CEO introduction

From September 2022 we are launching Vision 2030. It supersedes Vision 2025 and sets out our mission, vision and values as well as our targets for the year ahead which will be updated annually. We are publishing this revised overarching strategy which brings together everything we stand for and aim to achieve at a time of great uncertainty for our country and for the world. Brexit, the Covid pandemic and now the economic challenges which follow from both, mean that the path ahead for our academies and the young people they serve will not be easy.

Having a clear sense of what our organisation is here to do during these bewildering times cannot be more important. We have achieved much since we began in 2008 and more than we ever thought possible since the start of the pandemic in early-2020. We are an exceptionally ambitious organisation that wants the very best for all of our stakeholders. Fundamentally, we are about giving a brighter future to our young people and in doing so, making the world a better place. There can be no more motivating set of ambitions than this.

Simon Beamish

Chief Executive

Mission

Education for a better world

Vision: Excellence Charter

We will ensure:

1

Excellent teaching so that young people achieve their ambitions.

2

Outstanding leadership to drive improvement in our own academies and across the sector.

3

An exceptional IB curriculum.

4

A world class digital strategy for education.

5

A highly developed and engaged workforce who make a difference.

6

A small school model of education that delivers high quality pastoral care.

7

Disruption-free learning and a wide personal development programme.

8

Targeted support for those who need it so that they too can succeed.

Our values

We care

about our pupils and their families through our human scale approach to education, our staff and their well-being and the world around us, driven by our high ideals and strong moral values.

We work together

as one team because we are greater than the sum of our parts. We foster an enterprising culture through global collaboration with partners in business and education.

We have boundless ambition

to achieve excellence for all and create confident young adults with high levels of resilience and integrity.

We keep getting better

using our ‘can-do’ attitude and research informed approach to continuous improvement and innovation.

Challenges we will tackle

Modern lifestyles

are destroying our planet, increasing inequality and impacting mental health. We will develop resilient learners who feel empathy, act compassionately and behave ethically. We will create pioneering social entrepreneurs with a sense of service to others, future generations and to the planet.

Humans are overloaded with information.

We will develop learners who think critically, based on secure knowledge and understanding. We will enable them to apply insight and judge the significance and reliability of information.

The pace of global change is exponential.

We will develop internationally-minded learners who appreciate differences and have a wide range of perspectives, ensuring they are adaptable, innovative, creative and can harness the power of digital technology.

A lack of employment skills

risks UK wealth and productivity. We will develop confident learners who have a positive can-do attitude and strong work ethic, able to collaborate and work as part of teams. We will focus on STEM and employer links to increase the flow of well-qualified young people entering the workplace.

Changes to the workplace

from the Covid pandemic combined with the impact of Brexit mean that our economy faces challenges for years to come. We will recruit and retain the best staff and build for succession in all key job roles so that our learners can thrive. We will deploy resources efficiently and sustainably by using our economies of scale to ensure continued investment in our academies.

The International Baccalaureate

The ambitions of Vision 2030 draw heavily on the mission statement of the International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO) and its Learner Profile. All LAT academies are authorised as World Schools. We fully embrace the benefits of an IB education as expressed by the IBO’s mission statement:

The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. To this end the organisation works with schools, governments and international organisations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment. These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.”

Annual targets for 2023-2024

 

A: High-quality and Inclusive Education

A1: All progress measures for secondary are positive.

A2: All progress measures for primary are positive and attainment is above national average.

A3: Two more academies are judged outstanding overall by Ofsted.

A4: Successful implementation of IB Diploma Programme at Leigh Academy Blackheath.

A5: Successful implementation of T Levels at Wilmington, The Leigh, Longfield, Stationers’ Crown Woods and The Halley Academies.

A6: Launch T levels at next wave of LAT academies: Strood Academy; The Hundred of Hoo Academy; Mascalls Academy; Leigh Academy Tonbridge.

A7: Ensure any remaining LAT secondaries (other than LABex and The Leigh UTC) have at least 75% of pupils studying the full EBacc in year 10 by no later than September 2024.

A8: Produce curriculum and training resources for staff to further enhance Disruption Free Learning across LAT.

A9: Launch CDR process for personal development, PYP and MYP.

A10: Increase the number of cross-Trust events and competitions for pupils.

A11: The IBO awards World School status to Milestone and Snowfields Academies.

A12: Pupil attendance returns to pre-pandemic averages.

A13: Extend accessibility to high-end technology to SEN students in our satellite sites.

 

B: School Improvement

B1: Another grammar school joins the Trust.

B2: Successful bid to open a third special academy.

B3: Launch Esports programme across secondary academies (including Snowfields).

B4: Make rapid progress at Leigh Academy Bexley to become at least good.

B5: Enrol 180 pupils in year 7 at Ebbsfleet Academy, Leigh Academy Tonbridge and The Halley Academy starting in September 2024.

B6: Complete plan to rename all LAT academies.

B7: Launch The Leigh Institute to further enhance professional development opportunities for teachers and support staff within the Trust and across the sector.

B8: Kent and Medway Training to launch a teacher apprenticeship pilot in conjunction with LAT Apprenticeships.

B9: Develop a Trust strategy, appropriately governed, for the effective use of AI in education.

B10: Develop the Trust central information hub for students and staff to access learning and informational resources with the integration of AI technology.

B11: Strengthen the use of the Digital Tool Kit across our academies.

 

C: Workforce

C1: Launch a learning experience platform for all staff that drives peer-to-peer learning as well as Trust-led professional development. 

C2: Implement a recognition strategy that reinforces positive organisational behaviours such as vacancy referrals, long service, innovation and impactful performance.   

C3: Further improve candidate experience when applying for jobs and throughout the onboarding process.

C4: Launch the LAT100 induction programme for all new employees.

C5. Develop and market an attractive rewards and benefits package (“The Leigh Offer”) that attracts the best candidates for all job roles.

C6. Implement the DBS renewal programme for all staff with 10 years’ service.

C7. Implement career pathways, promoting and signposting the way for staff to reach their career goals.

 

D: Finance and Operations

D1: Revamp early years outdoor facilities at Molehill and Tree Tops Primaries.

D2: Open brand new early years and key stage 1 building at Marden Primary.

D3: Agree plan to upgrade facilities at Milestone Academy with Kent County Council.

D4: Agree programme to develop a new post-16 building at The Leigh Academy and expand year 7 PAN to 300.

D5: Complete campus redevelopment plans at The Hundred of Hoo (secondary) Academy.

D6: Complete agreed capital investment programme at The Halley Academy.

D7: Fully implement agreed capital programme for Leigh Academy Bexley, including renewed science laboratories. 

D8: Progress plans for new science block at Mascalls Academy.

D9: Open new Milestone nursery building at Cherry Orchard Primary Academy.

D10: Develop plans with Medway Council to increase PAN and open a new SRP at Sir Joseph Williamson’s Mathematical School.

D11: Finalise plans for a new SRP at Leigh Academy Rainham with Medway Council.

D12: Further develop plans to expand High Halstow Primary to two forms of entry.

D13: Submit T Level bid for grant to create a mezzanine classroom within The Leigh UTC’s workshop.

D14: Expand break and lunchtime facilities at Leigh Academy Rainham.

D15: Complete traffic and car parking flow at Bearsted Primary and Snowfields Academies.

D16: Further centralise processes for data management, admissions and complaints handling.

D17: Embed new management accountant structure to further improve efficiency in budgeting and forecasting processes.

D18: Ensure LAT Apprenticeships achieves a break even budget position and begins to repay initial deficits built up over the first three years of operating.

D19: Enable dual access to Google and Microsoft platforms.

D20: Development of our new “serverless” academies.

D21: Move all telephony to a cloud environment.

D22: Implement a clearing system for our post-16 students.

D23: Review alternative options to the PS Financials accounting system to ensure any new accounting system is cloud-based. 

D24: Carry out procurement of new external auditor using DfE framework.  

D25: Carry out procurement of new internal auditor.

 

E: Governance and Leadership

E1: Embed new approach to academy board meetings to enhance governors’ ability to hold leaders accountable.

E2: Launch a subject leader development programme.

E3: Provide a training programme for all line managers to improve the effectiveness of line management across the Trust. 

E4: Expand curriculum advisor team to keep pace with the growth of the Trust.

E5: Reduce our carbon footprint by extending our tree planting scheme.

E6: Develop an equalities, diversity and inclusion curriculum, differentiated for leaders and the wider workforce.

E7: Expand the number of teachers qualified as IBENs (International Baccalaureate Educator Network).

E8: Adopt the DfE Wellbeing Charter for the Trust and further develop the Trust’s workload reduction strategy.

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