We cherish the uniqueness of our partner schools and recognise that our school leaders are best placed to know the needs of their pupils and wider community. Headteachers in our partner schools have delegated powers to lead their own school and the flexibility to develop creative and innovative approaches within their classrooms.
As our partner schools are unique, we do not offer a pre-designed package of school improvement. A dedicated Trust Education Support Partner will work alongside the school’s Senior Leadership Team to plan a bespoke support, guidance and challenge package for the coming year.
The overall quality of education
To ensure the overall quality of education within our partner schools, our bespoke education support framework, as a minimum, will include:
- Termly School effectiveness visits provided by the designated Education Support Partner. The focus of these visits will be assuring the school and Trust together are meeting the ambitions set by the Trust and individual school.
- School Support Visits. The focus and number of these visits will be agreed in advance with the Headteacher and may include supporting teaching and learning, subject leadership, curriculum development, assessment, pupil premium, SEND, professional development, deep dives or school improvement planning. These visits may be with the Education Support Partner, Specialist Leader of Education or Lead Practitioners.
- Headteacher Performance Development and Appraisal provided by the Education Support Partner and CEO. This includes two ½ day meetings across the year to evaluate performance, set targets and review leadership development and impact.
- Safeguarding Audit and SEND support and review.
- Church school distinctiveness visit. The focus will be to support the Church school’s Christian distinctiveness and may involve vision and values, impact and flourishing of pupils and adults, and support preparing for SIAMs inspections.
- Preparation for Inspection Tailored support focussed on supporting schools in their understanding and preparation for ofsted inspections. Including support during and after inspection.
In addition, partner schools will have access to a range of training and many opportunities for collaborations.
Additional Support Structures
Schools joining St Lawrence Academies Trust will also have the following support structures in place, offering access to high quality resources and opportunities for collaboration, sharing of expertise and best practice, and continuing professional development.
Licences and subscriptions, including membership of The Key for School Leaders, The National College (incorporating National Online Safety), CPOMS, Parago and financial and management information systems.
The Education Support Team is available via email or phone and the designated Education Support Partner will maintain regular contact with the Headteacher throughout the year.
Schools work in partnership to support and develop pedagogy, staff training, curriculum development and outcomes for pupils. The creation and work of these clusters will be planned in conjunction with partner schools and the Education Support Team.
The Education Support Team will use their knowledge of schools to help broker support between settings, enabling the sharing of effective practice.
Continuing professional development and national CPD programmes promoted to develop expert teachers. This support will be coordinated by the Trust Education Support Team who will have knowledge of all of the schools in the Trust.
Wellbeing, coaching, mentoring and professional development – dependent on the needs of the school/Headteacher.
Opportunities for high quality professional development for all staff, including access to training subscriptions like the Diocesan Training SLA’s and support for applications such as CofE NPQ courses.
Relevant staff will be invited to three meetings per year, as well as ongoing information sharing and support. The meetings will involve discussions around:
- Collective worship
- Theologically rooted Christian Vision
- SIAMS
- Curriculum support including spiritual and moral development and is rooted in Christian distinctiveness that is appropriate for the context of the school
Headteachers will be invited to four meetings per year, as well as ongoing information sharing and support. These meetings will involve discussion around:
- Vision and growth of the Trust
- Discuss and plan networking/collaborative groups
- Review Trust progress and outcomes
- Discuss priorities going forward
- Plan and discuss training and development opportunities.
The Trust will work closely with national programmes of support e.g. the English and maths hubs, Diocese and links with other Trusts and Educational support agencies. Thus Education Support Partners will be able to broker support. They will also coordinate support for schools across the three Local Authorities and will liaise directly with the DfE and RSC about additional funding and support as it is needed or becomes available.
Central Services
At St Lawrence Academies Trust we also offer a variety of central services to our partner schools, allowing school leaders to focus their attention on the children, the quality of teaching and learning, and school improvement.
- Training and clerking support for Local Governing Boards (LGBs)
Clear meeting agendas and Terms of Reference for LGBs that are aligned to the “Scheme of Delegation” - LGBs cherish their own schools’ unique identity, working to ensure that children are safe, happy and doing well at school
- Local governors challenge and support school leaders to meet the needs of their children.
- Strong Trust Board of Directors who oversee the strategic growth and effectiveness of the Trust
- Trust Board Committees for Finance, Audit/Risk, Curriculum, Assessment and Standards and Safeguarding and Wellbeing
- Access Education Finance and Budgets online package – a centralised finance structure to enable efficient financial processes.
- Monthly management accounts and strategic budget planning conversations with schools.
- Financial expertise and training from qualified members of staff with years of Academy experience.
- Processing of all ESFA returns, VAT returns, BACS payments, month and year end procedures.
- Finance training for all relevant staff.
- Assisting with budgeting principles, construction and monitoring.
- Support with purchasing through value for money procurement systems.
- Single central register support and checks.
- Safeguarding training, support and supervision
- Safeguarding audit
- Support with serious safeguarding concerns
- CPOMS recording & reporting package
- Payroll provisions for all partner schools.
- HR advice and support, including TUPE process.
- Support service for staff recruitment.
- Support for contracts and pre-employment checks.
- Access to specialist legal advice.
- SAM online package – Absence management system and occupational health referrals.
- A commitment to developing a long term strategy for improving staff wellbeing that aligns to The Education Staff Wellbeing Charter.
- Advice and monitoring of ground maintenance, refuse and utility contracts.
- Regular Health & Safety Audit.
- Parago online package – compliance recording software.
- Monitoring of regular testing regimes (PAT testing, legionella, fire detection systems etc.).
- Specialist advice regarding planned and reactive maintenance including strategic refresh planning.
- Provision of internal and external audit services (including statutory financial, teachers’ pension scheme and internal audits).
- Monitoring and evaluation of risk registers and risk management..
- Provision of administrative oversight for insurance via RPA scheme.
- Monitoring Business Continuity plans.
- Support to help keep partner school websites compliant and up to date.
- MIS systems and software support.
- Trust Data Protection Officer and central GDPR portal including training.
- Advice and support on equipment refresh and procurement of new IT equipment.
- Website design and hosting including Google integration (via Realsmart).
- Professional development of IT staff.
- Project Management of major IT projects and migrations.
- IT support helpdesk.
- Access to the National College online training portal.
