Joining a Multi-Academy Trust comes with a multitude of benefits as we spoke about in our last blog. But joining a university MAT takes those benefits one step further.
We’re one of only eight MATs in the UK that has this excellent resource at our fingertips and being a university led MAT has proven to benefit both parties time and time again.
We think that universities have a role to play in all their communities, regarding supporting schools. Universities are a massive resource base, often located in areas that need support for the levelling up agenda.
Staffordshire University is a very strong supporter of SUAT. Whilst we have their name, we are an entirely separate company.
They do however support us in many ways which in turn, benefit our academies, pupils and staff.
Examples of ways in which they support us are:
- Our pupils receive invitations on to the campus for events and activities such as Holocaust Memorial Day, Digital Activity, sports events, Forest School, exhibitions of student work and more which gives our pupils an added layer of experience.
- The Media Department often supports us as required.
- Our Year 7 pupils can attend a residential at the university.
- We receive great support from university faculties, for example, sport, health and fitness, digital and more.
- We get support at our public events, for example, speech and prize days.
- They donate equipment to our academies.
- They allow us use of the university to enhance our pupils’ aspirations.
- Their Education Department provides expertise to our staff and schools.
- We’ve received brilliant logistical support, for example, for our digital agenda, some of their students helped to convert a bus into a library, and university students also act as sports coaches in the schools.
- They are always happy to provide technical advice when we are redeveloping our websites.
- They’ve created a pipeline of Early Career Teachers into our schools.
- In turn, we also support the university in many ways, such as:
- SUAT staff attend university events, for example, formal dinners and graduation ceremonies.
- University students are welcome to complete apprenticeships and work placements at SUAT academies, for example, in ICT.
- We give their PGCE students placements in our schools.
- SUAT staff contribute to the teaching on their PGCE courses.
- Our schools raise each of their community’s awareness of Staffordshire University.
- We help them to deliver on their stated corporate responsibility aims and objectives.
So, as you can see, there’s a lot more to working collaboratively with a university. The Trust you choose to join must be the right fit for you. By joining a Trust like ours, there’s not much your school wouldn’t benefit from, including this impressive Higher Education support.
If joining a Trust is something your school is looking at doing this year, contact us today for a confidential conversation.
