About ECM Trust

The Every Child Matters Academy Trust provides a tailored solution to the educational needs of primary schools. It was founded in October 2015 as a result of successful system leadership and collaborative working, initially between High View Primary Learning Centre and Wombwell Park Street Primary School. After a number of years of deliberation, the leadership and governing bodies of the two schools decided to convert to academy status when an opportunity arose to provide a permanent leadership and school improvement solution to Hoyland Springwood Primary School that, at the time, was in the OFSTED category of Special Measures.
The Every Child Matters Academy Trust currently consists of the three aforementioned schools with historical OFSTED ratings of Outstanding, Good and Special Measures. The Outstanding Primary School, High View Primary Learning Centre, is also a Teaching School (Tykes Teaching School) and National Support School. The Executive Headteacher of the three schools is a National Leader of Education (NLE) and the CEO of the Trust. In addition, the Chair of the Trust is a National Leader of Governance. Two further Barnsley Primary Schools have commenced consultation to join the Trust and currently a further nine schools are exploring the Every Child Matters Academy Trust offer for schools.
Staff working within the Every Child Matters Academy Trust have an established history of delivering school to school support and CPD. Within the Trust there are currently four Specialist Leaders of Education (SLE), three Consultant Headteachers and a National Maths Leader. As a Teaching School the Trust can access direct support from three NLEs, six Local Leaders of Education, six Consultant Headteachers and 11 SLEs. The Trust currently offers a wide range of CPD programmes including; Improving Teaching Programme, Outstanding Teaching Programme and Outstanding Teaching Assistant Programme. The Teaching School model enables the Trust to take a leading role in recruiting and training new teachers through its Newly Qualified Teacher programme and involvement in initial teacher training with Schools Direct. It has also established systems that enhance the professional development of non- teaching staff (accredited Higher Level Teaching Assistant Assessors). Alongside this, the Trust has effective systems to deliver Early Intervention with children and their families, improving parenting outcomes, attendance and developing outstanding behaviour management, resulting in positive behaviours for learning. The Trust's work:

• helps ensure professional development is school-based and classroom focused and tailored to the specific needs of teaching staff in member and wider schools;

• offers opportunities for outstanding staff within the Trust to develop and share their practice, building their leadership skills and professional expertise;

• deploys SLEs capable of providing specific dedicated coaching, mentoring and professional development;

• contributes to the development of local succession planning arrangements to ensure a future supply of highly skilled leaders in local schools;

• leads and co-ordinates the provision of school-to-school support in the local area and beyond, working collaboratively with other schools to address specific issues (identified by OFSTED, LA, Teaching School or the school itself);

• identifies high performing staff for deployment into other schools and for positions of senior leadership including future Headteachers, Executive Headteachers and CEO;

• develops staffing structures that enable Headteachers to focus on teaching and learning whilst other school support functions are dealt with at a strategic and operational level;

• plays a key role in the engagement of other agencies in ensuring the safeguarding and wellbeing of children. Our vision is to build a collaborative of schools where openness, honesty, fairness and empathy, alongside the development of best practice, ensure all children within our schools receive a first class education. Through system leadership we will support the practice of other schools and academies beyond our Trust to enable them to achieve the same outcomes;

Children are at the heart of all we do. We will provide EVERY CHILD with early help and support to remove barriers to learning and an education that raises aspiration resulting in excellence and enjoyment. This will enable all children to fulfil their potential and maximise their life chances.
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As a Multi Academy Trust our core principles are to:

• strive for excellence in all that we do;
• have a clear focus on school improvement;
• work with families to improve life chances;
• make a commitment to life-long learning; and
• ensure each school maintains its own identity whilst collaborating as one organisation.

Each school within the Trust serves its own community and has its own unique identity led by its Local Governing Body and yet work together as one organisation to achieve the best for children and families within the community. We have a clear focus on school improvement and outcomes, specialising within the primary sector.