WHY JOIN OUR FAMILY OF SCHOOLS?
OUR COLLEGES AND SCHOOLS WILL MAKE A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE TO THE LIVES OF YOUNG PEOPLE. AS A RESULT, TOGETHER WE WILL MAKE A POSITIVE CONTRIBUTION TO SOCIAL MOBILITY.
WELCOME FROM OUR TRUST LEADERS
Welcome to New Collaborative Trust, and thank you for taking the time to read our primary brochure. This brochure illustrates the benefits our primary schools experience as members of our Trust.
I have to confess I’ve come into the primary phase of education quite late into my career, having worked in secondary and sixth form for more than 25 years, but I can honestly say it has quickly become my favourite place to be.
Whenever I can, I love getting into our schools, particularly when the primaries are hosting some sort of special day or celebration event, which usually involves getting dressed up!
I am passionate and committed to ensuring our children develop the skills and knowledge they need to be fully ready for secondary school, enjoying experiences they will remember for a life time as they learn.
As Executive Director of Primary Education, I have the joy of working with all the primary schools in our Trust. My role includes supporting and challenging the schools and staff to ensure that we give our children and families the very best experience during their time with us.
I lead an effective team comprising English, maths and ECT/ITT primary leads who work with the schools around school improvement and support Senior Leadership and staff to progress.
There are regular meetings for headteachers and SLT to discuss what is happening in our schools, as well as a chance to discuss issues arising and offer advice and guidance. This may be around the day to day running of schools, specific events or relating to challenge and being a critical friend.
TRUDI TOMS
RICHARD FLETCHER Executive Director of Primary Education Chief Executive Officer
ANDY WOODCOCK
As a former primary headteacher my heart will always be in the primary phase. I have extensive experience of educational leadership at school, regional and national level and continue to take a keen interest in what is happening in all NCLT settings including our primary schools. My previous work as Lead Associate for the National College for School Leadership, being currently Independent Chair for East Riding School Improvement Partnership and for several strategic groups serving Teaching School Hubs, has ensured I bring an excellent level of understanding and knowledge to our schools.
As a Senior Associate with the Education Endowment Foundation, encouraging wider working and collaboration is key to our successes. NCLT is a great place for any school considering joining a Trust, I am their biggest advocate. I strongly believe that NCLT is in a strong position to support any primary school wishing to progress further and strengthen what they already do well.
DIANE HERITAGE
JENNY FEARNHEAD Chair of Board of Directors Chief Operating Officer Chief Financial Officer
As the Chief Operating Officer for the Trust, my job is to support out primary headteachers with everything outside of teaching. What a school business manager does for a primary school, I do for the whole Trust.
Everything I lead on is designed to make the primary headteacher’s job easier because of my impact.
When it comes to logistics, data, HR, GDPR, policy, assessments and the school learning environment, I am your go-to person.
The ultimate aim is that these are the important aspects of education that I lead on, so you don’t have to. I’m at your service.
As the Chief Financial Officer, I work closely with primary headteachers and school business managers with the support of the NCLT centralised finance and estates teams.
Our team is committed to providing exceptional financial service to help your school thrive. With years of experience and a deep understanding of the unique needs of primary schools, our team ensures your finances are managed efficiently, transparently and in line with regulatory standards. My job is to ensure that the Trust and its schools optimise their resources to deliver a great curriculum and that the schools are well-equipped and maintained to provide a great teaching and learning environment for staff and students.
SERIOUSLY, WHY JOIN US?
ASHLEIGH BLAKEMORE & BRIDIE LILLEKER
ENGLISH AND MATHS IMPROVEMENT LEADS
Ashleigh and Bridie bring a wealth of experience to their work across the NCLT primaries, providing specialist expertise.
As a Trust, it is our duty to support and challenge all our schools to be the best they can be.
They hold termly performance and outcomes meetings, utilise the Power BI data system and carry out quality assurance reviews around targeted areas.
They ensure that school improvement and high aspiration for our children and their families are fully addressed. They are a supportive and caring critical friend.
CENTRAL DATA FUNCTION
Our Trust data team led by Steve has developed a primary dashboard via Power Bi designed by senior leaders in the primary phase to meet the needs of our schools.
The primary dashboards are continuously being developed with the BI development group, consisting of primary leaders.
The dashboards allow instant access to current and historic data on assessment, progress, outcomes, attendance and behaviour logs all in one place.
STEVE CRISP LES REED
ESTATES & HEALTH & SAFETY MANAGEMENT
Whether ensuring statutory compliance, supporting the day-to-day running, maintenance and repair of school sites, or working with school headteachers to identify the next building or improvement project, the estates team are on hand 24/7 to help. Les is often described as the saviour!
ITT, ECT PRIMARY COORDINATOR
ITT / ECT PRIMARY LEAD
Lauren coordinates and oversees work with ITT and Early Career Teachers in our primary schools, ensuring we are creating the next generation of excellent teachers.
Lauren will support any mentors you have in school.
CHIEF OF PEOPLE OPERATIONS
LAUREN FOXTON LAUREN WALKER SARAH LEAKE
TRUST HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER - PRIMARY SCHOOLS
HUMAN RESOURCES
Lauren and her team are on hand with Human Resources including recruitment, statutory requirements and payroll.
Sarah Leake is the primary specialist who supports schools on a day-to-day basis, working with Senior Leaders and office staff to ensure everything runs smoothly.
There is no need to pay external HR, consultants as we have our very own within the Trust.
SAM CORBETT
GOVERNANCE
Our full-time Governance Manager Sam leads on all aspects of school governance, working closely with senior leaders and governance leads in all of our schools, ensuring we are meeting statutory compliance and hitting all the right notes.
Sam supports clerks and organises the agendas for all governance meetings. She leads on recruitment and training, basically relieving primary leaders of the organisation and co-ordination of everything relating to Governance.
JO HOLDEN
SAFEGUARDING
Jo works with our primary school safeguarding leads and headteachers to ensure current information and statutory requirements are covered. She is always available for assistance and advice around any issues and works with the schools supporting where needed.
We still encourage attendance at LA safeguarding forums, of course!
GARETH DODSON
MARKETING & PR MANAGER
JACK SILVER
TRUST MARKETING OFFICER
LEARNING ENVIRONMENT / GRAPHIC DESIGN
Gareth and Jack work with all our schools to ensure that learning environments are top notch and reflect the excellent provision on offer.
They produce anything from signage to professionally designed graphic displays, and even design and produce any brochures or flyers schools require.
NCLT have high expectations for ensuring our schools are fabulous places to be for both staff and children.
ALAINA LOGAN
FINANCE MANAGER
REECE JOHNSON
FINANCE DIRECTOR
FINANCE
Our experienced and well-qualified finance team will support you with every aspect of school finance and budgeting. Please be assured that school leaders remain fully responsible for their own budgets.
Our top slice arrangements ensure that each school gets great value for money and remains at an absolute minimum so that the amount of funds stay in school.
Our finance team help to take the stress away from headteachers and school business managers when it comes to all aspects of finance.
IT/CYBER SECURITY & GDPR
Jodie and team support schools with everything from computers, laptops, iPads, Wi-Fi, networks, projectors and all general AV equipment. If you are short in these areas or equipment needs replacing, Jodie will be at your disposal regarding everything IT and on hand to be in school to provide tech support when required.
SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT JODIE RICHARDSON TRUDI TOMS
Trudi has all of the relevant experience and expertise to support any primary school to improve.
Trudi leads a team of experts, including headteachers and School Improvement Leads to ensure that our children get a very good deal.
She also provides plenty of glitter and sparkles to any environment like any good primary leader should.
OUR PRIMARY SCHOOLS
ANSTON GREENLANDS PRIMARY SCHOOL
THORPE HESLEY PRIMARY SCHOOL
Alex Wirth, Headteacher
Alison Bradbury, Headteacher
Sarah Hewitt, Headteacher
THE CLUE IS IN THE NAME
COLLABORATION AND LEARNING TOGETHER IS THE FOUNDATION OF WHAT OUR TRUST IS BASED ON.
NCLT FOCUS GROUPS
Our focus groups are areas our school leaders have identified for continuous development. These are for English, maths, science, learning outside the classroom, EYFS, MTC, Year 2, Year 6, phonics, assessment, creativity and SEND. The groups are made up of staff from all our primaries who create and carry out an action plan to develop innovative practice in our schools. We utilise expertise from our own staff, collaborate, review and work together to improve. It is where all of the ‘sharing of good practice” takes place.
HEADTEACHERS MEETINGS
As well as work to challenge and develop, we hold regular meetings for our primary headteachers who meet every half term. The Executive Director of Primary Education and headteachers get together and share, support and discuss current practice and work happening in our schools. Sometimes other people are invited to these meetings – for example the safeguarding lead – where appropriate.
PRIMARY EXECUTIVE TEAM MEETINGS
Executive Team meetings are held termly to cover school improvement and offer further support and challenge to our schools. At NCLT we truly believe that a child’s life chances are affected by the quality of education they receive. We make no apologies for expecting the best! These meetings include agendas that involve plenty of discussion opportunities and input from our headteachers.
HEADTEACHERS HEALTH & WELLBEING MEETINGS
We also run additional Headteachers meet ups for wellbeing discussions over a coffee and a cake, as it’s ‘good to talk’. A great strength of being part of a supportive, dynamic, forward thinking, collaborative Trust is that the sometimes lonely role of being a headteacher is no longer really lonely. There is a real sense that we are in this together. ‘Collaborative decision making and support is par for the course. Within the Trust, we have a network of support for school leaders which ensures there is always someone to turn to for advice, guidance or just a chance to chat!
SPORTS VARSITY
As a Trust, each phase runs a Sports Varsity in the summer every year. We get the chance to bring Year 4 pupils from each of our primaries to New College Doncaster, where the Sports Leaders organise a fun day of activity, and a chance to develop cross school friendships as well as try a few sports they may otherwise have never encountered.
“IF YOU WANT TO WALK FAST, WALK ALONE. IF YOU WANT TO WALK FAR, WALK TOGETHER.”
TEACHING FOR LEARNING CONFERENCE
Every second year, NCLT hold a full day INSET for all our primary school staff – teaching and support staff too – with a focus on Teaching for Learning. We have exciting and knowledgeable guest speakers, as well as workshops run by staff from within our own schools. A true reflection of the collaboration and the sharing of expertise from within.
CONNECTIONS TO OTHER NCLT SETTINGS
With three secondary and three post-16 settings being part of NCLT, there is always expertise and support on tap. Our primaries have benefitted from such events, as science assemblies, post-16 dance students coming into school to run a Scarecrow Dance day, support with pumpkin painting and even providing a venue to host a musical extravaganza with specialist lighting and sound support.
ALIGNMENT TO SUPPORT SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT AND REDUCE WORKLOAD
Since coming together, our schools have worked as a team to align some elements of provision, creating easier school improvement and reducing workload. We have common assessment and monitoring timetables as well as working together on curriculum, with each school retaining its individual identity but sharing resources.
PROCUREMENT
As a large group of schools and colleges, we have the opportunity to save money with collective bargaining and shared purchasing. We also have the facility for professional standard printing at one of our post-16 settings which has proved very useful.
POLICIES
The most boring bit of school is certainly keeping up to date with policies. That is something that happens at our HQ! Policies are centrally written, checked, updated and shared from the central team. What a time saver! However, one important fact to note is that primary headteachers get the opportunity to input into all policies to ensure they are fit for primary students.
Any policies that are primary only, are devised by a team of primary leaders.
DON’T TAKE OUR WORD FOR IT, THIS IS WHAT OUR PRIMARY STAFF HAVE TO SAY.
JANINE TURNBULL
Class Teacher - Thorpe Hesley Primary School
MTC data, in previous years, across our schools had been disappointing, partly due to a lack of reliable IT equipment.
Along with focus group work, the Trust have provided a class set of iPads for each school and results have rocketed! Our school went from achieving 16% full marks on the test in 2023 to 69% in 2024. Wow!
BRIDIE LILLEKER
Maths Improvement Lead
Being part of NCLT has created opportunities for career progression with new opportunities and roles both in school and for the Trust.
The open culture of sharing good practice has benefitted staff and children alike with the impact on improvement as well as reducing work load. Collaboration and learning together is a big part of our Trust, including events such as our bi-annual Teaching for Learning Conference.
ALEX WIRTH
Headteacher - Anston Greenlands Primary School
The estates team at the Trust were able to fund a full rewire of school, costing almost £300,000.
This has provided an invaluable improvement to our infrastructure.
TRUDI TOMS
Trust Director of Primary Education
Coming from a culture of collaboration, joining NCLT meant this continued to be the way to go. There is a real family feeling about the Trust where people really care about each other. Working together is important and brings a wealth of knowledge, information and support. But there is also the understanding that you are never alone – it’s a team and everyone is a part of it.
Being part of a caring and collaborative Trust is important. Within NCLT, our primaries retain their individual identities with the nuances of varying catchments and communities, but as a team we all pull together to provide the very best for our children and families, collaborating, challenging and supporting each other.
SARAH HEWITT
Headteacher - Thorpe Hesley Primary School
As a relatively new headteacher, being part of NCLT means that there is always someone there to ask for advice and support when new situations occur.
In particular, the knowledge and support of the central HR team has been invaluable and they are always approachable and happy to make time.
ALISON BRADBURY
Headteacher - Redscope Primary School
Being part of NCLT has significantly added to the fabric of our building. The Trust Director of Estates and Health and Safety is pro-active in sourcing funding and ensuring that projects to upgrade heating and fire upgrades take place.
All schools have a commitment to sustainable solutions and have recently invested in LED lighting across all primary sites.
DON’T TAKE OUR WORD FOR IT, THIS IS WHAT OUR PRIMARY STAFF HAVE TO SAY.
SARAH HEWITT
Headteacher - Thorpe Hesley Primary School
Support from NCLT IT team with our IT infrastructure has made a massive impact in our school. All of our desktop computers have been upgraded and new machines have been installed for both staff and children to access.
The new set of iPads had a huge impact on our MTC results as children were able to practice more in school using touchscreen devices to improve their speed and accuracy.
KATE ROBERTS
Deputy Headteacher - Anston Greenlands Primary School
The Trust English and maths leads work closely with our subject leadership teams; there’s a high level of collaboration, with the best interests of our children as the main focus.
CLAIRE BRATT
SENDCO - Anston Greenlands Primary School
Being part of NCLT means being part of a committed team. Our colleagues in the primaries all work closely together in the shared interests of our children and families.
DAVID BRIGHTON
Communications
I enjoy working with the primary headteachers in the Trust, and a range of other staff, in order to put together numerous funding applications.
I am really pleased to report that we have so far had a lot of success together.
SAM WALPOLE
Deputy Head - Redscope Primary School
For me, collaboration is one of the main benefits of being part of a multi-academy trust.
We are encouraged to meet regularly in teams of professionals to share expertise and support each other.
This enables us to share best practice and knowledge, working together to strive for the best outcomes for our children.
ASHLEIGH BLAKEMORE
Trust English Improvement Lead
Through attending regular Performance & Outcome meetings, I have been able to identify common threads within the primary English curriculum and use this as a focus for collaboration.
These shared priorities have fed into school QUIPs and subject focus groups to ensure there are continued improved outcomes in reading, writing, phonics, spelling and grammar.
As English Lead, attending these meetings in addition to regular school visits allows me to identify best practice and ensure this is shared across the Trust.
VIK BOWER
English Lead - Anston Greenlands Primary School
The new library display boards provided for us by the Trust have hugely enhanced our reading offer.
We’ve now got a library to be proud of.
ESTATES & SCHOOLS LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
CAN LEAVE A BIG IMPACT ON YOUR SCHOOL!
Vision and Culture
Priorities
HOW DO WE IMPROVE OUR SCHOOLS?
TRUST STRUCTURE
If you are seriously considering joining a Trust, we hope you will consider joining our Trust, NCLT. We believe that we can help any primary improve all aspects of their school. We are also very keen to learn from any new schools, so that it’s not only the schools joining that benefit, we do too!
As a Trust, we are currently comprised of nine schools and colleges. Three sixth form colleges, three secondary schools, and three primary schools. This makes us quite unique in the educational landscape as we work across all three phases of education, nurturing children from as young as two years old, to as old as 19 years old.
The Trust Executive Directors (leaders of each phase) support the CEO and headteachers to remain ahead of the game when it comes to educational developments and government thinking.
PRIMARY FACING TRUST STAFF HERE TO SUPPORT YOU STAFF
All of the information on staff health, wellbeing and workload can be found on our Trust website, but the summary to the right will provide you with some of the staff benefits of being part of NCLT. For more information, please go to: nclt.ac.uk/employer-of-choice/
• All staff are entitled to a ‘Golden Ticket’ day.
• We have a Trust Wellbeing Charter because it’s important to us.
• In 2023 we were awarded Employer of the Year.
• We have a Workload Charter to support all staff.
• We have just agreed a contract with a staff benefits company that will ensure all NCLT employees can access a GP appointment when required and be entitled to five physio appointments per year.
• We offer Cycle to Work and IT salary sacrifice schemes, and are currently exploring a car salary sacrifice scheme.
• We award Long Service Awards for staff who complete 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 years of service, this includes staff moving into the Trust from LA schools.
• We offer free annual health screening such as heart clinics, in addition to vaccines such as flu.
• We offer teacher pension and local government pension schemes.