As a Trust we feel it’s important to give every school autonomy over the way they deliver their curriculum to their specific cohort and support them in doing this by centralising certain support services. In turn this reduces work load on senior leaders, helping to establish further value for money on a variety of integrated services. This also ensures our Schools have a local support structure as they know that all other provisions are using the same systems and can see support and share best practice of their use. As a Trust we will continue to review the services we offer and are committed to making them responsive to individual School’s needs.
All our schools have unlimited access to the expertise of the Trust central team which includes regular visits to schools to work with leaders and staff to help drive standards, encourage and facilitate collaboration and ensure our schools are the best they can be to support their individual pupils.
Our central services are also developing as the Trust grows.
At the heart of our Trust is a commitment to helping schools achieve the highest standards of education, promoting not only academic success but also the personal, social, and mental well-being of students. We are passionate about helping students develop values and interpersonal skills that will allow them to contribute positively to their local and global communities. School improvement is a holistic process that involves effective staff recruitment, resource management, and pedagogical development. Our central team, which includes specialists in finance, HR, facilities management, and IT, plays a vital role in supporting the growth and success of schools. Each school keeps the autonomy to deliver a curriculum suited to its specific cohort. The Education Support team works alongside Heads and school leaders to lead school-level monitoring and improvement efforts, with support from senior leaders across the Trust. Our Education Support Offer is further enhanced through collaborative networks, including: Heads Network School Operations and Business Manager Network SEND Network Senior Leaders (DHT/AHT) Network Curriculum Best Practice Network The Trust employs a CFO to oversee all financial aspects, working closely with the CEO. We have a strong track record in creating, implementing, and improving financial systems and processes that support individual schools and the Trust. Our aim is to make administrative processes as efficient as possible, freeing up staff time to focus on students. Our finance team is committed to ensuring compliance and creating balanced budgets that maximize the use of available funding. The Trust Accountant, in collaboration with the CFO, assists Heads with budgeting, advises on staffing and potential savings, and provides regular financial reports. Monthly meetings with Heads ensure their budgets are being used efficiently. In partnership with our auditors, Mitchell Charlesworth, the central finance team ensures all statutory returns are completed on time, and any improvements to financial systems and processes are implemented quickly and effectively. Our central HR function is specialised, flexible, and supportive, offering the highest standard of HR services across all areas. We work closely with HR Specialists at Capita and Blackpool Council to work with the Trust central team to support schools. This HR function is designed to meet the specific needs of each school, providing tailored support ranging from one-off projects to ongoing advisory and HR administration services. Our HR team, both internally and with external partners, provides the following support: HR Audits Recruitment, including Trust-wide recruitment events including access to a full online recruitment portal. Policy and Procedure Reviews & Updates Case Work (Disciplinary, Capability) Attendance Management Performance Management (Appraisal and Pay) Staffing Restructures Together with our ICT partner, Holker IT, the Trust provides specialised IT services to all schools, focusing on using technology to support educational goals. Our vision is to provide innovative solutions that improve classroom management and productivity while alleviating technical issues that can create daily challenges.
The Trust's Central Team works closely with schools to ensure full compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements, providing expert guidance, oversight and practical support. This includes: Together, these measures help ensure that our schools provide safe, compliant and well-maintained environments for pupils, staff and visitors. The Trust supports schools in managing procurement strategies and resources to achieve the best value from suppliers. We work to ensure each school has a personalised approach to suppliers, while also using the Trust’s collective buying power to negotiate advantageous deals. We regularly review contracts and service-level agreements (SLAs) to ensure value for money. While some systems must be consistent across all schools (such as HR, Payroll, and Finance), Heads are involved in decisions about whether to centralise or individualise procurement to meet their school’s specific needs.