Self Assessment
MAT
CHARACTERISTIC
WHERE
WE ARE
OVERALL PERFORMANCE SELF ASSESSMENT
There is clear evidence that the outcomes for young people who are educated within the MAT are exceeding previous performance and national expectations.
The Trust outcomes for young people in terms of the progress they are making from KS1 to 2 or KS2 to 4 are in line with national averages in more than half of the academies in the Trust.
STEP 1
There is a well communicated strategic vision & plan that moves seamlessly from implementation into impact. The school improvement plan can only be delivered through support from the Trust and the Trust priorities can only be delivered through the academies.
The academy can provide some evidence that through their delivery of their academy-based plan at least 2-3 of the Trust priorities are also being delivered.
STEP 2
There is a clear accountability framework for the performance of the Trust that all staff understand, including what happens when key staff under perform.
The CEO holds the Principals to account and is held to account by the Board for the performance of the Trust. The CEO is accountable for standards in the academies. Performance Management of the CEO is emerging as a strength.
STEP 3
There are clear quality assurance systems in place to improve consistency and performance.
The Trust has ensured that there is a pattern of consistent practice that is now recognised as more efficient than each academy working independently. Academies are suggesting new areas of common working practice of their own for the Trust.
STEP 4
There is a clear delegated framework for governance at Trust Board and local governing body level that makes the responsibilities of both the Board and any LGBs explicit.
There is a MAT board where the distinction between the role of members and directors is clear and understood by all staff. A skills audit enables the board to recruit skilled professionals capable of fulfilling their roles. There is clarity in terms of the roles of both boards but the structure is at an early stage of development. The values of the organisation are driven by the uniqueness of the schools not the Trust.
STEP 5
There is a Trust-wide school improvement strategy that recognises the different interventions needed at different stages of the improvement journey that a school undertakes.
The Trust has a school improvement strategy that is becoming embedded and has progressed beyond the day to day core improvement needs. Systems to track data, the collection of regular KPI and a stronger performance management system are sustaining improvement in the schools.
STEP 6
There is a systematic programme of school to school support that is focused on the need of individual academies.
The Trust’s school improvement strategy balances the generic needs of the schools with the facilitation of smaller learning communities of teaching leaders who develop coaching groups with colleagues needing help.
STEP 7
There is evidence of skilled management of Trust Risk indicators.
The Trust has a risk register in place and it is used to monitor risks that the Trust has identified as possible threats to the organisation. There is some but as yet unstructured relationships between the Trust Risk plan and those in the academies.
STEP 8
There is a clear succession plan for the key posts within the MAT (CEO, Director of Finance, HR, Chair of Board, members and directors, Principals and Vice Principals.
The Trust has a talent management plan for emerging and senior leaders in the organisation that means the Trust can deploy its most talented staff to work in more than one school on secondments or permanent transfers, creating career development and succession solutions.
STEP 9
There is a Trust wide commitment to making a contribution to local, regional and national educational networks beyond the MAT.
The Trust has developed partnerships with external groups beyond those that the academies have sustained. These partnerships enable the Trust to be better connected to regional and national networks that benefit children and staff