Excelsior MAT
11th October 2024
Dear Parents and Carers,
At the end of last year, we wrote and informed you that the school had been issued with a Direct Academy Order, meaning that the DfE was choosing a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) for us to join. Following changes at a governmental level this Order has now been removed, meaning that we are free to choose our next steps as a school.
The board believes that it is in the best interests of our pupils, families and staff to voluntarily become an academy as part of the Excelsior MAT.
We believe the strengths of becoming an academy with Excelsior are:
A clear and successful focus on pupils; improving their outcomes and offering a wide range of experiences and opportunities.
- Access to high quality resources and facilities for pupils.
- The vision and values of Excelsior closely align with the current values of The Meadows.
- A clear focus on staff and their wellbeing and professional growth.
- Effective overall support and procedures which provide stability for schools and staff.
- Access to high levels of support in office areas, including Finance and Facilities as well as HR.
- Track record of improvement in schools within the locality, and therefore an understanding of the specific experiences, challenges and opportunities in our community.
- The model of governance, its impact and the fact there were opportunities for governors to remain involved after conversion, thereby enabling continuity.
- Senior leaders at our school feel positive about joining the Trust.
- An appropriate and effective central structure for the Trust, which is growing to ensure capacity and continuation of support as it grows.
We have included a more detailed information sheet with this letter, outlining the process we have undertaken as a board and why we have come to this conclusion, as well as next steps.
We would also like to take this opportunity to give you a chance to comment and ask questions before any further steps are taken. To feedback any views, or to raise any questions, please do so by email using the following address: consultation@meadowsprimary.org Any comments or questions should be submitted by 4pm on Friday 25th October. We will endeavour to respond to any questions as quickly as possible. There will also be an opportunity to attend a face-to-face drop in session at the school, in the community room where you can ask any questions or feedback any comments. The dates of these events are Thursday 17 October 14:45 – 15:25pm and Monday 21 October 08:55 – 09:30am. The governing body of our school and Excelsior Multi Academy Trust will be represented at both meetings.
Regards
K Watkins
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