Our journey so far...

The former Deputy Headteacher at New Bradwell Primary School used to describe Phil Webster, the CEO of the Trust, as a butterfly. He never sits still for long on an idea, he will always be asking ‘ what next? ' 

In many respects the development of the Trust shares some similarities with that of a butterfly too. Apparently, butterflies are able to see colours that humans can’t. As a Trust we recognise that people will see things differently. We value these different perspectives as they often result in fruitful conversation and challenge - just the kind of dialogue that we value.

Stage 1- EGG

An idea!

The team at New Bradwell Primary School were delighted when Ofsted judged the school to be outstanding but were confident that this was more a start rather than an end of a journey. We wanted to grow and continue to set ourselves challenging targets. We expanded from a two-form to a three-form entry school, extended our school day, started a farm, looked to different methods to support our department for autistic children, revised our whole curriculum. As we managed these changes we looked at wider sector practice, seeking to learn from the best. As we looked outwards and upwards, we were quick to appreciate the benefits of working with other schools and the power of sharing best practice. The growth of the school has always been focused on delivering more for our children. 

At the same time, academisation was becoming an increasingly popular concept and we reflected on how this could provide a natural extension for the work that we had started to do with other schools. We recognised that alongside promoting innovation and expanding staff development opportunities, there would be financial benefits to be gained too. We believed that operating as Trust could deliver greater value for money and were keen to find other like- minded schools who were also exploring forming a Trust. 

Following conversations with Jubilee Wood Primary School it was clear that we were both interested in forming a Trust and in September 2017 the Grand Union Partnership was created.

Stage 2- CATERPILLAR

On forming the Trust we needed to explore and answer many questions about how we would operate:

• What kind of responsibilities would stay with our Local Governors?
• What would the structure of meetings and committees at Trust level look like?
• What would the management structure look like?
• What might central Trust expectations cover and what decisions would continue to be driven at individual school level?
• What services would be provided centrally for each school?
• What might the future look like in terms of the size, scope and geographical reach of the Trust?
• How would the 5% contribution from each school to a central Trust budget be directed to deliver great value for money?

So many questions (the answers to these are unpacked in this website) but an exciting phase for us to explore. We started with a flat structure wanting to give schools as much autonomy as was possible. Initially there was one main Trust level meeting that dealt with everything, this set the vision, values and strategic aims for the Trust. We were also clear about the success criteria we would use to monitor the development of the Trust. We knew what information would feed into Trust Board meetings and we started to expand our group of Trustees to ensure that together we would have access to all the skills we would need to continue our development.

As with any newly formed organisation there were challenges along the way. We started  working with Old Stratford Primary School, who at that stage were not part of the Trust, the school had been judged requires improvement by Ofsted and we shaped a plan to help them move forward.

Stage 3- PUPA

We were able to demonstrate real impact with the improvement plan for Old Stratford as Ofsted judged the school good at their next inspection. Following the inspection Governors at Old Stratford decided to join the Trust. This was a great  endorsement, both of the quality of support provided  and the degree to which the school had embraced working in partnership with the Trust.

In 2019 we started working with Deanshanger Primary School, developing a memorandum of understanding with Governors that clearly outlined a support plan. Our partnership with the team at Deanshanger has been a fruitful one and since 2020 the school has made significant progress, it is now strongly positioned to secure the good Ofsted rating that it deserves. We were thrilled that Governors at Deanshanger made the decision to join us, becoming the fourth member of the Trust in September 2022.  

In February 2022 Jubilee Wood Primary School was inspected by Ofsted, the team judged the school to be good with outstanding features and in the the summer of 2022 the school delivered significant improvements in the attainment and progress of children in key stage 2 assessments. These demonstrate the effectiveness of the steps taken by the Trust and great work of the Headteacher, who joined the school in 2020, and his wider team.

Our Trust Board has continued to evolve and is united behind our three key strategic objectives relating to the quality of education, growth and sustainability. The fact that many of our Trustees have previous experience working as Governors promotes healthy communication and team working between the different levels of governance in the Trust. Over the last few years we have been fortunate enough to have expanded the skills base of the Board, benefitting from the experience and depth of insight they bring to the Trust. 

We also added to the Central Trust team, helping us to further develop the quality frameworks that we apply across our schools and increase our capacity to deliver support. In January 2023 the Grand Union Partnership received approval to become an Academy Sponsor, reflecting both our positive impact to-date and our capacity for future growth.

 Stage 4- ADULT BUTTERFLY

As a Trust we are continuing to develop, our Board are focused on staying local and growing the Trust to delivering great education for 2,500 primary school children over the next 3-5 years. This continued growth will enable us to expand the breadth of support we offer our schools and the development opportunities we can offer our staff. Whilst there are sure to be challenges along the way we’re looking forward to this next stage of our development.