Dear Parents and Carers

I am writing this newsletter genuinely shocked by the fact that we have reached the end of the Spring Term, and we are hurtling, at pace, towards the end of another academic year. I have thoroughly enjoyed my second term as CEO of the OWN Trust and, although there have been some challenges along the way, I am incredibly proud of the OWN Trust community and how we have all responded. I feel very fortunate to be leading this organisation, during a time of increased challenge with many changes imposed by the current government agenda that are creating uncertainty around the education sector. We know that school budgets continue to be increasingly stretched, and we are continuing to look for ways to make our money go further.  

We are focused on making the trust an exceptional place to attend whether you are a staff member, pupil, or a wider member of our parental or governance community. We believe that we are genuinely stronger together. This term we have been working on our mission statement, vision and core principles, and we look forward to sharing these with you next term. We hope that these will set out our clear expectations to you in how we want this trust to run – ultimately, our goal, in everything we do, is to provide the very best education for every single one of our pupils and I will not rest until we achieve that goal. 

I was very proud to host four visitors from the Department for Education (DFE) at Nene Valley recently. They came to talk to us about what makes our trust special and how we can support to improve outcomes across Peterborough for all pupils. They were very impressed with Nene Valley and our trust-wide plans for the future. 

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone at OWN Trust for making my first two terms so exciting – from parents who have supported and challenged us appropriately, to the staff who have just been amazing, and lastly to the children – I am a teacher at heart, and it is a genuine joy to spend time in the classrooms across the trust. I am excited to see what we can achieve next term and beyond. 

Reception and In-Year Places 

Now you have heard all the exciting things and our plans for the future, please encourage your friends with primary school-aged children to consider one of our schools for their children. We have a few in-year vacancies at the schools, and will soon be gearing up to welcome parents to our reception tours next academic year. You can find out more by visiting our Admissions webpage.

Governance Volunteers

Would you or anyone you know like to volunteer at OWN Trust as a Local Governance Committee Member?

We are currently recruiting volunteers for this essential role that enables our children to thrive and our schools to flourish. We are particularly keen to find people who would like to be on the governance committees at Nene Valley and Woodston Primary School. Why not come along to a meeting in the summer term as an observer and see what goes on?

For more information, please visit our website: Governance Volunteering Roles

An Unforgettable Adventure in Spain

This term, our Year 5 pupils from Woodston embarked on an incredible trip to Spain—a true highlight of the year! They immersed themselves in Spanish culture, practising their language skills, and exploring new places. However, their return journey was unexpectedly challenging due to unforeseen travel disruptions due to the Heathrow closure. Despite this, our staff and pupils demonstrated remarkable resilience, patience, and teamwork, making us all incredibly proud. It was an experience they will never forget, and we are so grateful to the dedicated staff who made this trip possible. 

Fantastic Feedback from Our Families

We are delighted to share the results of our recent parent surveys, which reflect the strong community spirit across our OWN Trust schools.

At Orton Wistow, 99% of parents feel their child is safe at school, and an overwhelming 98% say the school is well-led and managed.

At Nene Valley, 100% of parents know they are part of OWN Trust, and 93% agree their child is thriving academically.

Meanwhile, Woodston parents have praised the dedication of staff, with one parent commenting, “School staff are wonderful and always ready to help and support my child.”

These results reaffirm our commitment to providing the best possible education for your children. 

The point of these annual surveys is to recognise what we are doing well, but also to form our thoughts on our next steps. Although parents/carers felt that they know what their child is learning throughout the year, this is still an area to improve, especially so that parents feel well-informed about the progress their child is making. This is closely linked to a common request for parents evenings to return to face-to-face appointments and this is something we are currently reviewing. Unfortunately, we cannot make parents' evening appointment slots longer than ten minutes due to the number of parents staff need to meet with, but we want to ensure that you have a structured discussion and leave with clarity about how your child is achieving. We also want to give you an opportunity to look at your children’s work. 

We know that parents of pupils with SEND are frustrated with local provision and, sadly, this is a nationwide problem. However, SEND and pastoral provision will be one of our key Trust priorities next academic year, and we hope that you will be able to see significant improvements across the term.  

Exciting Developments Across the Trust

This year has been full of positive changes in our schools. We have: 

• Introduced a new digital sign-in system to enhance safeguarding 
• Strengthened our lockdown procedures for added security 
• Submitted applications for nursery provision, expanding early years education 
• Launched an innovative online recruitment system to attract top-quality staff 
• Applied for a new free school in Great Haddon to grow our trust family! 

We are also thrilled with the improvements at Woodston Primary and thank Mr Reilly, Mr Marks and most recently Mr Goakes for their additional commitment to the school. I am also keen to recognise the hard work and dedication of the staff at the school who have supported us in implementing change where needed. With a stronger teaching and learning approach in place, we are seeing higher pupil engagement and improved behaviour—paving the way for even greater success.  
 

Farewells

We have a small number of staff leaving us at the end of this term, and we would like to wish everyone the very best with retirement, baby arrivals or new roles.  A special mention must be made to Nick File, Executive Deputy for the Trust, who leaves us at the end of this term. Nick has been a part of the Trust since its formation and has been a key part of the development of teaching and learning, particularly with the ECTs. We wish Nick well as he plans some family time before embarking on his next adventure.

Looking Ahead with Confidence

Our trust may be small, but we are mighty! The dedication of our staff, the enthusiasm of our pupils, and the unwavering support of our parents are what make OWN Trust such a special place. Thank you for being part of this journey with us—we look forward to many more successes ahead!