Stour Vale Academy Trust was born out of collaborative working which had a positive impact on pupils’ outcomes and we remain convinced of the power of effective collaboration between schools to increase our collective capacity to improve the life opportunities of children and young people in all Stour Vale member schools and beyond. From the very beginning we were committed to ensuring that as many decisions as possible were made at school level by school leaders and local governing bodies and this principle continues to underpin our scheme of delegation.

We believe that becoming a member school brings many benefits, for example:

• Our approach of ‘secure autonomy’ empowers school leaders to lead improvement in their own schools, supported and challenged by executive leaders who are experienced headteachers and in collaboration with leaders in other member schools. With this approach we are able to recruit, retain and develop the potential of the very best school leaders.
• The diversity of schools within Stour Vale provides richer opportunities for schools and staff teams to learn from each other.
• Our focused effective collaborative work, within and beyond Stour Vale, has clear positive impact on outcomes for pupils.
• Professional learning groups are open, supportive and transparent forums for the sharing of expertise and knowledge, where staff can learn from best practice and research, build a network of support and save valuable time.
• Schools retain their reserves, and the Trust Board and Executive Team are committed to achieving best value for member schools by ensuring that the 4% centrally retained spend is used to best effect and by seeking opportunities for schools to maximise their resources by working together.
• Stour Vale is committed to initial teacher training and, through School Direct member schools and schools working with us, can place and employ strong trainees and Early Careers Teachers trained within our shared ethos and values.

As we continue to grow and develop as a family of schools, we are committed to continuously improving our existing range of central services in order to provide school leadership teams with the comprehensive and effective back-office support which frees their time to focus on teaching, learning, curriculum, and outcomes for pupils. We will also continue to develop both our professional learning offer and our commitment to staff well-being, drawing on resources from within and beyond Stour Vale in order to grow the potential of all staff and be an employer of choice.

If you are interested in finding out more about working collaboratively with us or you would like to consider becoming a member school, please contact Rachel Salter, CEO.