Outstanding church schools create academy trust
Two Church schools rated as outstanding by Ofsted have united to create a multi-academy trust that is developing an exciting new curriculum for its pupils.
St Peter’s CofE Primary School, in East Bridgford, and Archbishop Cranmer CofE Primary School, Aslockton, have created the Aspire Academies Trust.
Executive head David Maddison said: “We have worked in partnership for about two years and decided to make our partnership even more secure by forming the multi-academy trust.
“In this way we will be able to provide even more for our pupils.
"We chose to call it Aspire because it says exactly what we are about – two schools already delivering a high standard of education finding ways of making it even better.
“We wanted to be responsible for every aspect of the academies so we could find new and even better ways of making sure we are providing the best for our pupils at all levels.”
Setting up the trust will enable the schools to share expertise and good practice, to share some administration, and to create cross-school 'teams of expertise' in areas of development.
The move is also allowing the academies to work on an ‘active curriculum’ project that will be based on skills, knowledge, experience and creativity, taking the teaching and learning beyond what is offered by the national curriculum.
Mr Maddison said that creating the multi-academy trust had forged a tighter partnership with the church: “In a Church sense we are seeking to develop life in all its fullness. We are ‘a taking care’ organisation, we know the things we value and what we stand for.
“We will encourage the profound personal development of our pupils and encourage them to care for themselves, their world, and their work.”
As well as being executive head of the trust, Mr Maddison is the head teacher at St Peter’s, while Kate Watson is the head of school at Archbishop Cranmer.
Peter Golightly, chairman of the academy trust, said becoming academies gave the schools more control over their destinies.
“It gives us freedom to manage resources, freedom to deliver the right curriculum for the children. We can be more creative and flexible. It also gives us the ability to promote the Christian ethos of the schools and enables us to utilise the support of the diocese to develop that ethos.
“We want to convey in everything we do that we want the children to aspire to be the best they can be.”
Claire Meese, director of education for the Southwell and Nottingham Diocese, said: “These two schools have always been at the forefront of new educational initiatives and I am delighted that they have seized this opportunity to build on their established collaboration and that they will be working together in an even closer way.
“I am sure that creating partnerships of this kind with new models of leadership is the right way ahead in the current educational climate, particularly for village schools. The leadership of the two schools have worked very hard to create their multi-academy trust and the diocese has been very involved in the process. We all look forward to seeing positive outcomes for the children.”
