Our Trust’s aspirations are reflected in the culture and ethos of the academies, in the way in which our communities are built upon sensitivity, tolerance and the appreciation of difference; at the heart of our work is the education of the young people in our care. There is a whole Trust ethos based on Rights, Respect and Responsibility.

We are committed to providing a stimulating, varied and broad education. Our academies offer a wide range of extra activities as well as aspiring to good and outstanding academic standards. We want our pupils to be genuinely involved in the life of our academies, participating in decisions, interested in their learning and valuing the opportunities they have had. We are proud of their achievements, the quality of our teaching and the pastoral care we provide. We want our young people to leave our academies with ambition, an appetite for learning and the confidence to encounter the challenges and changes that will inevitably face them.

Our vision is to achieve better outcomes for all of our young people by:

• raising standards of pupil progress by focussing on the core business of learning and teaching
• delivering a skills based curriculum that is tailored to individual learning needs
• promoting the spiritual, moral, social, emotional and cultural development of every learner
• working together to maximise the power of mutual collaboration and support
• sharing resources, staff, areas of expertise and facilities to achieve economies of scale
• developing highly effective leadership at all levels and seeking to pool strategic capacity

Staffordshire University Academies Trust believes that its academies should be at the heart of their communities; that education goes beyond the classroom and the school day, and that every person’s role within the Trust is to deliver outstanding provision in whatever sphere, so that maximum progress by the pupils can be made.

The Trust believes that these values should allow all stakeholders to excel and believe that there are no limits on individual achievements.  Our success will be measured against the values set out above.  The Trust recognises its responsibility to the development and welfare of staff, and where appropriate these values apply equally to them as well as pupils.

At the same time our aim is to realise the values upon which SUAT is founded. In order to do this we will:

• be non-selective and operate a truly comprehensive and fair admissions system
• build our partnership on mutual respect and trust
• seek to engage effectively and inclusively with our local communities
• welcome and support innovation
• have high expectations of all young people and one another
• recognise that effective partnership working is the responsibility of all to sustain and nurture and is not reliant upon individuals
• seek to recognise the distinctive ethos and celebrate the traditions of all of the Academies in the MAT Our success is built upon partnership between parents, pupils, staff, local community groups and global partners.  We believe in developing every aspect of the people within our communities so that they can live successful and fulfilled lives. To achieve this each Academy must adopt our values which are premised on our desire to provide an outstanding, inclusive learning experience for all pupils regardless of their ability.

We will realise our values by promoting: 

1. Maximise Progress and Attainment –  Every pupil is enabled to achieve the best qualifications that they can, allowing them to progress to relevant education or training and fulfil their career ambitions.
2. Outstanding Delivery –  Outstanding teaching and learning and a curriculum which meets all pupils’ individual learning and developmental needs
3. Ambitious – Ensure all pupils and their families are ambitious and focused on achieving the very best for themselves and others, and that underperformance is challenged through support and personal development
4. Personal responsibility – Our values will enable our young people to demonstrate caring and concern for others, establish positive relationships, make responsible decisions, and handle challenging situations effectively. This skill set provides the foundation for academic achievement, maintenance of good health, and civic engagement in a democratic society
5. Building future success – Enable each member of the learning community to develop a full knowledge of the opportunities open to them and to develop the skills of self-confidence, resilience, imagination, enterprise, creativity and enquiry required to succeed now, when they leave SUAT Academies, and in later life
6. Self-Awareness –Social emotional development is the process through which children and adults acquire the skills to recognize and manage their emotions. We are seeking to promote personal development which enables all pupils to understand themselves and experience the best that has been thought, written, invented and created as an expression of the human condition
7. Wellbeing and Mindfulness –Equipping pupils with the knowledge and skills to maintain both physical and mental wellbeing for themselves and their families
8. British Values – Our young people understand a range of different viewpoints, values and cultures in order to give context for their own value system, thus developing respect for diversity and an understanding of their obligations and responsibilities to others
9. Community Links and Volunteering – Form strong links with their local community including community organisations, other educational establishments, local authority agencies, the voluntary sector, faith groups and employers
10. Global citizens – Ensure all pupils recognise the interdependence of different cultures and countries across the globe in the past, now, and  in the future, developing respect for others and being able to seize the opportunities this provides

Desired Outcome:

“Children, young people and their families will report that Staffordshire is a great place to live, play, learn and achieve in. A place where they feel safe and can lead healthy lives and that offers them a successful future.”

Schools rated ‘outstanding’, or ‘good’ with one or more outstanding features, by Ofsted in their last inspection that want to convert to become an Academy will need to follow this process:

1. Registration. Complete an on-line registration form. The Department will contact you directly with further guidance and documentation. The person who contacts you will be your named support throughout the process. The Governing Body may wish to start the statutory consultation with interested parties about becoming an Academy (the consultation can start later but must be completed before the Funding Agreement can be signed).

2. Application to convert/eligibility checks. Submit a short application to convert form, including the confirmation of the Governing Body resolution; the agreement of your Foundation and Trustees and those entitled to appoint foundation governors (if applicable); and confirmation of your ‘outstanding’, or ‘good’ with outstanding features, rating from Ofsted. You will also discuss with your named contact your in-principle agreement to support another school to help raise standards. The Secretary of State will confirm whether he is content for your school to proceed to the next stage and, if he is, he will make an Academy Order. The current employer of the school staff starts the formal TUPE process at this stage, prior to the funding agreement being signed.

3. Obtaining funding agreement. The Department will support the Governing Body and headteacher to ensure that all legal documents are completed relating to governance, land, property and staff transfer and company registration. The Governing Body must complete the statutory consultation with interested parties about becoming an Academy before they and the Secretary of State sign the Funding Agreement. This stage of the process is completed when the Academy Trust and the Secretary of State sign the Funding Agreement for the Academy. The Funding Agreement will stipulate the date when the Academy will open and the local authority will cease to maintain the school from that date. The current employer of the school staff will continue (and ideally complete) the TUPE process.

Pre-opening. The Governing Body will need to finalise matters in preparation for the Academy opening. This will include setting up new contractual arrangements as required and completing registrations.

Length of time to convert to an Academy.  Schools can complete the conversion process at their chosen pace. We expect the four steps to take a minimum of three months, but it may take longer if there are complicated issues to resolve. Currently schools can convert on the 1st day of the month. From April 2011 schools will need to convert at the beginning of a school term. It is not necessary to follow these steps in sequence. Depending on how quickly schools wish to convert, they may need to undertake some steps in parallel to ensure that the necessary work is complete before a school converts to an Academy.

Click here to view the process in more detail.

Please note that schools rated ‘requires improvement’, or ‘special measures’ by Ofsted in their last inspection will have to follow a slightly different process; please contact the CEO for more details.