-22, these are a vast improvement, especially in terms of visual design, to their predecessors. These give a much better impression of the professional image we wish to convey as an organisation. They have also been accompanied by new logos for some of our schools and new signage for all.
6.5 Ensure that our vision and values are understood and acted upon by every stakeholder, creating a positive culture We have made great progress towards this objective over the last academic year. Although the vision statement doesn’t exactly trip off the tongue, it does need to be comprehensive rather than a mere soundbite. It is important. Our values (‘Work hard, be kind, choose wisely) are very simple and memorable and are visible and referred to on a daily basis in all of our schools. Every school has new, prominent signage to reflect what our values are.
Key focus within this Aim for 2021-22 6.6 Ensure that all leaders and members of staff in individual schools have opportunities to ssociate positively with the Trust
“ Growth is a lot more sophisticated than simply acquiring schools.” Ian McNeilly, Chief Executive
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Safeguarding
We don’t have a discrete strategic aim for safeguarding because we prefer to see it as running through everything we do. 1.9 Ensure that pupils are safe and feel so in order to support their development and progress. During the last academic year, the Covid pandemic produced some significant challenges in the way we were able to safeguard children. The most obvious of these were the extended periods of time when the children were not in our schools, in our care, in our sight, and not having that contact meant much abuse may have gone unreported, unrecognised, and unaddressed. Despite this, when children did return we did not see a rise in cases of abuse and this may be down to the excellent contact all our schools kept with vulnerable families.
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All schools kept a ‘Covid log’ of contact. In addition, there were innovative ideas like Granville Academy’s using their minibus as the ‘Guardians of Granville’ that went from area to area telling students and families to come along to the stops and pick up any materials they needed as well as for IT advice. Another fantastic example was Horninglow Primary’s weekly Facebook posts from The National Online Safety platform, offering internet safety tips to parents. There were many more such examples and our children and our families felt supported as a result of the combined approach. Indeed, some families who had previously had difficult relationships with school and safeguarding staff, found their persistence with contact supportive and welcoming and many new and strong relationships have been forged which have promoted better care and support for vulnerable children. Despite the challenges we faced there were many positive achievements made in the area of safeguarding that fit within our Trust strategy.
1.5 C reate informative and illustrative crosstrust management information 1.7 U se evidence and technology to inform and improve practice As a Trust, we replaced our safeguarding reporting system, My Concern, with CPOMS. Although this was a huge change for every member of staff it has been embraced by all involved and the new system now supports our safeguarding, pastoral and wellbeing agendas far more effectively than before. Staff like the new system and find it easier to use and it has many more functions enabling us to keep more information relating to a child’s vulnerability in one place.
2.7 Establish cross-trust working groups for support staff to ensure their development and trust wide input Visits to school’s Designated Safeguarding Leads and group meetings for these key members of staff were maintained throughout the academic year, albeit held remotely. These ensured a consistent approach, upholding and promoting our Trust values within the safeguarding agenda. These opportunities allowed for valuable collaboration and development of our practice and helped to form the strategic objectives for 2021-2022.
Key focus for 2021-2022 1.9 To ensure that pupils are safe and feel so in order to support their development and progress. Improve the quality of staff training and pupils’ PHSE/RSE education, especially in relation to the issues that affect pupils the most, i.e. peer-onpeer abuse and harmful sexual behaviour, thereby changing the culture. Improve accessibility for students to report issues both in school, at home, in the community, online and offline thereby promoting student safety in every aspect of their lives. Improve the quality, consistency and content of reporting, ensuring effective follow up and meaningful change for students.
CPOMS continues to develop and improve, increasing what it can provide for schools and trusts. The cross-Trust reporting structure within it is subject to developmental work too and improves on a regular basis following feedback from MAT to MAT collaborative work, including us.
Annual Review 2021
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