May 2018 Dear Applicant Thank You for Expressing An

Our Ref: NDC/dw – May 2018 Dear applicant Thank you for expressing an interest in the post of Director of School improvement at The Northworthy Trust. This is an exciting opportunity to join the Trust at a key point in its development and to play a pivotal role in future improvement and growth over the coming years. The Trust The Northworthy Trust was formed when The Long Eaton School Academy Trust, a SAT, converted to become a MAT in January 2017. The Trust had gained approval to become an Academy sponsor in July 2016, and it formally changed its designation and name when Lees Brook Community School became the second founding member. Northworthy was the name of the Anglo Saxon settlement which subsequently became Derby. The name was chosen to signify our commitment to working within Derby and Derbyshire, but also to indicate that the Trust operates a collaborative approach with a “lead school”. In January 2018 the third school, Merrill Academy, joined the Trust. We are very fortunate to have a committed and highly skilled Trustee Board. Its membership includes senior leaders from major local employers such as Derby County Football Club, Bombardier and the Universities of Derby and Nottingham, as well as trustees and governors from the founder schools who bring a wealth of professional end educational experience and expertise. Similarly, skilled Local Governing Bodies, which include staff and parent representation, are also in place in all three academies. The Executive Team consists of Neil Calvert (CEO), Jayne Stone (Director of Corporate Services), Sarah Emmerson (Director of Teacher Training and Induction), Matt Atkinson (Director of IT Networks), Andy Hunt (Headteacher The Long Eaton School), Zoe House (Headteacher Lees Brook Community School) and Marcus Shepherd (Headteacher of Merrill Academy). This team, which the successful candidate will join, works closely and effectively to drive improvement across the Trust. All Executive Team members, including the Headteachers, have performance management targets for whole Trust performance. The Schools The Long Eaton School became an Academy in 2010. It has been rated either Good or Outstanding by Ofsted consistently since 2006. Sixth Form outcomes, supported by the building of a new study centre and social space, have risen significantly in recent years and were among the strongest in Derbyshire in 2017. GCSE outcomes, particularly on the Progress 8 measure, were disappointing last summer, and although a significant improvement is anticipated in 2018 this remains a cause for concern. The school has been designated an Eco School and an International School for more than ten years, and has gained national acclaim for its astronomical observatory, which is the only one of its kind in a UK state school. Mandarin Chinese has been taught at the school since 2010 and this summer will be the fourth in which a cohort has been entered for GCSE. The school also has an Enhanced Resource Centre for students with autistic spectrum disorders. Lees Brook Community School is an 11-18 Academy in Chaddesden, Derby. It was inspected in October 2016 and judged as Requires Improvement, but changed its URN in January 2017 so is still awaiting its first inspection under its new designation. Progress at Key Stage 4 has been broadly in line with national averages for the last two years and is anticipated to be similar this summer, with significant improved attainment. The Sixth Form is a highly successful specialist provision, offering vocational courses at Entry level and Levels 1 and 2 to a cohort which includes a large proportion of students who have EHCPs and were in special schools at KS4. The school has an Enhanced Resource Centre for students with moderate learning difficulties. There are outstanding facilities for PE and Performing Arts at Lees Brook Community School, and extensive and popular provision of extra-curricular activities. Merrill Academy had never been judged to be anything but Inadequate since 2010, and began to work informally with the Trust in 2017. By the time it became a formal member of Northworthy Trust in 2018, Trustees had taken the decision to keep the existing URN as so much progress was being made. It was inspected in April 2018, and it was with great pleasure that we were able to announce that Special Measures had been lifted. A copy of the inspection report, which reflects very positively on the impact of the Trust, is included with the pack. Merrill Academy serves a community in which there is extensive deprivation, and has much higher than average proportions of students with SEN, EAL and qualifying for the Pupil Premium. The progress which has been made at Merrill Academy over the last two years is remarkable, and, although there is still much work to be done, what was previously considered a “deeply inadequate” school is now a thriving learning community. Merrill Academy has done ground-breaking work on in-school Alternative Provision and engagement with Roma communities which is recognized as good practice across the city. The Northworthy Alliance The Long Eaton School became the lead school for the University of Derby’s secondary School Direct initial teacher training in 2014. Since then over 50 new teachers have been trained across a network, now known as The Northworthy Alliance, which contains all the Trust Academies plus a number of other schools including Ecclesbourne School, Belper School, Granville Sports College, Derby Pride Academy and The Focus School Long Eaton. A significant proportion of trainees have subsequently been appointed to posts within either the Trust or the wider Alliance, indicating that the programme is a valuable boost to the supply of teachers at a time when recruitment can be so challenging. In September 2018 the first Primary trainees will begin their training, based in our local feeder schools. The Alliance has also won a DfE contract to deliver teaching internships in Maths and Physics to STEM graduates this summer. International links include a well-established partnership with Western Kentucky University, USA. Western Kentucky University sends trainee teachers on international placements in Northworthy Academies twice a year, and has just hosted the first return visit from one of our Initial Teacher Training students. The Future The recent inspection of Merrill Academy marked the first external recognition of impact for the Northworthy Trust. The key point at which we find ourselves in our development has a number of facets: - Raising achievement, though the use of aspiration raising activity and Trust wide development of teaching and learning following the High Performance Learning philosophy. - Standardisation and alignment, to ensure consistent application of key processes for self-evaluation including the SEAR approach and promote the sharing of good practice between our academies, all of which have areas of significant expertise. - Growth: it is hoped that 2018/2019 will see the Trust move into the primary phase, as well as considering options for further expansion at secondary level. Appointing the right candidate to the post of Director of School Improvement will be a crucial step towards delivering on our strategic priorities. I look forward to receiving your application. Yours faithfully The Northworthy Trust Neil Calvert Neil Calvert Chief Executive Officer .

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