Excellence in Education

Prospectus 2014-15

Our Vision Drive

Development

Delivery

Outstanding Achievement taking Students beyond Expectations The Rodillian Multi Academy Trust (MAT) is a newly established and developing MAT in Yorkshire. It specialises in transforming under-performing schools by allowing them to benefit from “The Rodillian Experience”. The Rodillian MAT has its roots in West Yorkshire and is committed to a local approach, unlike some other large academy chains. It believes in “local solutions for local people”, with school improvements work being focused on a true understanding of the community the school serves and the community itself. Therefore, to enable this close working practice, all of the schools within the Rodillian MAT are within a 30 minute driving distance ensuring that there can be close contact and a personalised approach to leadership and school development. Whilst developing the unique and individual identity of each school is or paramount importance, the Trust equally believes in assimilated methodology to drive forward standards in its partner schools, helping to improve the life chances for more local children. The “Rodillian Ethos” is underpinned by common values – a traditional approach to behaviour management, innovative curriculum design and excellence in teaching to deliver best possible outcomes. At the heart of the Trust’s work is a concentration on delivering high academic standards, a focus on developing “Mindset for Growth” both among students and staff to support our aspirations, and an unsurpassed drive for outstanding outcomes.

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Our Offer Approved Academy Sponsor: The Rodillian Academy was approved as an Academy Sponsor by the Department for Education on 20 December 2013. The following factors distinguish The Rodillian Multi Academy Trust as a potential Academy Sponsor:  The academy’s leadership was judged Outstanding in Ofsted 2012;  The academy has an Outstanding record in school performance being consistently placed in the top performing schools in the local authority on both raw scores and value added;  The academy has wide-ranging experience of working in partnership with a variety of schools, including Free Schools and Pupil Referral Units, alongside its work with other mainstream secondary schools;  We believe in local solutions for local people, built around shared methodology for success;  We are a research engaged organisation driving forward the development of innovative education trying to exceed all expectations.

Our Aims 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Securing improvement in educational standards Fostering an unsurpassed drive to deliver outstanding outcomes Securing high-quality teaching through the recruitment, retention and professional development of the very best staff Developing people and a mindset for growth as a learning centred organisation throughout Developing local education for local people with supportive and aspirational curriculum, and as a bespoke approach Developing values amongst all our learners for successful and pro-active futures

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Why choose The Rodillian Multi Academy Trust? What would it mean for you? The benefit of becoming part of The Rodillian Multi Academy Trust lies in the fact that all our academies are unique and as such would be helped to develop their own personal identity. We believe in “local solutions for local people” and that school improvement can only be as effective as possible if it is focused in this way, with a true understanding of the community the school serves and the school community itself. This development would be guided and led by the experienced and highly qualified staff within the group. The Trust has both is own National Leader of Education (NLE), who is the CEO of the MAT and its own National Leader of Governance (NLG) assuring the quality and necessary degree of support and challenge for any school. Within the bespoke approach offered by The Rodillian MAT, core systems would be introduced and tailored to the school to drive forward standards. Certain other aspects would be developed in line with the “Rodillian Ethos”, and the focus provided by leadership from the MAT, following a thorough review of the schools current operations, would concentrate on developing the following areas of school improvement:  Governance – a governance model which allows LGBs to focus on teaching and learning whilst the Trust Board concentrates on business strategy and financial management.  Leadership structures – developing strong leadership to drive forward performance and standards, looking at teams and their representation, performance management, coaching, joint practice development, CPD with a focus on how this can be strengthened by belonging to a larger and more broadly experienced MAT.  Behaviour – our Positive Discipline model is built on old fashioned values and a structured rewards and sanctions system; it is a model which addresses behaviour for learning from the heart of the classroom and is nurturing in its principle of enabling teachers to teach and students to learn and furthermore truly addresses issues of low level disruption and eradicating them.

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 Curriculum – we believe in a broad and balanced curriculum which is innovative in its design, creating resilient learners who are able to achieve outstanding outcomes.  Teaching and learning support and development – this is designed around fundamentals of good teaching practice and evidence based research.  Data tracking and analysis – this is focused on quality assessment, knowledge of exam board requirements and government requirements.  Intervention for progress – this is planned from different strands of information, but primarily from what our data tells us and from knowing our students well.

What would it mean for you if already Good or Outstanding, or you are a Primary School? For schools which are already judged Good or Outstanding by Ofsted, our offer would be tailored to focus on business and financial support, in addition to the development initiatives to promote outstanding teaching and results. And with primary schools, we would seek to provide specialist support to develop areas of the curriculum which could benefit from this focused expertise and which would be difficult for primary schools themselves to provide at the same level.

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Our Governance Model Governance within the Rodillian MAT is made simple we believe, with the Trust Board taking responsibility for the strategic development of the academy chain, and all finance and business matters, leaving Local Governing Bodies (LGB’s) to focus on the daily running of schools, teaching and learning and standards of achievement. Any school joining the Rodillian MAT will benefit from the expert support of our NLG and our expert centralised services team. In line with our bespoke offer, governance support will be determined according to the nature of the school and the regularity of meetings will also be tailored to suit. The following, outlines the Trust Board structure and representation and also illustrates the formation of our LGB’s.

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Trust Board Executive Board

Chair Brian Sheldrake

CEO

Vice Chair

Andy Goulty

Alan Winn

Director (COO) Anne-Marie Holdsworth

Director

Director

Pupil Welfare Chair of Southway Melissa Peacock

Health and Safety/ Communications Mark Wade

Director

Director

Chair of BBG Academy SIB

Chair of Rodillian Academy LGB

Director Chair of Featherstone Academy SIB

Director Chair of John Smeaton Academy SIB

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MAT Centralised Services

Andy Goulty Chief Executive Officer (Executive Headteacher)

Anne-Maire Holdsworth Chief Operations Officer (Executive Deputy Headteacher)

Governance

Legal Services

Health and Safety and Estates Management

ICT

SEN

Education Welfare Officer

Finance and Payroll

HR and Recruitment

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Local Governing Body Chair of Governing Body

Vice Chair

Parent Governor

SLT Link Governor

SLT Link Governor

Staff Governor

SLT Link Governor

Parent Governor

SLT Link Governor

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Our History The Rodillian MAT was given approval to become an academy sponsor on 20 December 2013. Since then it has become the official sponsor of two secondary schools – The Featherstone Academy in Wakefield and BBG Academy in Kirklees. Additionally, the Rodillian MAT has contracts for school improvement work with the Leeds Jewish Free School, which has been operative since September 2013, and John Smeaton Academy in Leeds, which started in January 2014, but was formalised in September 2014. Furthermore, the Trust also has its own subsidiary company “Southway at the Rodillian Academy” which provides alternative provision for students from a range of schools who would otherwise be excluded from mainstream education. The approval to sponsor and development of the MAT stems from the expert work of Rodillian’s leadership team in transforming the Rodillian Academy itself from 19% 5A* - C including English and Maths in 2007, to 76% 5A* - C including English and Maths in 2014. When the Executive Headteacher took over at Rodillian in 2008, the school was in “notice to improve”, but on its last inspection in May 2012 it was awarded Outstanding in leadership and management and behaviour and safety of pupils and Good for achievement and teaching and learning. Rodillian is now (Autumn 2014) the joint highest performing school in Leeds LA on raw scores and is the highest performing school of all in Leeds against FFTD.

Future Development Whilst the Trust is highly ambitious in its aspirations for growth and supporting other schools to achieve the same success it has itself or supporting other schools to develop through its programme of excellence, it is also cognisant of balancing any growth against a need to not compromise on standards and the Rodillian Trust aims to ensure the same degree of quality of work across all the schools in its academy chain. Page 10