HC Academy Trust

Schools are inherently unique organisations. At the heart of our trust there is a firm belief that schools should maintain autonomy and are able to retain and develop their own personal identity. We believe in ‘local solutions for local schools’ and that, as such, school improvement can only be as effective if it is focused in this way – with a true understanding of the school’s context within the community it serves. Our members will have common values and core operational systems, which are applied locally, and adapted to individual contexts and needs. Within the framework of the trust each academy will retain its own local governing body, identity and individuality.

We believe this is how schools should work together; supporting one another and engaging in locally arranged school-to-school support. In this way we can work to ensure that all children receive the best possible education and that educational underachievement across the region is effectively reduced.

The list below highlights just some areas where shared governance and collaborative working could secure an improved educational experience for the schools we serve:

Collaboration for better learning – teachers sharing best practice in teaching strategies, pedagogy, curriculum design and resources.

Staff development – further opportunities for staff development, networking and promotion, quality bespoke training.

Finance –financial expertise and support, greater purchasing power for contracts meaning cost savings through economies of scale.

Human Resources – Sharing expertise, resources and best practice throughout all aspects of the schools’ operations.

School improvement structures – local ‘school-to-school’ improvement is a concept that our trust is committed to, and we feel strongly that it is the best way to develop outstanding schools for our local communities. HCAT will develop schools’ capacity to improve, and will provide excellent learning opportunities for all staff.

Governance arrangements – a MAT model will continue to strengthen full stakeholder accountability in our governance.