School Improvement
The prime reason for entering any Trust Partnership should be school improvement.
All of our academies are outward facing and we actively maintain capacity to ensure that we can offer support to each other, as well as partner schools not in the MAT.
The Trust central team includes the Great Improvement and Support Team (GIST). This is led by the Education Director with extensive experience as an LA School Improvement Adviser and Ofsted HMI. The team comprises staffing which reflects and meets the priorities of the academies – core provision in mathematics and literacy and other areas reflecting need as the Trust grows. The Trust runs half termly subject network groups which currently operate as cross-phase. In addition to subject network groups we run cross-cutting theme network groups, for example a SEND network, Careers Education Information Advice Guidance (CEIAG) and our Student Enrichment Charter Group.
Bespoke leadership development is provided by the CEO, Education Director and Finance Director. Principals meet with this Core MAT SLT team on a monthly basis. The Trust executive is represented on the Greater Manchester Learning Partnership (GMLP). The Trust also offers leadership on the new NPQs which became available in autumn 2021. We are a lead delivery partner on the NPQBC (Leading Behaviour and Culture) and provide visiting Fellows who deliver on the other NPQs
The Trust has built its school improvement model on education research, and in the first instance focuses on curriculum development, ensuring that content is broad and balanced, carefully chosen, delivered sequentially and reviewed and refreshed regularly. Other current workstreams include the areas of assessment and teaching and learning.
Increasingly our school improvement offer is supporting schools in further developing pastoral support. We have a safeguarding leads’ group who meet regularly to share practice, and involve local LADOs where possible. We are developing a Student Charter of Enrichment, and a standardised offer for careers/futures education. Our Trust is part of the national Behaviour Hubs initiative, working in partnership with the cross-phase Dixons MAT. As we grow, we intend to further pool our resources and expertise to provide services which meet the needs of our most vulnerable children and families.
Curriculum
At Great Academies we believe in founding high quality curriculum on a set of strong and educationally sound principles.
