CEO introduction

Simon Beamish, CEO

In September 2022 we launched Vision 2030. It superseded Vision 2025 and sets out our mission, vision and values as well as our targets for the year ahead. It is 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. We will ensure they are adaptable, innovative, creative and can harness the power of digital technology and AI.

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.

The workplace is changing

and 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 2024-2025

A: High-quality and Inclusive Provision

A1: Research and recommend an expansion of the LAT central SEN service to support local demand.

A2: Strengthen extended writing across the curriculum.

A3: Sustain and where possible improve KS2 outcomes versus 2024.

A4: Attainment 8 improves against 2024 outcomes.

A5: Overall post-16 value added scores are positive.

A6: T Level outcomes are better than national averages and student recruitment increases.

A7: At least two more LAT academies are judged outstanding by Ofsted.

A8: LAT disadvantaged pupils close the attainment gap faster than the national average.

A9: Implement digital sensory room at Leigh Academy Milestone.

A10: Successfully add eight IB secondary programmes, including the IBDP at Sir Geoffrey Leigh Academy, and three more academies are authorised as IB World Schools.

A11: Ensure that LAT Phase 1 IB World Schools (10 secondaries and 15 primaries) are well prepared for the re-evaluation process in 2025.

A12: Provide centralised Provision Map functionality for all SEND students.

A13: Improve attendance and reduce persistent absence in all academies, including for disadvantaged pupils.

A14: Increase the impact of preventative strategies to reduce the need for repeat suspensions.

B: School Improvement

B1: Make further improvements at Leigh Academy Bexley so that internal and external quality assurance confirms it is an “Effective” school.

B2: Implement agreed plans for Leigh Academy Minster to ensure high standards so that quality assurance processes determine that it is “Effective”.

B3: Ensure rapid improvement at Leigh Academy Hugh Christie so that it is validated as “Effective” by internal and external reviews.

B4: Develop plans for Leigh Academy Birchwood to open as a successful new special academy in 2026-27.

B5: Expand the age range and open a new nursery at Leigh Academy High Halstow.

B6: Open a third campus for Snowfields Academy at Minster.

B7: Provide access to the Microsoft 365 ecosystem to all students.

B8: Extend centralised and standardised tools for outcomes and intervention analysis.

C: Workforce

C1: Continue to develop targeted strategies to address workload challenges for specific job roles.

C2: Further develop the use of AI-powered platforms designed specifically for teachers to support the Trust workload strategy.

C3: Implement a teacher retention scheme in key shortage subjects.

C4: Launch the Pathfinder Programme to provide a career path advisory service to our staff utilising expert advice from The Leigh Institute.

C5. Develop an optional 360-degree feedback system for all line managers to provide a well-rounded view of their performance and identify areas for development.

C6. Develop a comprehensive EDI data dashboard to monitor progress on diversity and inclusion initiatives and inform an updated EDI strategy.

C7. Expand the mentorship development programme to build capacity for supporting trainees and introduce a structured career path for mentors.

C8: Launch Viva Engage to boost employees’ engagement and communication.

C9: Expand our recruitment pipeline using new technologies to find passive candidates.

C10: Expand SEN expertise across the Trust through participation in accredited national and in-house programmes.

D: Finance and Operations

Estates

D1: Begin construction of new post-16 building at Sir Geoffrey Leigh Academy.

D2: Begin expansion project for nursery facilities at Leigh Academy Cherry Orchard and develop an outdoor seating area with canopy at Ebbsfleet Academy with funding from the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation.

D3: Complete construction project to support the expansion of The Hundred of Hoo (Secondary) Academy.

D4: Further develop plans to construct a new science building at Mascalls Academy, expand dining facilities and demolish B Block.

D5: Expand post-16 facilities at Sir Joseph Williamson’s Mathematical School.

D6: Complete building project to enable eradication of mixed year group teaching at Leigh Academy Molehill.

D7: Revamp facilities for the teaching of design and technology at Leigh Academy Bexley.

D8: Source funding and develop a plan to demolish and reconstruct the Acorn Centre at Leigh Academy Oaks.

D9: Develop plans for new SRPs at Leigh Academy Rainham and Leigh Academy Bexley.

D10: Improve playing field facilities at The Leigh UTC and Leigh Academy Cherry Orchard.

D11: Agree plans to revamp the Leigh Academy Milestone estates with Kent County Council.

IT

D12: Remain abreast of AI changes and adapt our strategy accordingly.

D13: Migrate all academies from VmWare to HyperV.

D14: Implement new wifi and core network to all academies with AI integration.

D15: Migrate non-educational services to Office 365.

D16: Implementation of AI for data analysis and GDPR processing.

Finance

D17: Successful implementation of new accounting software – SAGE Intacct.

D18: Successful implementation of new budgeting software – IMP.

D19: Increase reserves to enable greater sustainability and investment in our academies.

D20: Ensure full enrollment across all year groups and agree fully funded bulge classes with local authorities as appropriate.

D21: Establish more consistent approaches to procurement across all central departments.

D22: Investigate and implement new ways of raising additional funds for the Trust.

Other

D23: Complete phase two of academy renaming project.

D24: Investigate centralisation of examination functions.

D25: Investigate centralisation of the timetabling function.

D26: Develop LAT Lenz v. 3.2.

E: Governance and Leadership

E1: Develop, consult upon and implement a new approach to community governance across LAT.

E2: Develop proposals to streamline governance of The Leigh Institute.

E3: Implement a certificated LAT Lead Practitioner Programme.

E4: Launch the Aspiring Academies Director Programme.

E5: Dependent upon the further growth of the Trust, continue to implement the plan to develop the Trust central team agreed by Directors.

© 2025 Leigh Academies Trust

Website by LAT Web Team