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 2023/24

  • With new schools joining, explore assessment systems to ensure that tracking and information sharing is accurate and better placed for future end of Key Stage 2 models. 
  • Subject leader reviews check and report on the progress made by disadvantaged and SEND pupils. 
  • National changes around SEND assessments are implemented and progress is strong. 
  • Reviews take place on Pupil premium and recovery plans. Updated plans are clear, evidence based and ensure pupils make progress from their different starting points. Gaps are identified and plans in place. 
  • 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. 
  • On-going evaluation is reflected in future curriculum changes to be made in the next academic year. 
  • Evidence over the 12 months clearly demonstrates the school’s locality and context. Governors are aware of this and leaders ensure community and high expectations are interwoven in future planning. 
  • 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 visit to St Matthew’s Research School allows leaders to reflect on techniques to introduce at the SET training day (October 2023). 
  • The central trust wide professional development fund is targeted to ensure a rich selection of external visits take place. 
  • Staff have access to high quality professional development for SET experts and also national/international training opportunities. 
  • All teaching staff have access to funded NPQs (National Professional Qualifications).  
  • 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. 
  • Pupils read well and this is reflected in outcomes each term and also through phonics screening checks in Year 2 and also Year 1. 
  • Planned vocabulary is modelled by staff and used by pupils whether spoken or written from early years to Year 6. 
  • Explore a range of opportunities to bring in external support sooner, whether through a well-being worker or external mental health support (trialled at Selby CP). 
  • School staff, governors and trustees know what each school has done to ensure that any ‘gaps’ in learning are covered over time. Curriculum plans are adapted to ensure that areas of priority are covered. For example, additional phonics lessons in Key Stage 1 if needed to ensure pupils can read, which in turn allows them to access the wider curriculum. Any adjustments needed locally are well-known by the local governing bodies. 
  • 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 2023/24

  • 2 schools join SET by Summer 2024. 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 begins with appointing part-time staff to a central team through TCAF funding. The first two roles would be within finance and operations. 
  • 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. 
  • New reading group is developed to explore ways reading can be linked across SET in a 2 year reading cycle.
  • A maths network group is set up to look at the implementation of White Rose Maths. 
  • 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. 
  • A new technology champion is appointed within SET to share how to use different technology (AI etc better)  
  • Setschools.uk is better used by all admin staff to share workload.  
  • Chairs of governors attend at least one meeting at another governing body. 
  • A monthly well-being draw is introduced across the trust offering a half day paid absence. Leaders facility one off events when requested where possible and in line with wider HR policies. 
  • 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 reading has a focus on reducing costs, time and planning, this helping teachers gain valuable time back when it comes to planning reading.
  • 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. 
  • 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 2023/24

  • SET is actively involved in local partnerships for example with Drax and the Selby Carbon zero project. This work directly improves outcomes for pupils. Each school identifies the local differences they can make. 
  • 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.  
  • Confederation of School’s Trust work supports SET’s approach to civic partnerships and future developments. 
  • 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. 
  • School on a page information allows leaders and governors to ask questions about why some schools do better than others in key areas – shared learning. 
  • Scheme of Delegation is updated. Governance handbook is streamlined and less repetitive. 
  • Governors feel happier and more confident using a 4 meeting structure as they have more changes to visit schools and talk to pupils/leaders. 
  • On-boarding of new schools focuses on clarity for governors and explores the different models that could be used for current/future governing bodies. 
  • 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 2023/24

  • Every roll out is clear across current schools and well-planned for schools joining SET. 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. 
  • 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. 
  • 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. 
  • If DRAX funding is granted explore how solar energy can support SET through both Carlton / Selby but also to the new schools. Could this be a focus of future SET investment?

The Trust will develop and monitor Annual Operational plans for 2023-24.