Our recent Leadership Group meeting, held at Orton Wistow Primary on the 23rd of November, was brimming with thought-provoking and varied topics to discuss.

It was attended by all the current Headteachers, the Executive Deputy Headteachers, and the CEO. We began by going through the Action Tracker which had been addressed by the relevant staff.

The meeting then started with the standing items. Led by the CEO, important information was shared including; audit feedback dates, Trust champions, cleaners, the National College, and staff visits across the Trust.

Nick File, Executive Deputy Headteacher, then led a section about the new Teaching and Learning Strategy. He presented what has been completed so far and what the vision for the future is in terms of the strategy. Headteachers gave their opinions and views. All were in agreement that the strategy would continue to support staff in enabling teaching across the Trust to be of a high standard.

All three School Improvement Plans (SIP) were shared and discussed - including a different layout style by Becky Ford, headteacher at Woodston Primary School – which contained all the information needed. All headteachers and deputies can access all SIPs to comment and share ideas.

After a brief break for lunch, which was provided by the excellent catering team at Orton Wistow Primary School, the meeting resumed.

Trevor Goakes, Executive Deputy Headteacher, fed back on a ‘Greater Depth’ Maths SAT paper analysis that had been completed by the Maths Champion, Wiz Hobday. The next steps were explained, and the headteachers were keen to start making changes that would hopefully have an impact on getting more children to this standard in maths.

We were then joined by our School Improvement Consultant, Sarah Levy, as we began a discussion about the use of Year 2 SATs. This was followed by a robust discussion around current data including forecasts with the upcoming QE Committee meeting on the horizon. Each headteacher explained their forecasts, including any areas that needed addressing.

Sarah and Stuart then explained the next steps for the QA process for the Trust and how schools will have a dashboard to highlight their strengths and any potential areas for development.

Thank you to Orton Wistow for the refreshments throughout the day. The Leadership Group will meet again on 11th January 2024.