Collaboration leads to rapid expansion as Trust announces new Staff
As the education sector sees the true benefits of the principal of economies of scale combined with strong central teams who can advise on and deliver practical solutions for their members, Multi Academy Trusts are becoming more popular and one, in particular, is seeing strong growth in Yorkshire.
The Collaborative Learning Trust, a local Trust established in Yorkshire and working mainly with schools across Leeds and Bradford, has seen the need for experienced staff in their Central Team grow in the last year, as the five schools are being joined by more schools as they see the benefits of working in partnership with other schools.
As well the recruitment of several core team members in Finance and HR, as schools enjoy the benefits of quick, proactive, support for those functions, the Trust has now expanded to include an Operations Manager and a Director of School Improvement (Primary), joining the CEO, Janet Sheriff, OBE, as experienced school leaders with a wealth of experience to offer.
CEO of the Collaborative Learning Trust, Janet Sheriff OBE commented: “We established the Trust because we recognised the positive benefits of collaboration across all schools – and the need for business centred support which allows Headteachers and Governors to focus on education. With rapid growth in our Trust, we need these new roles to continue to develop the excellent quality of support across all areas of business and education.
The leadership capacity released by the central service support means that there is more time for leaders to focus on improving education provision and supporting their local community – putting children at the heart of our Trust.”
The Central Team at the Collaborative Learning Trust includes experts in education, finance, HR, estates management, governance and more, offering daily advice to staff and governors in member schools.
One school which has benefited so far from the additional support is Bramhope Primary School “I cannot underestimate the benefit of coming into the Trust from a financial perspective. Kate Owen [Finance Director] and her team have done an amazing job at giving clarity of information. Having joined the Trust, the financial reporting has changed - it’s much, much clearer,” said Fiona Wrightson, Chair of the Local Governing Committee.