...Changing lives.
To improve educational outcomes for communities in the North of England, creating a sustainable organisation that improves our society and the wider environment.
Our family of schools is made up of 53 academies including 34 primaries, 16 secondaries, 2 alternative provisions and 1 all-through academy.
Delta Academies Trust has set out to transform education in the North, lifting communities from educational poverty.
A balanced portfolio of schools will give the capacity, educational, financial and human to establish a series of Education Exchange (EdEx) Partnerships. Our growth will provide regional hubs to act as a catalyst for system collaboration.
Our growth strategy identifies three distinct models of future development:
1/
Expanding our existing clusters of high-performing academies.
2/
Developing our existing hubs to release capacity and develop system collaboration.
3/
Establishing two more EdEx hubs (North and South) to facilitate collaboration and system growth.
98% of our academies are graded good or better.
Delta is one of the country’s highest performing large Trusts for primary, secondary, post 16, and Alternative Provision.
Our high proportion of disadvantaged students achieve outcomes broadly in line with non-disadvantaged students nationally. Delta outcomes are above national for Phonics, KS2, KS4 and KS5 Attainment. School improvement is underpinned by CPD which offers the full range of NPQs, ECF, ITT, Science Partnership, and SKEs, producing a large cadre of highly trained teachers and leaders eager to take the next step.
Reading Above average +1.2
Writing Above average +1.7
Maths Above average +1.6
Pupils meeting the expected standard: Phonics
Pupils meeting the expected standard: Reading, Writing & Maths
MAT Progress 8 Score: Overall Grade 5 or above: English & Maths GCSEs
2022 MAT Progress Scores: Reading, Writing & Maths 2022/
66% of KS2 disadvantaged pupils achieved the expected reading standard.
56% of Delta secondary disadvantaged pupils achieved a grade 4 or above in English and Maths.
Delta has removed financial barriers so that all children can experience a residential stay.
Dallowgill is Delta’s own environmental residential centre situated in the heart of Nidderdale, an area of “Outstanding Natural Beauty”. Whilst the setting of the centre lends itself to nature and environment-based activities, the area is rich in history and has provided inspiration for artists, poets and writers. The possibilities for activities that can take place at Dallowgill are endless and each visit is a unique experience for pupils and staff. Every student across the Trust is offered a Duke of Edinburgh award experience which can be hosted here, with a campsite being developed.
2,000 more
Over2,500 children have stayed atDallowgill
• Since opening the centre in 2020, 2,530 children have visited (941 since September 2022) and 104 academy residential trips (41 since September 2022) have taken place. We have also accomodated day visits from infant academies and geography field trips.
• We are now fully booked during term time, including weekends, and we are on track to welcoming over 2,000 people by the end of 2023.
• The centre has its own coach for academy transportation, with the newly appointed driver living locally to the site.
• Having recently acquired the local church, external repairs are on track to be completed by the end of February 2023.
our residential centre children will enjoy their stay in 2023
The Education Exchange is a place where people can come together and exchange effective school improvement strategies and resources. Since the start of the Education Exchange, those involved in school improvement projects include 8 Local Authorities and 33 Trusts. Through our partnerships and professional friends, over 1,100 projects have been delivered from Newcastle to Cornwall.
Our conferencing centre was built to provide a space for professionals to come together for CPD, share expertise, and allow professional friendships to form. It isn’t just education professionals who benefit from the centre; students across Delta and other Trusts have come together for innovative and exciting projects such as:
• Cyber North: evoking a passion for cyber security in secondary school students, creating pathways into a cyber career.
• Trust-wide events: maths challenges, poetry competitions, immersive science experiences. The centre has also facilitated Delta’s “Primary Science Kits” project, providing them with the equipment they need for practical science lessons.
Partners of The Education Exchange:
• Federation CC
• Ledger Education Trust
• Castleford Academy Trust
• Dudley Academy Trust
• Northern Education Trust
• Horizon Community College
• Ridgewood School
• New Collaborative Learning Trust
• Swift Academy Trust
• Barnsley Local Authority
• Inspire Partnership MAT
• Spring Vale Academy
• Harbour Learning Trust
• Exceed Learning Partnership
• Shawlands Primary
• Jump Primary
• ECM Trust
• Athersley North Primary
• Hunningley School
• Consilium Academy Trust
• The GORSE Academy Trust
• Olympus Trust
• Cockburn School
• Little Lever School
• The Constellation Trust
• Joseph Lock Primary
• The Forest Academy
• Keresforth Primary
• Rose Learning Trust
• Townfield School
• Selby Education Trust
• Sirius North Academy
• Waterton Academy Trust
• Astrea Goose Acre
• Tankersley St Peter’s
• Horbury Bridge Academy
• Barugh Green Primary
• Oak Learning Partnership
• Interaction and Communication Academy Trust
• Pontefract Academy Trust
• Kettlethorpe School
• Sheffield University
• Cherrydale Primary
• Holyrood School
• Meadstead Primary
• Millhouse Primary
• Tollbar MAT
• Pegasus Academy
• The Brooksbank School
• Together Learning Trust
• Lacewood School
• Penistone St Johns
• Pioneer Academy Trust
• Hoylandswsine Primary
• Minsthope Community College
• Bank End Academy
• Hungerhill School
• Rise Academy
• The Ellis Academy
• HC Academy Trust
• Carlton le Willows Academy
• Brierley School
• Silkstone Common Junior & Infants
• Headlands School
• Ryburn Valley High School
• Wilthorpe School
• The Link Academy
• STAR MAT
The Trust has a national reputation for its exceptional financial management. Each year we make a substantial investment in our buildings, this year in the region of £14m was spent to enhance the learning environment for pupils and staff. The Trust’s lean structure allows us to spend more in schools and less on administration and offices. Our CEO and CFOO have worked closely with the DfE and ministers to model Trust finance. In 2021/22, the Trust’s external auditors once again issued clean, true, fair and regularity opinions.
• Every year, every pupil and student are gifted three books to encourage reading for pleasure. In addition, every KS2 pupil is provided with their own tablet.
• Recently, the Trust has facilitated new extensions and refurbishments for multiple academies to accomodate growing student numbers and replacing outdated facilities.
• Curriculum resources and materials including visual displays and wall art are available to every academy with bespoke designs subject to their locality.
• Trust-wide healthy menus are being developed across academies, lowering food costs while improving food quality for students.
• Hanson Academy joined the Trust in July 2022 and by September 2022 we had invested £1m to upgrade IT systems.
Inspiring professional learning in Barnsley, Doncaster, Selby & Wakefield.
Our Teaching School Hub is investing in our staff to deliver the education our children deserve. We are led by a valuesdriven partnership united by a common goal: to improve the lives of children and young people in our communities through high-quality education. During 2022, we also became the designated Science Learning Partnership for South and East Yorkshire, and begun national delivery of Subject Knowledge Enhancements.
From Teaching School Hub designation to February 2023, we have:
• Supported 887 ECTs through our Appropriate Body service, with training provided to 588 headteachers and induction leads on high quality induction, Appropriate Body processes and how to support ECTs.
• Trained 56 trainee teachers through our partnership with Sheffield Hallam University. From the 2021/2022 cohort, 70% of these trainees continue to teach in Delta schools. A further 25% are employed in a school in the region.
• Supported more than 1,700 ECTs, mentors and induction leads to access the Early Career Framework.
• Recruited and trained 46 ECF facilitators and 34 NPQ facilitators from across Hub areas.
• Four cohorts of participants recruited to our suite of NPQ courses totalling 591 people.
• Designed and delivered 10 bespoke CPD courses, in which 302 participants have attended.
• Engaged 252 schools (62%) within the Hub areas in this academic year alone.
• Led a successful, regional application to become an Initial Teacher Training Provider.
• Provided 723 hours of science continued professional development.
• Facilitated 117 CPD events that have been attended by 1,149 participants.
• Recruited and trained 58 SLP facilitators.
• Written 700 learning hours of subject enhancement for English, maths, biology, chemistry and physics.
• Recruited and trained 11 subject tutors to support the participants in their studies.
• Received 100% positive feedback on our courses via the DfE satisfaction survey.
• Supported 37 SKE participants, across all five subject areas, to actively engage and complete their SKE ahead of, on in parallel with, their ITT course.
There is moral obligation for us to consider how we can best support the wider education system, pupils and students in other schools and academies. This can take many forms. We already contribute to wider system leadership through the work we do to support other Trusts through the Education Exchange.
Strategic growth underpins our plans for raising standards and we have carefully analysed both the performance data and the capacity of existing providers in the regions. Establishing hubs to act as points of coalescence for school improvement and collaboration is an essential component of raising standards for disadvantaged and challenging communities at scale without cost; hence the need for balanced portfolios. It is incumbent upon all in the school system, including the DfE, Trusts and schools to consider carefully their strategic objectives and priorities and use the analytics available to model the impact of the growth of academy groups in their region. Insular Trusts which tie up capacity contribute to the challenges faced by other academies in their immediate locality. We are critically aware of the need to grow in a sustainable and prudent manner.
The key decision factors in informing our strategy are:
1/
Do we have the capacity to sponsor new schools or academies wishing to join the trust without compromising the quality of education in our existing academies?
2/
How can we ensure that our growth does not negatively impact on others and, does it meet our moral purpose to support the development of the wider system?
3/ 4/
Is there an opportunity to establish an Education Exchange to support the growth and development of other MATs or could it be used to establish a new MAT by providing practical support for instance, back office, SLA, etc.?
Does the proposed growth either contribute to already established clusters within the trust or form a sustainable base to create or have the potential to create a new hub?
Schools and Academies may seek to join an existing MAT, these can be grouped as follows:
Converters: schools or academies that are strong performers may feel relatively isolated or would like to contribute to a wider group as the role of the L.A. diminishes.
Converters: schools or academies that are vulnerable. They may seek to join a MAT to enable them to develop and improve outcomes through sharing capacity and systems of the MAT.
Sponsored: schools or academies judged Inadequate.
4/
There is a growth in small or single academy Trusts that are joining MATs.
1/
Our partnerships and collaborations are an example of how this group of academies can support the wider system through MAT capacity. When these types of schools contribute to well structured system MATs, they represent the future potential for school improvement. However, this is only true where the MAT is willing to use this to support the system. Where MATs simply tie up human resource and capacity they are the antithesis of strong Trusts.
These are where we would plan to appoint capacity in advance of need in the first instance to drive change. Systems and structures provide efficacy.
4/
WCAT is an example where things had deteriorated at a cost to the system. The four academies which moved to Delta saw investment in the infrastructure workforce and children which rapidly transformed these schools. Our capacity and track record gives us confidence that in similar circumstances we would welcome a whole Trust into the group.
• A strong and consistent model of school improvement with common systems.
• Timely metrics that allow the Board and Executive to take appropriate actions through a tight scheme of delegation.
• Sustainability:
Human resource and talent retention through succession planning and growth
Financial stability based on prudent financial and curriculum management (CLFP)
Strong financial systems, compliance and governance.
• Collaboration and engagement with the wider system.
A balanced portfolio would include a range of academies within these groups. There is a need to ensure that the academies capable of generating financial surplus are strategically shared across the system if we are to unlock the financial and human resources currently tied up in Trusts which have an over representation of these strongly performing schools and larger academies in their portfolio.
Our growth strategy identifies three distinct models of future development:
1/
Expanding our existing clusters of high-performing academies.
2/
Developing our existing hubs to release capacity and develop system collaboration.
3/
Establishing two more EdEx hubs (North and South) to facilitate collaboration and system growth.
Our current academies with areas of potential growth. New areas identified for growth.
Over the next 5 years, the Trust is looking to develop a number of Regional Hubs.
1/ North East
Based on our high performing Teeside academy we would seek to establish a hub to include Durham, Teeside & Tyneside.
2/ East
Based on our high performing Goole and Hull academies we plan to establish a hub in the East Riding.
Based on our high performing academies in NE Lincs, North Lincs, and North Notts, we would develop a hub to extend into Lincolnshire, North Nottinghamshire and North Derbyshire.
4/ West
Based on our high performing academies in Barnsley, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield we intend to develop a hub to include Calderdale and East Leeds.
Regional hubs are central to our aspiration to raise standards across the regions we serve. It is our belief that “strong Trusts” should be encouraged to share their systems and capacity with the wider sector. The very definition of a strong Trust must include the work and support they provide external to their own group. The challenge for regional growth plans is to recognise the wasted opportunities lost to children and communities when growth is not strategically delivered.
It is our belief that the future of an academy-led sector requires a paradigm shift in how we view education and collaboration as professionals.
The Education Exchange is now working with over 1000 schools, academies and local authorities without cost to raise attainment from our coastal towns to some of our hardest and most educationally-impoverished communities.
We believe this is our time to show moral leadership and collaborate to lift communities from educational poverty.
