Induction Booklet
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GROUP INDUCTION BOOKLET 2018-19 Contents United Learning: An Introduction Page 4 Our Schools Page 5 Framework for Excellence Page 6 Governance Page 8 Central Support Page 9 Our People Page 10 Professional Development and Networking Page 14 Dear Colleague, Welcome to United Learning. We are a group of schools which aims to provide excellent education to children and young people across the country. We seek to improve the life chances of all the children and young people we serve and make it our mission to bring out ‘the best in everyone’ – students, staff, parents and the wider community. Uniquely, our Group includes significant numbers of schools in both the public and the private sectors, working together for mutual benefit. We provide a broad education, which prepares young people to progress in learning and to make a success of their lives. We focus sharply on the evidence of what makes it more likely that young people will progress and succeed, apply that to our practice and continue to learn and develop our schools. We make it a priority to provide teachers with excellent professional support and development, so that every child receives an excellent experience. Through being a group, we can offer more to both staff and young people than any single school could offer alone. The growing range of outstanding group-wide activities that we can provide will mean that more young people will have truly exceptional and inspiring experiences. Already, we believe that our Group contains the most developed relationships and practical interaction between independent and state schools in the country, creating benefits for all the schools involved. From Cumbria to Kent, we welcome children of all backgrounds, all faiths and none, all abilities and giving over 40,000 children an inspiring education. With very best wishes, Jon Coles United Learning: An Introduction Page 4 United Learning Institute Page 16 Our Schools Page 5 Employee Rewards and Benefits Page 17 Framework for Excellence Page 6 Partnerships and Enrichment Page 18 Governance Page 8 United Learning Hub Page 20 Central Support Page 9 United Teaching Page 21 Our People Page 10 Professional Development and Networking Page 14 United Learning: An Introduction Who are we? We are uniquely united across both the state and the Our Ethos independent sectors; we make learning and improvement our focus. Together, we are one of the country’s largest education We are committed to providing excellent education through providers, currently educating over 40,000 pupils and employing which all pupils are able to progress, achieve and go on to over 7,000 members of staff including over 3,500 teachers. succeed in life. Our approach is underpinned by a sense of moral purpose and commitment to doing what is right for At United Learning, we believe we can achieve more together children and young people, supporting colleagues to achieve than we can alone: we call this ‘Better Shared’. Our schools excellence and acting with integrity in all our dealings within work as a team to achieve more by sharing than any single and beyond the organisation, in the interests of young people school could. Our subject specialists, our Group-wide intranet everywhere. We summarise this ethos as ‘the best in everyone’. United Hub, our own curriculum and our online learning portal, As a single organisation, we seek to bring together the best the United Learning Institute, all allow us to share knowledge of independent and state sectors, respecting both traditions and resources, helping to simplify work processes and manage and learning from each. We believe that each of our schools is workloads for an improved work-life balance. and should be distinctive – each is committed to developing Furthermore, through being a Group, we can reward our staff its own strengths and identity while sharing our core values as better: with good career opportunities, better pay, benefits, and institutions, which promote service, compassion and generosity. ultimately, the satisfaction of helping children to succeed. We invest in our staff wellbeing. Our academies each have at least Our Values eight INSET days per year (with three of those solely dedicated Ambition to achieve the best for ourselves and others; to planning), and an ongoing group-wide wellbeing programme. Confidence to have the courage of our convictions and to take risks in the right cause; Group Vision Creativity to imagine possibilities and make them real; To provide an extraordinary education for our pupils, influencing Respect of ourselves and others in all that we do; educational practice and policy for more. Enthusiasm to seek opportunity, find what is good and Strategic Objectives: pursue talents and interests; Framework for Excellence: Implementing the Framework for Determination to overcome obstacles and reach success. Excellence in all our schools. Outstanding People: Attracting and developing outstanding people, becoming an employer of choice. Sharing Knowledge: Enabling the sharing of knowledge and practice across the Group, including between state and independent schools and in local clusters. Financially Successful: Implementing an educationally led model of successful financial management through all our schools. Page 4 Our Schools Our size, scale and reach enables us to offer a wider range of Primary Academies exciting and innovative experiences to schools, staff and pupils. Abbey Hey Primary Academy Secondary and All Through Academies Beacon View Primary Academy Corngreaves Academy Accrington Academy Cravenwood Primary Academy Barnsley Academy Grange Primary Academy Bacon’s College Hanwell Fields Community School Carter Community School High Hazels Academy Castle View Academy Hill View Primary School Glenmoor & Winton Academies Hunningley Primary School Goresbrook School Langford Primary John Smeaton Academy Orchard Meadow Primary School Kettering Buccleuch Academy Pegasus Primary School Lambeth Academy Silverdale Primary Academy Manchester Academy Southway Primary School Midhurst Rother College The Victory Primary School Newstead Wood School Timbertree Academy North Oxfordshire Academy Walthamstow Primary Academy Northampton Academy Wilberforce Primary Nova Hreod Academy Windale Primary School Paddington Academy Worsborough Bank End Primary School Richard Rose Central Academy Richard Rose Morton Academy Independent Schools Salford City Academy AKS Seahaven Academy Ashford School Sedgehill School (in partnership with United Learning) Banstead Preparatory School Sheffield Park Academy Bournemouth Collegiate School Sheffield Springs Academy Coworth Flexlands School Shoreham Academy Dunottar School Stockport Academy Guildford High School Swindon Academy Hampshire Collegiate School The Hurlingham Academy Hull Collegiate School The Hyndburn Academy Lincoln Minster School The Regis School Princess Helena College The Totteridge Academy Rowan Preparatory School Walthamstow Academy St Ives School Haslemere William Hulme’s Grammar School Surbiton High School Wye School Page 5 Framework for Excellence What is the Framework for Excellence? The Framework for Excellence sets out the principles that all ‘Powerful knowledge’ our schools work to. These represent our agreed view of the distinctive approach to education of our group of schools and Our most important purpose is to teach young people things they the characteristics, which lead to excellence when exemplified would not learn outside school, which free them to think and act in the right way. The Framework is the way we set standards for more powerfully in their lives. Words and numbers are our most ourselves and assess our progress. As well as this, we are using powerful ways of representing the world. Mastery of language the Framework for Excellence to create a supportive tool, which and fluent mathematical skills are therefore our top priority. We can be used to drive school improvement. It contains examples aim to prepare young people to make a success of their lives: of the very highest quality practice drawn from schools across the a core entitlement to subject-based learning; the development Group. Each of these includes resources, such as lesson ideas and of talents; an understanding of work and society. Worthwhile materials, which schools can use to improve their practice. learning is often hard. Inspiring teaching is what gives access to difficult concepts and the thrill of intellectual discovery. Powerful knowledge is not static or backward looking. It includes the The Five Principles ability to critique, challenge the status quo, think and learn. The Framework for Excellence consists of five principles: ‘Education with character’ ‘The best from everyone’ Academic success is very important. Exam passes are an important Our aim is to bring out the best in everyone. So we must expect aspect of that. However, there is more to a good education. Our the best from everyone, all the time. Every child is a special schools also aim to develop character, compassion and service. individual, capable of extraordinary things. Who can know the Young people are expected to contribute to their school and limits of any child’s potential? Therefore, we expect unreasonably to society; to try things, which they think they cannot do; to – we constantly challenge children to do what they think they persist in the face of difficulty; to become resilient in overcoming cannot, to persist, to work hard and to be at their best. From obstacles; to