EMAT Annual Report 2023-24 by Eastern Multi-Academy Trust

Annual Report 2023 I24

Welcome

Welcome to the second edition of Eastern Multi Academy Trust’s Annual Report. As a Trust we pride ourselves on our decision making being driven by our Vision and Values. Transforming lives, transforming communities is key to our moral purpose and underpins everything that our academies work to achieve for our children. There have been many successes across our Trust throughout the last year and we hope that this report gives you a flavour of some of these achievements.

In December 2023, we welcomed Howard Junior School into EMAT. The academy has gone from strength-to-strength and we are proud to be working with such a great team and school community. Already much has been achieved and we look forward to sharing more with you as we continue to work closely with the academy.

Our provision for SEND continues to be recognised widely. Forward Step at KLA has been taken as the blueprint for Secondary inclusion across Norfolk and our internal SEND provision at Admirals/Raleigh and Nelson continue to be recognised as models of best practice. We also support our academies centrally with SEND and have access to key professionals who are able to offer support and advice to colleagues in school where needed. Inclusivity is a key pillar of our work in our communities and the amazing efforts of our colleagues is invaluable in ensuring that all children with SEND are well supported and achieve their full potential while attending an EMAT academy.

Overall Trust outcomes in Phonics remains strong across our academies and we saw continued improvement in KS2 and KS4 outcomes, with North Wootton, Eastgate and Nelson Academy outcomes at KS2 being above or well above national for attainment and KLA seeing an 8% improvement in 5+ English and Maths. Our aim remains for all EMAT academies to achieve above national outcomes for their children and to provide them with the best life chances that we can. This remains the focus of our support work to the academies.

Emneth Academy was inspected in February 2024 and Admirals Academy was inspected in June 2024. Both academies had previously been graded as Requires Improvement but we are pleased to share that both achieved Good with Outstanding elements. Emneth achieved Outstanding for Early Years and Admirals achieved Outstanding for Personal Development and Behaviour & Attitudes. These outcomes were testament to the amazing work of our colleagues in school and the efforts they make for the children and communities that we serve. All EMAT Early Years provisions are at least Good, with Emneth and Eastgate now Outstanding.

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of our colleagues in our academies and the many volunteers that support the governance of our Trust. Without them we would not be able to offer the great experiences that our academies do for their children and communities. We hope that you enjoy reading through this edition of the Annual Report. If you have any questions, are interested in accessing our support or joining our Trust please feel free to contact us for an informal discussion.

Paul Paul Shanks Chief Executive Officer

Ofsted Outcomes

Key Headlines

Every academy inspected in the West Hub is currently ‘Good+’

Three academies in the West, and one in Breckland, have ‘Outstanding’ features

All academies have ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ for EYFS – this is evidence of the impact of our work to build a sustainable school improvement model that builds from the Foundation Stage

Leadership and management is deemed ‘Good’ in all inspected schools*

Every academy joining the Trust as ‘Inadequate’ achieved and maintained, where inspected, at least ‘Good’ with Eastgate Academy rated ‘Outstanding’

*Howard Junior School has not yet been inspected as part of EMAT

Meet Our Team

Paul Shanks Chief Executive Officer

Deborah Rapkins Director of People

Mark Cresswell School Improvement Director

David Cousins Chief Finance Officer

Chris Jessup Director of Education

Imran Khan School Improvement Director

Finance Team

HR Team

Finance

We are in difficult times as a sector and await the direction of travel for education funding from the new government. With a full spending review expected and a budget announcement imminent it will be fascinating to see where they take us as an organisation and a sector.

Uncertainty over support and teacher pay awards has made it very difficult to forecast the future with any certainty. In addition to the macro-economic factors, the long-term impact of a falling birth rate makes longterm forecasting a priority for the Trust.

Yet, despite all of these uncertainties and challenges, the Trust is in a strong position with rigorous reserves and an enviable platform for growth. We continue to invest in IT infrastructure, estates, system development and efficiency in order to allow our education teams to deliver strong, life-altering learning for our students and pupils.

As always, we adopt a risk-adverse approach to academy finances which puts is in good stead for the future.

Total Income Per Pupil

£23.9million Trust Total Income

20,000+ Transactions Processed

Estates & Operations

The Trust continues to prioritise the ethos of keeping our staff and students “safe, dry and warm”. We continue to invest in training, system development and procedures that enhance the high level of compliance we have achieved.

As we enter the final year of our first Estates Strategy, it is pleasing to report that for the large part we are on track to achieve the aims of that strategy with significant strides forward on energy consumption management, investment in environmental projects and enhancing the health and safety focus of our academies.

We are about to launch our first Environmental Strategy that will shape our view of the Trust’s Green agenda and provide proof of our commitment to all stakeholders of our stance on becoming as sustainable as possible. As part of this, we have been successful in gaining funding to conduct Heat Decarbonisation Plans for all academies which will give us a direction of travel for future targeted investment.

We will continue to invest in estates with future projects concentrating on roofs, windows and safeguarding matters.

£0.75million Estates Improvement Spend

£250,000 IT Investment Spend 17 Projects Completed

Key Work Streams 2

Impacting academies, delivering professional development

“Becoming an Expert Practitioner felt overwhelming, initially... the whole experience has been very positive, rewarding and extremely supportive.”

Our Expert Practitioners are a team of exceptional professionals, adding value to our academy improvement offer. Andy Bazeley-Smith, Davina Fisher, Emma Bond, Gemma Sykes and Sarah Melia have all supported our Improvement Directors in audits across our academies and contributed to strategic thinking at a Trust level.

In addition, they have been key in driving trust networks and adding capacity in areas such as Early Years where all our provision is now rated Good or Outstanding.

“The opportunity to work closely on an Academy review gave a further insight into Ofsted and school improvement work.”

Expert practitioners give colleagues the opportunities to make a difference across EMAT, as well as gain experience of wider academy improvement. Feedback from the academies as well as the Experts themselves has been overwhelmingly positive.

“It has been great to share my personal experience with other people in the same area. Equally, no-one is perfect, so I have also used this opportunity to continue to develop my own practice.”

A further enhancement for the new academic year will be the offer of training available to all EMAT staff on areas of interest such as outdoor learning spaces, phonic provision, transition into Year 7 and adapting the curriculum.

“Thank you for the opportunity, I absolutely love this role and, like I said, speaking to another person who has the same passion and views is always rewarding and inspiring.”

Women in Leadership

Inspiring change, committed to our leaders

As part of our ongoing commitment to the recruitment and retention of quality leadership within EMAT, we successfully negotiated 14 places at the Academy for Women’s Leadership, founded by Diana Osagie.

We were inspired by Diana’s keynote at our conference and purchased her books for our academies. In funding places and encouraging colleagues to participate, the trust recognises the work and commitment made every day, as well as investing in professional development above and beyond our generic offer, in ways other employers don’t.

Academy Improvement

Our academy improvement model is exceptional in the support and challenge available to leaders across the Trust. It works alongside the academies to transform lives and communities.

Easter 2022

30% of EMAT pupils in a ‘Good’ school (1097 children)

Easter 2024

79% of EMAT pupils in a ‘Good’ school (2836 children)

July 2024

86% of EMAT pupils in a ‘Good’ school (2948 children)

As a result, we are embedding excellent, inclusive education with all academies providing a high-quality education for every child.

All Early Years provisions are rated as ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’

Forward Step provision at King’s Lynn Academy is leading the case for system change by providing the blueprint for Norfolk’s approach to secondary inclusion and reducing exclusion rates

EMAT academies equip learners with the knowledge, skills and experiences to thrive, to achieve their full potential and make a difference to their lives and communities.

Our improvement model secures tangible improvements in outcomes for all children by securing strong teaching, and by demonstrating the effectiveness of our model through nationally published attainment figures, and Ofsted judgements.

Two successful Ofsted inspections – both moving from ‘Requires Improvement’ to ‘Good’ with Outstanding features:

“Pupils are happy at this friendly school. Staff know the pupils very well. The youngest children get off to a flying start to their education.”

Emneth Academy, Ofsted Report - February 2024

“Pupils flourish at Admirals Academy. They are proud of their school. They feel safe and confident to be themselves. Pupils strive to embody the school’s values of aspiration, respect and kindness.”

Admirals Academy, Ofsted Report - June 2024

As we grow and develop further through collaborative partnerships and support, potential partners can access support through an Associate Membership model. This includes internal growth and opportunities to expand specialist provision, such as Forward Step and the primary nurture model.

People

As a Trust we are only as strong as our workforce, and we are fortunate to have a dedicated and committed team of over 500 colleagues who work tirelessly to serve our pupils and communities. We believe firmly in the importance of supporting our colleagues to be their best so they can fulfil their potential, inspire our pupils, and deliver quality education and school improvement.

Our 2024 - 2027 People Strategy outlines our ambitions to support the successful delivery of the Trust’s strategic aims and priorities. We have made a series of commitments to focus our efforts and investments on our people over the next three years.

EMPOWER Enabled Workforce MOTIVATE Great Place to Work ACHIEVE Driving Excellence

TRANSFORM Simple and Consistent

84.53% of staff have more than 12 months’ service

We attract the best people and the most diverse and inclusive workforce. Forward thinking planning enables us to stay ahead and helps us make the best use of people and skills.

People are proud to work at EMAT and feel valued, supported and their achievements are recognised. They feel free to speak up and enjoy coming to work.

A place where every individual can realise their potential and ambitions. Highly visible, capable, positive, confident and enthusiastic leaders who exemplify our culture, promote equity and role model the Nolan Principles.

Our People Services are professional, forward looking, innovative, customer focused and efficient. HR Technology simplifies processes, aids delivery, and empowers leaders to make data informed decisions. We have clear policies, compliant with UK legislation and good governance.

Health and wellbeing continue to be priorities for the Trust. During 2023-24 we conducted our first Engagement Survey and held our inaugural Academy Wellbeing Roadshows, which were well received and highly commended by our trade union partners. We look forward to developing and expanding our Health and Wellbeing offerings and resources over the next year.

87% of staff attended one of our EMAT wellbeing roadshows

95% of staff feel ‘happy’, ‘proud’ and ‘supported’ working for EMAT

81% of staff agree EMAT is a ‘family friendly’ and flexible employer

ENPS score of +32 for leadership empathy

The HR and Wellbeing committee meets at least four times a year to hold the executive to account for the People and HR functions of the Trust. They assess the Trust’s performance in managing, supporting and developing its staff in areas such as employee relations and wellbeing, equality and diversity, career and professional development, performance management and pay, changes to terms & conditions and joint union relationships.

Conference 2024 ‘Legacy Leadership’

Over 120 delegates, 3 keynote speakers and a day to remember.

March saw the inaugural EMAT conference with the theme of ‘Legacy Leadership’ threaded throughout the day.

Colleagues from across the Trust – leaders, Academy committee members, the Central team – met at Knights Hill hotel for a day of inspiration, provocation and reflection that was inspired by James Kerr’s book ‘Legacy’, a book that speaks volumes about the impact of leadership on the AllBlacks rugby team and how they became one of the best sporting teams in history.

A values-based, purpose driven culture is the foundation of the All-Blacks’ approach and sustained success. It is the identity of the team that matters – not so much what the All Blacks do, but who they are, what they stand for, and why they exist.

Paul opened the day with a speech combining reflections of his time as CEO, with a determination that the conference would be a springboard for the next stage in the evolution of the Trust –challenging leaders to consider their legacy and capturing the momentum of the day.

Wayne Norrie, CEO of Greenwood Academies Trust, Diana Osagie founder and CEO of Women in Leadership and Kev House from the Art of Being Brilliant and Julie Perry, Chair of the Trust, continued the day – each with their own unique take on legacy.

Feedback from the day was overwhelmingly positive, with a real desire to make this a regular feature in the EMAT calendar.

So, save the date – 22 April 2025!

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

Provision for Pupils with SEND

EMAT academies provide high quality SEND provision for pupils across all our sites. In every academy, we have a qualified SENDCo and highly skilled staff to ensure the needs all of our pupils with SEND are met. Some of our academies have specialist in house provision to support pupils with specific needs.

Our highly skilled Regional SEND Consultant, Karen Walsmley supports our academies with SEND advice, training and strategy.

Three Strands of Support

“As a Regional SEND Consultant, I provide strategic support to the SEND teams in the Breckland academies as well as staff training, support with referrals and paperwork and support as a critical friend. I have been teaching for over 30 years, am a qualified SENCo, hold an MEd, the Nurture Group teaching award, and am a qualified Level 7 SpLD Teacher and Assessor. I also have 6 years experience of teaching in a Pupil Referral Unit for children with SEMH needs.”

Karen Walmsley

What Support Looks Like

Assess SENCos meet with the RSC to complete a self evaluation. A review day is planned, creating a SEND Review Report, which is shared. The Leadership Consistencies Tracker is RAG rated and forms the basis of the SEND Ofsted evidence file.

Plan

Using the SEND Review Report and the Academy Development Plan, the SENCo and RSC put together a SEND Action Plan and timeline for the next year.

English as an Additional Language

The SENCo and RSC meet regularly throughout the year to review progress towards meeting the actions in the Action Plan.

Review

The SENCo and RSC meet at the end of the academic year/ beginning of the new year to review the targets and plan next steps.

We are a diverse Trust and have over 700 pupils who have English as an additional language (EAL). Some of our primary academies have over 60% of pupils with EAL which is something we like to celebrate. Eastgate Academy in Kings Lynn for example has over 35 collectively spoken languages amongst its pupils and families, whereas Norwich Road Academy in Thetford has over 40 spoken languages. As a result, we have staff members who speak a number of different languages to support families who speak little or no English and we hold lots of events over the year to celebrate the diversity in our academies including celebrating the European Day of Language and much more.

HIGHLIGHTS

Admirals Academy received Ofsted ‘Good’ with ‘Outstanding’ behaviour and personal development

First primary school in Norfolk to be awarded the NCCE Computing quality mark

Executive Principal: Greg Sadler

SCHOOL PRIORITIES 2023/24

Leadership secures sustained improvement in all areas

Pupil outcomes demonstrate a sustainable improvement

Improve teaching, learning and assessment in order to secure good and better rates of progress for all pupils

Embed a high standard of personal development, behaviour and welfare

COMMUNITY EVENTS AND FUNDRAISING

Sponsored ‘read to replace all class reading books’ across both Reception to Year 6 raised £1100

Easter raffle and non-uniform days raised over £550 to help pay to convert all old office spaces into therapeutic and nurture ‘safe ports’

BUILDING IMPROVEMENTS

Completion of our ‘Bringing the Brecks in’ landscape & wildlife project

AWARDS AND ACHIEVEMENTS

96% of pupils agree that the academy encourages me to respect people from other backgrounds

98% of parents say their child can take part in clubs and activities at the academy

Nelson’s Journey School Friend

City of Sanctuary Supporting Organisation