Collaborative Partnership Offer FAQs
We work collaboratively to improve outcomes for all the children within the MAT. A particular advantage of a resource pooled arrangement is that through collation of data, outcomes of quality assurance and budget setting process, the MAT fairly applies capital spend in areas of need.
You will work in collaboration with the central team through the common finance system. The Trust sets the central finance policy to adhere to the Academy Trust Handbook which sets the financial procedures. All policies and procedures adopt national terms and conditions of the profession.
The skills of a SBM can be well utilised within the trust. Our business professionals have a multi-faceted role that includes finance, HR, estates, health & safety, supporting the SLT whilst benefiting from the support of the central team. Through the PDR process that aligns with the ISBL Professional Standards, career aspirations are encouraged.
Your reserves will become part of a pooled investment in capital and resources both now and in the future to improve the learning environment for employees and pupils.
ICFP (Integrated Curriculum Financial Planning) is a way of mapping your expenditure against national benchmarks to understand how and where your budget is spent with a focus on your curriculum.
Yes. We have a central HR team who will create all contractual letters linked to colleagues’ employment. Professionally qualified HR colleagues will support any HR queries and case work guiding and supporting Business Professionals and Headteachers through the process.
FaceEd is the Application Tracking System which is a tool to support all online recruitment from vacancy raising to appointment. SAM People is our HRIS which manages the full employee life cycle and includes the MySAM portal which is the HR communication method across the trust.
Colleagues can request leave of absence through the MySAM portal for line manages to approve in-line with the policy (no more paper!).
The HR Advisor works with you to support colleagues to remain in work. The partnership between the Trust, Business Professionals and Headteachers reduced short term absence by 366 days in 2022-23.
The HR Advisor works with you to support colleagues to remain in work. The partnership between the Trust, Business Professionals and Headteachers reduced short term absence by 366 days in 2022-23.
Headteachers have the autonomy to create their own staffing model within an agreed budget. Within an agreed number of years, all trust schools align with a trust pay framework. A framework that is aligned to national agreed terms and conditions.
You will be supported throughout the TUPE transfer process by our HR department. As the Trust is a member of the Joint National Council with unions, full consultation will be made to ensure your employees terms and conditions are protected/aligned with the Trust.
No. But the Trust will expect a sharp focus on school improvement priorities through case studies and spotlights.
Who decides who can be a local governor of the school?
This is done in partnership between Trustees, the Local Governing Body Chairperson and the Chief Executive.
Is the Linked Trustee in charge of governance in our school?
No. The role is to ensure the Board has a direct line of communication and a purposeful relationship with school leaders.
The Chief Executive will always attend a Local Governing Body meeting on request. This can be arranged through the Governance Professional. In addition, the Chief Executive will attend meetings to observe and participate.
No. The Trust is not interested in changing things that are working well.
The Scheme of Delegation sets out the levels of authority across the trust by the Trust Board. This is available on our website. Headteacher recruitment is managed directly by the Chief Executive and will include representation from both Governors and Trustees.
If the model is working well the Board will consider taking a flexible approach to its composition. Once again, the Trust is not in the business of changing things that work well.
Each year the Trust reviews the impact of the networks with colleagues from across the schools. This feedback, along with school self-evaluations and external recommendations (MAT assurance reviews, Ofsted), inform the network structure and priorities for the next academic year. However, Safeguarding & Welfare and SEND are foundation networks and always remain.
Following a MAT assurance review, a summary of findings, including any recommendations are published and shared with school leaders, including the local governing body.
The Trust has an externally verified and robust quality assurance framework, which ensures any of our children who receive their education via an alternative provider is safe and has access to high quality, needs led education. The framework is co-ordinated by the Trust AP Lead, with identified school-based colleagues contributing and supporting the QA process.
The Trust Attendance & Welfare Team allows schools to redirect valuable resource and teams of people to focus on their educational offer for all children, instead of having coordinate absence related matters including dealing with daily pupil absence phone calls and organising safe and well visits.
Schools benefit from a team of high qualified and experienced practitioners, whom have a proven track record of supporting school attendance and offering support to families.
Identified colleagues get the opportunity to shadow and participate in the SEND review programme, having the opportunity to work alongside Trust colleagues and support the development of SEND provision across the Trust and the wider system.
This programme provides evidenced-based learning, peer support and hands-on opportunities to colleagues that may be considering a career in teaching. The aim of the programme is to provide colleagues with a well-supported but a “real” insight into the teaching profession, allowing them to make informed decisions regarding next steps in their career.
The Trust is an advocate for all the NPQ qualifications and actively promotes them across all our schools.
Yes, there are now NPQ qualifications that are accessible for non-qualified colleagues such as the NPQBLC.
All team leaders are consulted regarding the design of The Big Conversation, with the aim that all colleagues experience a rich learning experience that supports their day-to-day role.
A Trust Professional Learning & Development audit is completed biennial by the Trust’ Learning & Development Lead, helping to inform the Trust’s CPD offer.
The Trust is committed to the wellbeing of all children and adults. Following consultation with the EDI/Staff Wellbeing Network, it was felt in order to establish a culture “it is ok, not to be ok”, the Trust needed the ambition that every adult is trained as mental health first aider to enable them to lookout for themselves and each other.
Each year there is a rolling programme of mental health first aider training, delivered by the Trust’s qualified mental health first aider trainer.
We will carry out a site condition survey and with existing surveys and audits, collaborate a 3-year asset management improvement plan.
Yes. Contracts will continue until their term ends. Leading towards this point, there will be discussion and agreement reached about future contractors.
We adopt the Nottingham Local Authority Health & Safety suite of policies, procedures and risk assessments.
We will work together to align with trust-wide policies to ensure consistency and compliance across all academies.
An annual schedule of supportive reviews is included as a key benefit.
The Trust’s external IT company will audit the school’s existing IT infrastructure to understand its strengths, weaknesses, and compatibility with the broader trust systems. The Trust has specific cybersecurity complying with KSCIE guidance and data protection standards that need to be implemented in the school’s IT infrastructure.
All schools have a common email address working under one tenancy.
