SET Goals:

Strategic Theme 1: SET on Futures

Children only have one chance in education. As a trust we have a key role to play in ensuring all children receive the very best education, whatever their background. We need to equip today’s children with the skills, knowledge and experiences to grow up in a different society from today. SET believes in ‘Shaping Futures through Education’  and the way this will be delivered is through high quality experiences for all of our SET community. At the heart of our decision-making are our mission, vision and values. Covid-19 has impacted on children and the effects will continue to be felt for some time to come. We believe in not creating a deficit narrative but believe in creating a narrative about ensuring entitlement for all.

  • 1 High expectations for all
  • 2 High quality, broad and balanced curriculum
  • 3 High quality teaching and learning
  • 4 Raising standards for all
  • 5 Response to the Covid pandemic

 Actions for 2024/25

  • Develop high effective data sharing systems so that staff, governors and trustees can use systems to ensure pupils make strong progress and above national attainment.
  • Subject leader reviews check and report on the progress made by disadvantaged and SEND pupils.
  • Attendance is focussed from Day 1 in September to ensure that pupils achieve their potential by being in school frequently.
  • Reviews take place on Pupil premium. Updated plans are clear, evidence based and ensure pupils make progress from their different starting points. Gaps are identified and plans in place. Best practice is shared across trust schools.
  • Subject leaders continue to evaluate their curriculum area. Actions are presented to local governing bodies and also the Standards Committee. Subjects are reviewed termly with opportunities to link between governors and subject leaders. This will align across new schools. Autumn = EYFS, Spring = Computing & Summer = Music.
  • Curriculum planning is shared between schools to ensure that workload does not increase. Options are explored for aligning curriculum models in smaller schools to produce a curriculum of higher quality.
  • SET collaboration is at the heart of future curriculum work. Leaders will explore where workload can be shared so that there is a clear plan for curriculum in place which teachers can adapt.
  • External visits to other high performing schools are in place e.g. St Matthews and Three Bridges.
  • The central trust wide professional development fund is targeted to ensure a rich selection of external visits take place.
  • Teachers have access to high quality coaching between different teams. This will follow a termly structure using Doug Lemov strategies. If successful, this approach will move to support staff.
  • SET staff have the opportunity to work with other schools, including Northstead in Scarborough, to unpick their understanding of what makes good quality teaching and learning.
  • Early Years Foundation Stage baselines give a clear starting point for the new progress measures used from 2023 onwards.
  • Early reading is at the heart of reception and Year 1 provision. Phonics outcomes for all SET schools are in line or above national expectations by the end of Year 1.
  • Planned vocabulary is modelled by staff and used by pupils whether spoken or written from early years to Year 6.
  • Provide SET access to an Educational Psychologist to provide early support to SET pupils.
  • A new SET well-being network brings together three lines of success for pupils, staff and communication with parents.
  • Leaders and governors understand the impact of the current financial and cost of living crisis on their school community.
  • Outcome data each term shows that all pupils are on track to achieve end of year expectations or in the case of some SEND pupils they are making strong progress from their different starting points.

 

Strategic Theme 2: SET on Sustainability

The educational landscape has quickly evolved not only to deal with Covid-19 but also a change of focus to the curriculum entitlement for pupils. SET believes that for children to have the best quality curriculum staff need to receive the highest quality professional development and learn from the latest research. Developing strong subject expertise means that the curriculum offer we develop across SET schools will be strong. Alongside this high quality curriculum development, the board will explore ways in which staff’s workload can be managed through use of IT, collaboration and efficiencies. In turn this will improve the financial position of the trust and ensure that money is well spent based on needs and development opportunities.

  • 1 Growing together as a Trust
  • 2 High quality professional development
  • 3 Using research to improve outcomes for all
  • 4 Subject expertise
  • 5 Workload, engagement and efficiency
  • 6 Strong financial decision making

Actions for 2024/25

  • 2 schools join SET by Summer 2025. Systems are quickly adapted and Trust Capacity Funding (TCAF) is applied for and confirmed.
  • New SET strategy is a vehicle to hold discussions with possible interested schools. Over the course of the academic year 2 further schools begin the process of converting to join SET.
  • Develop a growth plan that balances the wider needs of the central team with good financial decisions. All understand the complexities associated with potentially 4 of 6 schools being ‘small’.
  • SET offers wider opportunities and facilities teaching and learning opportunities with local schools, including one in Scarborough on a 2 year support project.
  • SET builds strong links with other similar high effectively trusts and uses these conversations to forward plan future structural needs as more schools join.
  • Staff have access to NPQs to improve their teaching and learning.
  • A staff are actively involved in their own performance management. They develop closer links to working together, facilitated by leaders.
  • Close partnership working between Yorkshire Wolds and the Selby & Wakefield Teaching Hub provides SET with strong candidates for future employment opportunities.
  • CEO delegates more responsibilities to others within SET. Staff within SET take on more opportunities and lead projects across schools.
  • The SET research network continues to be successful and links more to longer term research.
  • Early Years EEF research is used to support future changes to EYFS provision across the trust, based on new Government entitlements.
  • Leaders work together to examine the music curriculum across SET schools and look at planning a joint offer working closely with Charanga.
  • Moderation processes are carefully planned across SET, particularly for Year 6 and EYFS.
  • Trust leaders look to budget / scope a trust improvement lead using the old Advanced Skills Teacher model. Over time there should be a ‘leader’ per subject across the trust to support schools where needed and co-ordinate joint working. For smaller schools explore a joint leadership model from the outset to share workload.
  • Specific termly subject reviews impact on professional development opportunities and links for closer working across schools.
  • SET Headteachers develop a peer review/QA model to informally review and work in each other’s schools.
  • A new technology champion is appointed within SET to share how to use different technology (AI etc better)
  • uk is better used by all admin staff to share workload / develop clearer workflows.
  • A new communication document explains how SET will communicate with each other and parents. This will help reduce workload and re-affirm the blurred lines that COVID-19 created.
  • A well-being network audits needs across the trust and considers what actions can be achieved by SET during the next 12 months.
  • A survey finds out what key workload issues there are across SET and these ideas are used as a basis for possible AI or other assisted conversations.
  • Shared working on curriculum is considered by trust leaders and plans created. In the first instance, the sharing practice/support of the smaller schools will be a good place to start.
  • Monthly budget management identifies risks. Staff pay increases, fuel increases and other on costs are carefully monitored.
  • Building improvement fund is established and clear parameters in place to spend any surpluses. This is shared with trustees through a building action plan for the next 12 month period.
  • A growth plan is in place to identify the impact of a converter and/or a sponsored academy to SET. This will highlight capacity issues.
  • Careful budget decisions are made when taking on new schools. The strong financial position of SET should not be overly-stretched to build school numbers and lack future capacity.

Strategic Theme 3: SET on Collaboration

In the recent past multi-academy trusts and to some extent local authority maintained schools felt more in competition than collaboration. SET truly believes in collaboration and improving the educational system as a whole. We believe in enhancing our local community, whatever the designation of the school or college, so that our communities grow stronger. We will do this through close partnerships between the key stakeholders within our community. In turn we will ensure our scheme of delegation and other governance functions remain strong, so that our schools improve and we continue to develop strong governing bodies locally and at board level. Clear communication is vital to SET continuing to be successful. This communication will not only be to those outside SET, but also all stakeholders in our organisation. We need to listen, reflect, evaluate and act.

  • 1 Strengthening civic impact
  • 2 Clear, open and honest communication
  • 3 Strong governance at all levels

Actions for 2024/25

  • SET is actively involved in local partnerships for example with Drax and the Diocese of York. This will involve writing climate action plans and also updated the scheme of delegation in order to take on church schools.
  • SET has a voice on the locality board for Selby as well as the Selby & Wakefield Teaching School Hub. Stronger partnerships also develop with both local and national trusts to support SET’s work.
  • Stronger links are developed with the Leeds based schools and their local communities.
  • The Pupil Parliament grows to include writing a SET termly newsletter about what is happening in each school.
  • The Pupil Parliament leads pupil survey work and reports back results with support from staff in school. Other surveys are on the calendar and outcomes are used to support future planning.
  • SET communication is clear and focuses on areas of SET than local school information. This communication will be at least termly, with a monthly SET newsletter. More staff use Sharepoint and access policies.
  • Each school has Eco-Champions who in turn make sure there is an Eco-Warrior in each class. This is to support energy efficiency and reduce waste. Staff are encouraged to be Eco-Champions too.
  • Academy scorecards, Headteacher reports and demographic information from Insight provide clear data so that questions are easy to identify and be asked of leaders.
  • Scheme of Delegation is updated. Governance handbook is updated to reflect church schools joining.
  • Explore the use of Governor Hub so that information for all governors/trustees is more accurate and easier to access.
  • On-boarding of new schools focuses on clarity for governors and explores the different models that could be used for current/future governing bodies. Have a governor attend a meeting sooner than conversion. A link trustee to be appointed to all SET schools.
  • Skills audits are used to ensure all governance structures are as strong as possible, reflecting the latest advice. All vacancies are filled and newer trustees and governors understand their role.

Strategic Theme 4: SET on Safe Environments

Children thrive when they are happy, healthy and safe.  As the trust grows it is important that we have a top level view of risk management and also the improvements needed to each school through our estates strategy. This allows us to pin point future funding and over time improve our estates which have lacked funding prior to conversion to our trust. Children are calmer and more respectful if the environment in which they learn is of the highest standard. We will implement a learning environment improvement plan so that over time each school space is re-vitalised and contains all the essentials needed for education as well as to maintain the safety of the building.

  • 1 Proactive risk management
  • 2 Robust compliance and assurance systems
  • 3 High quality learning environments

Actions for 2024/25

  • Every roll out is clear across current schools and well-planned for schools joining SET. Reports are created and used.
  • Risk registers are up to date and provide clear risks both locally and at SET level which are easily understandable.
  • Ratings on risk registers reduce over time as mitigating actions are successful. Lines of assurance at board level improve assurances for trustees in terms of risk management. External assurances are sought from experts as the trust grows.
  • A trust wide compliance system is created which can be shared with leaders, governors and trustees.
  • Technology is used to support storing information centrally in an easy to create/adapt manner.
  • Trust Estate Strategy is updated and condition surveys used to provide accurate analysis of future spending.
  • Explore internal audit opportunities with external partners ready for when SET grows. New requirement is around an income of £50 million, so we need to balance up costs.
  • Scope audit work and begin the process of tendering audit ready for 2025/2026.
  • Future CIF bids for new schools are considered. Loans/SET financial support are considered by the board.
  • A trust building strategy is used to support a 5 year investment plan.
  • Explore climate action funding to improve buildings/sustainability.

The Trust will develop and monitor Annual Operational plans for 2024-25.