Co-operative Learning Trust Consultation

Working title: Synergy Learning Trust

Open Meeting – Thursday 22nd September 2015

Eight Consulting Schools

1. Abbey Lane Primary School2. Bankwood Primary School3. Bradway Primary School4. Carfield Primary School5. Greenhill Primary School6. Meersbrook Bank Primary School7. Mundella Primary School8. Woodseats Primary School

What are Trust schools?

“Trust schools are maintained schools supported by a charitable foundation (popularly known as a trust) which appoints some of the governors. The trust involves one or more partners and can help schools build long term, sustainable relationships with partners and, using their experience and expertise, strengthen leadership and governance to help raise standards” (The Co-operative College)

The vision (what will the Trust do?)

Working together will enable us to: Improve outcomes for all our learners in our schools with a

focus on school to school improvement. Support each school to be the best it can be. Strengthen our ability to work collaboratively to enable our

schools to grow, develop and improve together. Develop the skills and expertise of staff across our schools. Further share resources and skills between our schools. Further increase levels of aspiration across our school

communities thereby impacting positively on standards and outcomes.

To nurture and develop children to become life-long learners.

What will be the same?• Name of each school• Funded on the same basis as other maintained schools.• Follow the LA schools’ admissions code• Salaries, Pensions and Terms and Conditions for all staff• Retention of individual school characteristics led by its own

Headteacher• Each schools Governing Body would remain responsible for the

running of its own school• Agendas and working methods of each governing body will still be

individually determined• Each school retains its own prerogative in determining its budget,

staffing structure and recruitment• Schools will continue to be inspected by OFSTED

What will change?

• The Governing Body of each school becomes the Employer rather than the Local Authority

• The land and buildings of each school will be held in trust by the Foundation Trust on behalf of the schools.

• Representatives from external organisations with the same ethos and the same values will be invited to have an input into the Trust to promote closer working with the wider community

• Each school will have two representatives on the Foundation Trust Board, one of which will be the Headteacher and the other the Chair of Governors

Current and future opportunities

• Build on current successful collaborative work• Some key policies could become standardised across all

eight schools• Possibility of synchronised teacher training days across all

eight schools to benefit parents with children in two schools and to enable joint CPD sessions

• Ability to pool funds to appoint staff to work across all eight schools where determined necessary and beneficial to all parties

• Sharing resources and skills between the schools• Efficient procurement of goods and services

Reflection and Feedback

• Opportunity to ask questions• Completing the questionnaire in writing