Leigh Academies Trust Easter 2019 | Issue 14 NEWS
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Leigh Academies Trust Easter 2019 | Issue 14 NEWS Academies across LAT celebrated World Book Day on Thursday 7th March. Staff and students went all out this year and arrived at school in some amazing costumes! Shaping Lives, Transforming Communities A message from the Chief Executive One of my most important roles as CEO is to ensure that our In addition, to support Tracey and Debbie in their new academies have highly-skilled, motivated leadership teams roles, we have created two new Executive Primary Principal with the resources and strategy they need to be successful. posts, one for North-West Kent and South-East London Generally speaking, effective leaders equal strong schools and the other for Medway. Again, you can find more details with great outcomes for pupils. The reverse is also true, of of these appointments later in this newsletter, but my course. I have been delighted over the last two years that congratulations here for Sarah Goosani and Karen Major, our senior staff retention is above 95%. respectively, who begin their new roles from September. It has been my great pleasure since Christmas to appoint a Meanwhile, in the central team, I would like to congratulate number of people to new leadership positions across the Jack Taylor, who has been appointed Deputy Business Trust. In each case, appointments have been supported by Director. Furthermore, we have been fortunate to appoint other senior staff and governors who have put candidates the following highly effective leaders to senior roles in our through their paces. It is enormously heartening to note academies to fill emerging vacancies: that most of these appointees are internal candidates who have been tested against those applying from outside › Mike Gore, Principal, Wilmington Academy the Trust. › Carl Hassett, Principal Designate, Leigh Academy Rainham The first significant appointment is Neil Willis as Chief Operating Officer (COO) with effect from 1st June. › Rebecca Roberts, Principal, Dartford Primary Academy From this point, Neil will take responsibility for all Trust › Nicole Galinis, Principal, Hartley Primary Academy central services. As significant is the appointment of two › Will Monk, Associate Principal, Mascalls Academy Academies Directors, a new post for Leigh Academies Trust (LAT), to help accommodate our continued growth as an › Mathieu Stevens, Head of School (Interim), organisation. You can find out more about the appointment The Halley Academy of Academies Directors later in this newsletter, but I would › Ben Russell, Head of School, The Halley Academy like to pass on my personal congratulations to Tracey Trusler, Academies Director (North-West Kent and These appointments ensure even greater strength in South-East London), and Debbie Biggenden, Academies depth across our leadership teams. This ultimately benefits Director (Medway and Central Kent). Both posts are our staff and pupils. I look forward to playing my part effective from 1st June. in supporting all of these senior colleagues to make an effective start to their new positions within LAT. Simon Beamish, Chief Executive Neil Willis Jack Taylor Chief Operating Officer Deputy Business Director at LAT Head Office at LAT Head Office Having been with the Trust since its inception, I have been I'm delighted to take up this new post at Leigh Academies privileged to be part of its success and I am delighted to Trust and thank all my colleagues within the Business accept this new role which is central to the Trust's Services team for their support. I'm really looking forward to further development. new challenges as LAT continues to grow and succeed. 2 www.leighacademiestrust.org.uk Contents › A message from the Chief Executive ..2-3 Mike Gore Nicole Galinis › Appointment of Academies Directors ....4 Principal of Principal of Hartley Wilmington Academy Primary Academy › Refer-a-Teacher scheme ...........................4-5 I am delighted to lead Wilmington Having worked at Hartley Primary › Appointment of Primary Executive Academy into its next era as Principal. Academy for many years, I am Principals ...........................................................5 My staff and I will do all we can to delighted to be appointed as Principal, continue the successful legacy and continuing in the footsteps of Sarah › International Baccalaureate (IB) strive forwards in attaining the many Goosani, to promote our vision of Round-up from across the Trust ................6 shared ambitions of our community. Happy, Positive, Achievers now and in › Abu Dhabi Annual IB Conference .............7 the years to come. › Apprenticeships ..............................................7 › Kent and Medway Training (KMT) Ofsted .................................................................8 Carl Hassett › Academy Improvement Team ....................8 Principal Designate of Leigh Academy Will Monk › The Mayor of Greenwich officially Rainham Associate Principal of opened new restaurant at The Halley Academy ............................................................9 I genuinely care about the life Mascalls Academy chances of all young people, and I am delighted to have been given the › Trust Conference ....................................10-11 as the Principal of Leigh Academy opportunity to contribute further to Rainham, I find the prospect of being Mascalls’ journey to outstanding. It › Healthy Minds at The Leigh Academy ...11 is a very exciting time to be part of instrumental in raising aspirations › Free Schools Update ....................................12 and attainment in this community the leadership group and LAT team. enormously exciting. I am proud to Staff work tirelessly to ensure the best › Leigh Academy Blackheath .......................12 work in education and believe that at possible environment for our students the centre of everything we do is the to be successful and I will endeavour › Dartford Primary Academy .......................13 individual child. Through innovation to do exactly the same in my new role. › UTC playing fields .........................................13 and creative thinking, I will ensure that every child leaves secondary › Paddock Wood and Horsmonden education with all the skills required to Primary School ...............................................13 lead a productive, successful, and most › Leigh Aspire ....................................................14 importantly, a happy adult life. Mathieu Stevens › Working with Business Highlights ..........15 Head of School (Interim) at › Milestones Academy Ski Trip .............16-17 The Halley Academy › Leigh UTC Students Success at The I am delighted to have accepted the Duke of York Awards 2018 ........................18 position as Interim Head of School at Rebecca Roberts The Halley Academy. The academy › SJWMS Student, Maxwell Bullock Principal of Dartford is on a rapid journey working in named in England Countries Under 18's Rugby Squad .......................................18 Primary Academy partnership with Leigh Academies I am delighted to be taking the Trust and I am honoured to be › Letters from the Secretary of State and position of Principal at Dartford involved in this moving forward. KCC to Oaks Primary Academy ................19 Primary Academy on the next exciting › Longfield Rotary Young Chef ...................19 phase of its journey. › Internal vacancies board ........................... 20 Shaping Lives, Transforming Communities 3 Appointment of Academies Directors LAT is delighted to announce the appointment of two Meanwhile, Debbie Biggenden will take responsibility for Academies Directors to join the central team from June academies in Central Kent and Medway, with the exception 2019. The two new posts will strengthen the Trust following of Sir Joseph Williamson’s Mathematical School, which will the merger with The Williamson Trust and growth to 23 continue to report to Simon Beamish. operating academies. Debbie joined LAT in 2015 with the transfer of Oaks Primary Tracey Trusler will take responsibility for academies Academy from Academies Enterprise Trust. Oaks was ranked in South-East London and North-West Kent, with the 5th of 461 schools in Kent in 2018 for its key stage 2 results exception of Milestone Academy, which continues to report and was recently congratulated by Damian Hinds, Secretary to Neil Willis as Chief Operating Officer, and Stationers’ of State for Education, as being amongst the top 3% of Crown Woods Academy, reporting to Simon Beamish, schools in England. As Executive Principal, Debbie has also Chief Executive. helped lead Molehill Primary from special measures to good and Tree Tops Primary to its current position as the Tracey’s journey with LAT started in 2010. Following the most-improved academy in LAT in 2018. Debbie also Ofsted verdict to place Wilmington Enterprise College worked with the central team to open the brand-new into special measures, Tracey became Principal of the new Langley Park Primary Academy, which has performed Wilmington Academy and transformed the school. Ofsted strongly every year since opening in 2016. judged leadership to be outstanding in both 2013 and 2017. Wilmington’s latest academic results are the best in Debbie said: LAT at GCSE and among the top 10% of Kent schools at “I am delighted to have been appointed post-16. It is now a thriving secondary academy, heavily to the role of Academy Director for the oversubscribed for its 240 places in year 7 and accredited by Central Kent and Medway academies. I the International Baccalaureate