OUR SCHOOLS
OUR VALUES
There are currently 11 schools* in The Cam Academy Trust:
At the heart of The Cam Academy Trust is a set of values. These define the essence and the purpose of the organisation. They guide decisions and inform future developments.
Secondary Comberton Village College Melbourn Village College Cambourne Village College St Peter’s School, Huntingdon Primary Phase Gamlingay Village Primary Hartford Infant School, Huntingdon Hartford Junior School, Huntingdon Jeavons Wood Primary School
The six core principles of The Cam Academy Trust are:
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Everton Heath Primary School Thongsley Fields Primary & Nursery School Offord Primary School There is also one associate member of our Trust: Bourn Primary Academy (church school)
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* Information correct as of Autumn 2022
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The Excellence Principle. Education must be of the very highest of standards. The Comprehensive Principle. Education must encompass ‘Excellence for All’. All types of pupils of all abilities are equally welcome and must be supported to achieve to their potential. The Broad Education Principle. Education should be broadly based, incorporating the arts, sport and physical education, technological education and personal and character development as well as academic excellence.
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The Community Principle. All schools must be rooted in their local communities. They provide a significant community resource and view their remit as wider than the narrow definition of ‘school’. The Partnership Principle. All Academies in the Trust must look to work in partnership with others, both within and outside the Trust, for mutual benefit. The International Principle. Education must have a clear international emphasis, both within and beyond the formal curriculum. Every school will be accredited as a British Council International School. What we seek to do can be simply summed up by the statement
‘Excellence for All’.
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LEADERSHIP AND GOVERNANCE
STAFF & SERVICES AT TRUST LEVEL
The Trust is the overseeing form of governance for all Academies in the Trust. Trustees (made up of Members and Directors) hold ultimate responsibility for standards, finance and employment in all of the Academies. They are held accountable for these directly to the Department for Education.
local governance to be done at an appropriate local level.
The following members of staff are employed at Trust level and are available to all of our Academies:
The usual model for all of our Academies is that each school has its own Principal or Headteacher. This person reports to the Chief Executive of the Trust (secondary schools), the Primary Executive Leader (primary schools) or a Trust Executive Headteacher and works with the Local Governing Body of his/her Academy.
• Chief Executive A National Leader of Education with responsibility for strategic leadership of the Trust.
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Director of International Education
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Director of Maths
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Director of English
• Primary Executive Leader An experienced and successful Primary Head, who works closely with all Primary Headteachers and local governing bodies.
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Science Co-Ordinator
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Director of PE and Sport
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Primary Specialist
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Director of Special Educational Needs
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Director of EYFS
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IT Manager
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HR Manager
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Education Welfare Officer
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Trust Professional Development Co-ordinator
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Trust Procurement Officer
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Trust Safeguarding Officer
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Facilities Manager
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Data Protection Officer
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Trust Cybersecurity Officer
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Press and Communications Manager
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Clerk to the Trustees and PA to the Chief Executive
The Trust delegates much of the governance of each Academy to a Local Governing Body that has its own committees. This enables much of the
• Director of Education A Lead Ofsted inspector with responsibility for overall standards across the Trust. • Director of IT Strategy Oversees our schools’ developing use of personal devices by pupils and staff as well as investigating the effective use of IT to support education.
SUPPORTING THE WIDER SCHOOL COMMUNITY AND SYSTEM The Trust is committed to supporting the school system in the local area. As such it is pleased to host: • A large School-Centred Initial Teacher Training programme. This high-quality teacher training provision provides significant numbers of new teachers across a wide area.
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Numbers of these proceed to work at schools in the Trust. • The Cambridge Maths Hub. This oversees high-quality professional development for Maths teaching in the Cambridge area. Staff from the Trust lead this and our schools learn and benefit considerably from it.
• Director of Finance and Operations A qualified accountant. Oversees the financial position of each Academy and the service provision from the Trust to each Academy.
The following services are also provided automatically to all Academies within the Trust: • • • •
All HR support and payroll services Legal services Full audit services Membership of national educational organisations (SSAT, Youth Sport Trust and others) • Bespoke SEND services for Primary Schools
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FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS The Cam Academy Trust is clear about its next stages of further development: • Local. There is no desire to become a large ‘chain’ that operates across a wide area. The benefit of working as a strong group of schools is most obviously gained by working closely and effectively in a geographical area that allows staff and pupils to work with each other. The Trust would consider setting up a new cluster of schools in a different geographical area if it was clear that this could add value both for the possible new cluster and the schools already in the Trust. Any such possibility would be looked at individually and on its own specific merits.
COSTS To fund all staff and services provided at Trust level to all Academies, a simple 4% top slice is charged to every Academy. This is taken only from the basic pupil funding unit (GAG for Academies) and nothing else. Further forms of funding (such as Pupil Premium, Special Educational Needs specific funding, etc.) are kept fully by each individual Academy. The figure of 4% is a low top slice by national standards. The Trust seeks to provide a very full level of service to all of its Academies at the lowest possible sustainable level of funding.
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In terms of affordability for any Academy joining The Cam Academy Trust, the staff and services provided at Trust level then do not need to be provided at individual Academy level and so major savings are available. In addition, significant economies of scale are available to every Academy (such as savings on insurance premiums due to negotiating on a large scale).
• Primary and secondary schools. The local model of schools working in partnership will be at its strongest
when schools from different phases work in a strong and tight group to provide excellent education for all throughout young people’s school years. Given this, the Trust is keen to continue to develop into a full cross-phase organisation, strengthening the education that can be provided at both secondary and primary level. • Provision for new population developments. Given the known further population developments planned for parts of the South Cambridgeshire and Huntingdon area where The Cam Academy Trust already operates, the Trust will seek to help with the new required school provision in these areas. It has experience of this through establishing Cambourne Village College.
The Trust also accesses central capital funds that can be used by each school according to need. The Trust also holds a considerable monetary reserve that acts as the reserve for all schools across the Trust thus securing a strong financial position for all schools.
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For further information about The Cam Academy Trust, including its policies and Scheme of Delegation, please visit the Trust website.
01223 606085
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info@catrust.co.uk
www.catrust.co.uk