School to School Improvement Offer

Across our schools we have a core offer of regular, ongoing support and monitoring to ensure that we help leaders to be the best they can be. We aim to provide the following: 

- Annual external Teaching and Learning reviews are conducted by experienced Ofsted inspectors.

- Each school has centralised paid access to FFT and Perspective Lite Nova reporting and receives yearly refresher training to better equip them for data analysis.

- Twice yearly Peer Reviews, led by the headteachers within the Trust, utilise our unique peer review model (see page Appendix 1).

- Three Trust Subject TLR holders (Well-being, English, Maths) meet with subject leaders from each school once a month to share best practices, align working methods, and agree on moderation.

- Termly CEO chaired Outcomes and Support Meetings enable the CEO, Headteacher, class teachers, and the inclusion team to discuss each child's progress in school, assess their performance against FFT target scores (20%), and implement plans for pupils who are not meeting their FFT targets.

- Biannual whole Trust inset days provide a platform for conveying shared messages and offering high-quality CPD to staff.

- Our Trust CPD lead oversees our internal ASPIRING TO LEADERSHIP programme.

- Staff are encouraged to develop their skills through regular PMRs and are provided with support to complete NPQs, with HTPMR facilitated by an experienced external facilitator.

- Monthly Trust-wide operations staff training, led by the TBFM, ensures that operations staff share best practices and receive regular upskilling.

- Termly Deep Dives into two subjects at each school take place to support subject leaders and encourage the sharing of best practices.

- Our Trust-wide CPD Leader manages various CPD opportunities and facilitates communities for ongoing best practice sharing among staff, including through our SCITT partners (Thurrock), whom we host in one of our schools.

- Senior central team staff (at least one from each school) receive support and leadership coaching from external sources monthly.

- Headteachers (and others) attend monthly supervision sessions with qualified counsellors.

- Termly internal controls checks are carried out by the Trust Business and Finance manager and her team.

- Termly HR checks ensure that files are accurate and compliant.

- Monthly SCR checks are conducted by the Trust-wide deputy DSL.

- The Executive Leadership Team meets weekly to discuss each school and provide support when issues are raised.

- Monthly DSL supervision allows for the sharing and scrutiny of Safeguarding practices across the Trust on a regular basis.

- Annual Safeguarding leadership reviews are conducted at each school.

- Our Trust Attendance Lead reviews each school's attendance and provides support to improve attendance if it declines, on a weekly basis.

- Annual externally commissioned internal audits are performed for GDPR, internal controls, and H+S, with follow-up support from the central team to swiftly address recommendations.

- Termly GDPR audits are conducted by the Trust GDPR lead.

- Annual full site audits are carried out by our Trust Estates lead.

- Monthly management accounts are accompanied by a set of narratives written by the TBFM, CEO, and an external accountant to ensure that the information is understandable to decision-makers and for holding others accountable.

- Statutory policies are periodically monitored centrally to ensure schools' compliance.

- Site and H+S compliance is continuously tracked centrally by the Trust Estates lead using a system that prevents key deadlines from being missed and ensures that each school has the necessary site risk assessments.

- The CEO visits each school at least once a month and follows up with a letter to the headteacher and LSB chair half-termly. If concerns arise, a REP (Rapid Enhancement Plan) (see appendix 2) may be implemented to support the school.

- Weekly coaching and development 1:1s (based on the DFE LLE model of coaching conversations) occur for new heads and monthly for experienced heads: involving the CEO and Headteacher, focusing on the Headteacher's needs in school.

- Expertise across the Trust is consistently shared, and leaders from different schools support each other.

- The Trust staff portal serves as an OAP (ordinarily available provision) that guides staff members to resources or other staff within the Trust who can offer support as required.

- Half-termly Chair of the Board visits to each school provide another opportunity for Heads to receive advice or discuss matters from a different perspective.