HISTORICAL OVERVIEW The Comberton Academy Trust was established at the beginning of 2011. It built on its predecessor organisation, the Comberton Educational Trust, which oversaw Comberton Village College and still oversees (having established it from the outset) Jeavons Wood Primary School.
Improvement’ with its Sixth Form being graded ‘Good’. It is currently on a strong improvement trajectory.
In February 2011, Comberton Village College became the first Academy of the Comberton Academy Trust. Previously, it had been a Grant Maintained School, a Foundation School and a Trust School. It has been graded as Ofsted ‘Outstanding’ since 2000.
In September 2013, the Comberton Academy Trust opened the Free School of Cambourne Village College. This started with Year 7 pupils only and is adding one year group each year. At its first Ofsted inspection (May 2015) it was graded ‘Outstanding’.
In September 2011, the Comberton Academy Trust sponsored The Voyager School to become an Academy. This followed a request from both Peterborough City Council and the Department for Education. The school has had several challenges, but its most recent Ofsted inspection (January 2016) graded the school as ‘Requires
Two further developments* are currently being proposed:
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* All information correct as of March 2016
In September 2013, Melbourn Village College joined the Comberton Academy Trust. Its most recent inspection (2013) graded the school as ‘Good’.
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Gamlingay First School is consulting on the proposal to join the Comberton Academy Trust
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Ste Peter’s School, Huntingdon, is consulting on the proposal to join the Comberton Academy Trust
OUR VALUES At the heart of the Comberton Academy Trust is a set of values. These define the essence and the purpose of the organisation. They guide decisions and inform future developments. The five core principles of the Comberton Academy Trust are:
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The Excellence Principle. Education must be of the very highest of standards.
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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.
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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’.
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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.
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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.
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LEADERSHIP AND GOVERNANCE 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. 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
local governance to be done at an appropriate local level. Comberton Village College has an Executive Principal (the Chief Executive of the Comberton Academy Trust) and a Head of School. All other Academies have a Principal or Headteacher. This person reports to the Chief Executive of the Trust and works with the Local Governing Body of his/her Academy.
TEACHING SCHOOL ALLIANCE Comberton Village College is a designated Teaching School. It works with the Cambridge Area Teaching School Alliance and the wider Cambridge Teaching School Network.
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Every Academy in the Comberton Academy Trust is a member of the Alliance and Network, with full access to all Teacher Training and Professional Development programmes. These are available at no cost to all Academies in the Trust.
STAFF & SERVICES AT TRUST LEVEL The following members of staff are employed at Trust level and are available to all Academies in the Comberton Academy Trust:
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IT Manager. Oversees all IT matters across the Trust and line manages the IT support departments in all the Academies.
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Press and Communications Manager. Oversees all issues relating to press and communications for all Academies in the Trust, including oversight of the production of all prospectuses.
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Clerk to the Trustees and PA to the Chief Executive. Oversees administrative and organisational issues relating to the Trust.
Chief Executive. A National Leader of Education. Line Manages each Principal/Head, the Director of Education, Director of International Education and the Director of Finance and Operations. Reports to trustees and works with Local Governing Bodies.
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Director of Education. A Lead Ofsted inspector with responsibility for overall standards across the Trust.
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Director of International Education. Oversees the international dimension in each Academy, including Languages’ departments and Primary Languages programmes.
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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. Facilities Manager. Oversees all matters relating to Facilities, Health and Safety and capital bids. Line manages site teams in each of the Academies.
The following services are also provided automatically to all Academies within the Trust: •
All HR support and advice services
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Legal Services provided by Stone King
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Full audit services
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Membership of national educational organisations (SSAT and Youth Sports Trust)
We are also seeking to develop the following posts at Trust level in the near future: •
Primary phase Executive Leader
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Directors of Maths and English
HR Manager. Oversees all HR issues across the Trust and line manages the personnel departments in each of the Academies.
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COSTS In order 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. In terms of affordability for any Academy joining the Comberton Academy Trust,
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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).
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS The Comberton Academy Trust is now clear about its appropriate next stages of development: •
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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. Primary 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
develop into a proper 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 area where the Comberton 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 as a new Free School and Jeavons Wood as a new Foundation School with a Trust.
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01223 262503 ex 204 (Yvonne Corkin)
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www.catrust.co.uk
info@catrust.co.uk