LAT | 10 2018, We Will Be Ten Years Old and Are Now Planning Ways to Mark Our First Decade
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Leigh Academies Trust Spring 2018 | issue 11 NEWS “Our staff and students have achieved a great deal to be proud of during our first decade. We look forward to plenty more to come.” An extract from the CEO’s conference speech, 2018: “Leigh Academies Trust (LAT) is a very well-established and mature multi-academy trust in a sector which is still fairly young. By September LAT | 10 2018, we will be ten years old and are now planning ways to mark our first decade. “The Trust started in Dartford with trust nationally to take on a UTC, setting whole education sector by generating the union of The Leigh and Longfield the model for others to follow. LAT was 150 outstanding new teachers every Academies back in 2008; it was one also one of the first trusts nationally year for the region’s schools. of the first multi-academy trusts ever to become the new home for schools created. Over our first decade, we have previously operated by another group “LAT academies contain unique features, achieved much. Of our academies of schools. LAT has recently opened two such as the ground-breaking training inspected so far, six have been judged brand-new primary schools and has four restaurant at Longfield, (The Telescope), 'outstanding' for their leadership by more free schools in the pipeline, with the state-of-the-art digital media centre Ofsted. Six academies have benefited Leigh Academy Blackheath being the at Stationers’ Crown Woods Academy from significant new-build projects, led next to open this September. (SCWA) and the advanced engineering by the Trust. apprenticeship programme at The Leigh “As well as blazing a trail for others UTC, the first of its kind in the UK. The “LAT was the first school group in to follow, LAT has supported those in Trust has its own business development the region to develop an all-through need by removing four schools from team to connect our schools and young model of education for primaries and special measures since it started. Our people closely to the region’s employers secondaries working together in formal leadership of Kent and Medway Training, and its own trading company, called alliance, the first mainstream trust to the region’s largest school centre initial LAT Enterprises, to earn much-needed, contain a special school and the first teacher training provider, supports the additional revenue for our schools.” Shaping Lives, Transforming Communities A Message from the Chief Executive We hear it Another LAT academy inspected More recently, LAT opened a brand- said often recently is Dartford Primary. Before new building in Dartford, Inspiration that nothing LAT took charge of the school, in what Academy @ The Leigh UTC. This in life worth was then York Road Juniors, inspectors annex to the existing engineering doing is ever commented that: “This school is failing and computer-science college, easy. Well, the to give pupils an acceptable standard which opened in 2014, offers a broad same is true of education..... The persons responsible and balanced, yet STEM-focused, for multi- for leading, managing or governing curriculum for young people from academy trusts. In our last newsletter the school are not demonstrating age eleven. 140 pupils started at the I heralded the ten-year anniversary the capacity to secure the necessary heavily over-subscribed Inspiration of LAT. Over that time, the Trust has improvement”. When inspectors Academy in September 2017 and can taken on a considerable number of returned recently, the picture had now enjoy their very own bespoke challenges. It has seldom taken the been transformed, allowing them to facilities. We have had even more easy path and sees it as its mission to comment that: “The executive principal applications for entry in September solve some of the region’s educational has a clear vision for the school and has 2018 and the lucky pupils starting problems from which others might shy worked successfully to ensure that pupils with us next year recently received away. are cared for and achieve well. Trust their offers. Inspiration Academy will leaders and governors provide effective continue the groundbreaking work of In the last few weeks two LAT strategic direction. They support the The Leigh UTC, where leadership was academies that were in special executive principal well in her work to judged ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted in 2017, measures when they joined us, have improve the school.” to create the UK’s STEM experts and been judged securely 'good' by ambassadors of the future. Ofsted. The first was Molehill Primary As well as improving failing schools, Academy in Maidstone, which has LAT has been successful in another LAT will carry on its reputation gone from grade 4 to grade 2 under tough challenge: opening brand-new for delivering in challenging LAT leadership in just over two schools from scratch. The Trust has circumstances, but will never sacrifice years. Inspectors recognised that done this several times already and the success of existing schools and “Leaders have worked with unrelenting was delighted recently to receive pupils in pursuit of new achievements. determination and clear focus to drive the signed Funding Agreement from The Trust is courageous and forward- up achievement and create a can-do the Department for Education to thinking, but also cautious and culture across the school. This has united open Leigh Academy Blackheath measured when necessary. It is our staff and inspired pupils so that the in Greenwich this September. This very great privilege to serve young school continues to go from strength brand-new academy, starting with 180 people and families across Kent, to strength.” This is a far cry from the pupils in year 7, is already officially Medway, Bexley and Greenwich. last Ofsted report before LAT entered over-subscribed with a waiting list for Our Excellence Charter captures our the scene at Molehill, which stated: pupils, even before it has welcomed approach perfectly when it says: “We “Leadership and management require any young people through its doors. will grow to support more schools in improvement because..... leaders, The Academy’s vision to blend the region so that our pupils and theirs managers and governors have not been innovation with tradition will ensure benefit and standards improve across effective in raising pupils’ attainment it provides even more Greenwich the board”. and improving teaching sufficiently.” children with a high-quality, “Leigh- style” education in the Royal Borough. WHAT’S INSIDE Simon Beamish, Chief Executive • Connecting Staff, • LAT Staff Awards 2018 ...................7 Building Communities ..................3 • Ofsted: Molehill Primary • The Leigh Prize .................................3 Academy ............................................8 • Premier League Star Returns to • Ofsted: Dartford Primary SCWA ...................................................4 Academy ............................................8 • PCA Masters Cricket Gala Day ....4 • Leadership Programmes ..............9 • Milestone@The Leigh Academy • Inspiration Academy@ Opening .............................................5 The Leigh UTC ..................................9 LAT | 10 • Free Schools Update ......................5 • Leigh Aspire Programme .......... 10 • Trust Conference .............................6 • LAT Working With Business ...... 11 • The Halley Academy Joins LAT ...6 • International Baccalaureate at LAT - IBCP / IB MYP .................. 12 • Executive Director Appointment ....................................7 2 www.leighacademiestrust.org.uk Connecting Staff, supporting each other everyday. sense of community and connect Through talking with other our staff no matter where they are Building Communities organisations, we came across a physically. social collaboration platform called We know that within each of our Workplace. We are now undertaking a pilot of academies we have brilliant staff, but the platform and so far the response what often frustrates them is the lack Workplace is a tool designed from staff has been really positive. of time they have to collaborate with by Facebook to help individual Unlike Facebook, this is a secure, colleagues from other academies organisations to collaborate and get private network, so our staff can use across the Trust. more done. The Workplace product the platform without disruption from was offered free to LAT as an education adverts and other distractions and, in We have listened to this feedback provider and we have been working time, use it to share great ideas that and started looking at ways we can closely with Facebook's European can further improve the quality of overcome the physical barriers to growth team to develop the platform teaching and learning as well as the collaboration, sharing ideas and so that we can use it to create a better overall running of our academies. The Leigh Prize To attract entries, LAT is sponsoring research grants of up to £1,000 for schools as well as offering a £2,500 The Trust is proud to have launched cash prize for the best entry from the inaugural Leigh Prize, a national an individual teacher. Whilst this is a competition which aims to encourage national competition, to make it fair and promote innovation within for other schools we have created a the education sector. The theme of separate category just for our own this year's competition is teacher teaching staff with a similar cash prize. wellbeing, an issue which has The launch coincides with the rollout dominated the teaching press over the recently of our own Leigh Thrive last couple of years. programme across our schools, which we introduced to tackle the underlying This year’s Leigh Prize is being causes of wellbeing problems as well launched with support from the as offering practical support to help Education Support Partnership and teachers cope with the demands of TES, as both of these organisations their role. share our vision for an education sector where teachers are able to be The aim of the Leigh Prize is to the best version of themselves at all encourage further innovative ideas times. that both the Trust and other schools can use to improve teacher wellbeing.