The Story of ‘BEST’ Setting the Vision & Working Across Schools What is a Trust? Why ‘go Trust’? Reflections on Central Beds

BEST – a natural progression from Learning Communities and the Pyramid working A Deputy Head was seconded and paid for by the Upper School for a year Endless meetings to explain the Trust and what it means Established with the Upper, all 3 Middles, and only 6 of the 18 Lowers. Employs a CEO and an administrator now. Immediate successes – the £2 million bid for a shared services community facility (nursery, police, medical etc) UTC, Academy support, lots of competitions, collaborative learning, services,

Setting a vision – dig-out your NPQH notes! Involvement of all but ensure ‘action’ A 0-19 school across different sites with different ethos Improving the learning journey and transition Set up a representative board of trustees Relations with governors and individual governing bodies Based on educational decisions

A Trust is a legal entity that allows you to collaborate within a secure framework Removal of personal relationships MUST go Foundation Trust is reversible

How has Trust helped us? Why go Trust? Think not of what the Trust can do for you.. Bids / Partnerships / Collaboration / Enterprise – Multi- Services block, Teaching School, UTC, PRU, Extended Schools, Studio Theatre, Laptop classroom, Old Lower School, Academy solicitors / support, Co-op links, Shared staffing – Data, Languages, Supply, Drama, across Middle & Upper and across Middles (re- deployment of our ASTs) Morally, the right thing for our pupils?

Central Beds and BEST reflections… Top down or cross-phase? The take-over? Tangible and quick wins… The difference in language and priorities Governance and role of governors Use it! Base major decisions around it…