School says joining multi-academy trust would benefit pupils

GILLOTTS School in Henley is set to join a multi-academy trust.

The secondary academy’s governing body is considering joining the River Learning Trust, which the school already collaborates with.

It has sent a letter to parents to outline the reasons for the move and signalled the start of a formal consultation, which closes at noon on June 17.

A meeting will be held at the school on Wednesday from 6pm to 7pm where parents can ask questions.

Emma Hunt, who chairs the school’s governors, said that joining the trust was the result of 15 months of “careful research and consideration”.

She said: “You may be aware that in recent years there have been significant changes to the educational landscape.

“This continues and, as a school, we have been working hard to find the right solution for us in a shifting context.

“We want to make sure that we take the right decisions to secure the best future for our students and families and the local community.”

Mrs Hunt said that in March 2022 the Department for Education had said it expected that by 2030 schools would be part of a multi-academy trust or had plans to join one.

She said: “Although it is now less clear that schools will be compelled to join a multi-academy trust, the direction of travel remains for schools to group together.

“Currently, we are one of only four secondary single academy trusts left in Oxfordshire.

“At this time, we have the freedom and autonomy to choose the next steps of our journey ourselves and we want that to be in a direction that would allow us to build on our existing strengths while maintaining our own unique identity.

“We are also in a strong position, with our ‘outstanding’ Ofsted judgement and good financial reserves.

“The River Learning Trust is a multi-academy trust with which the school already collaborates and which shares our commitment to excellence in education.

“While all schools in the trust work together to support and challenge each other, sharing key values and principles, the trust respects each school’s individual strengths and characteristics.

“This means that our students, parents and staff would not notice any immediate difference. Students would be in the same uniform, in the same classrooms with the same teaching staff.

“We would still have the same identity and ethos.

“In time we would all benefit from the impact of collaboration with other schools within the trust and the support provided by the central trust team.

“As a successful school, we would also have influence on future trust development.”

She said joining the trust would enable Gillotts to be part of a larger organisation that could provide professional development opportunities for staff, help to recruit and retain quality staff, share expertise, resources and best practice, increase access to capital funding and provide support with complex issues which face schools, such as financial planning, and greater purchasing power for contracts and cost savings through economies of scale.

Mrs Hunt added: “This is an opportunity to move our school forward in a way that will be beneficial for all our young people.

“We know you share our pride in Gillotts and we look forward to hearing your thoughts and comments.”

The River Learning Trust has three core principles: commitment to excellence — striving for the best educational experience; everyone learning — creating and taking opportunities to enhance lives; respectful relationships — acting with care, integrity and fairness.

It currently comprises 28 schools, 19 primaries and nine secondaries, most of which are in Oxford.

Gillotts converted to a single academy trust in March 2012. The vast majority of conversions to academy status are now into multi-academy trusts, which is now seen as the preferred model.

The most common structure is that each school within the trust has its own governing body, much like a local authority school, with the trust’s board of trustees delegating authority while retaining overall responsibility.

In February, Badgemore Primary School in Henley joined the Circle Trust.

Governors of the school in Hop Gardens said they wanted to join a multi-academy trust to work with other schools and benefit from the “best resources and expertise” for the benefit its pupils.

The school is now independent of Oxfordshire County Council, the education authority, enabling it to have more say over how it is run while remaining state-funded.