OWN Trust was founded in 2019 and is marking its fifth anniversary this month.

To celebrate, OWN Trust presented each school with five non-fiction books for current and future children at the schools to enjoy.

OWN Trust Chief Executive Officer, Stuart Mansell, gave the books to the children and headteachers of each school: Colin Marks (Orton Wistow Primary School), Neil Reilly (Nene Valley Primary School), and Becky Ford (Woodston Primary School).

Stuart commented: “We are delighted to celebrate the first five years of OWN Trust with a gift to each school that will benefit the children. We look forward to another five years and more of working collaboratively with children, parents, and staff to transform aspirations, change attitudes, and raise achievements for our community through our passionate belief in the power of education.”

^{Nene Valley Primary School headteacher, Neil Reilly, with OWN Trust CEO, Stuart Mansell, and children from NVPS next to the school mural depicting the people who inspired each house.}

Neil Reilly, Nene Valley Primary School headteacher, commented: ‘Celebrating five years of OWN Trust gives us all an opportunity to reflect on how the trust has grown in strength from its inception. It also gives us an opportunity to look forward to what we can achieve together during the next five years and beyond. The selection of books that we have chosen is linked to Nene Valley’s house captains. They will allow the children to further understand the important contribution our house captains made to society.’

^{Orton Wistow Primary School headteacher, Colin Marks, with OWN Trust CEO, Stuart Mansell, and children from OWPS in the school library. Photo by D. Lowndes, Peterborough Telegraph.}

During the last five years, children, parents, and staff have experienced the benefits of being part of the OWN Trust community. OWN Trust has had a positive impact on children’s learning and enabled the schools to operate more effectively. Its schools work closely together to share knowledge, expertise, and central services such as IT, Estates, Finance and School Improvement.

Ofsted Inspectors, who visited all three schools last year, stated: “The Multi-Academy Trust supports school leaders and has a sensitive ‘hands-on’ approach. MAT leaders know the school’s strengths and areas for development and provide both support and challenge.”

The schools have also been involved in several initiatives across OWN Trust, including sports tournaments, a ‘Trust in Residence’ project with Nene Park Trust Nursery, art projects including the Queen’s Jubilee and Peterborough Celebrates ‘Fields of Colour’, joint fundraising days for the Cavernoma Alliance and MacMillian Cancer Support, and shared training sessions for teaching and support staff on areas such as safeguarding and special educational needs. OWN Trust has strengthened its community, ready for a planned period of growth in the coming years.

^{Woodston Primary School headteacher, Becky Ford, with OWN Trust CEO, Stuart Mansell, and children from WPS in one of their school libraries.}

The books received as part of the 5-Year celebrations include a variety of non-fiction texts chosen by each school.

Nene Valley Primary School chose books about the famous and influential people who represent their houses: Marie Curie, Stephen Hawking, Charles Darwin, Isaac Newton, and Mary Jackson.

Orton Wistow Primary School opted for a set of DK Children’s Anthologies about Intriguing Animals, Aquatic Life, Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Life, Wonders of Nature, and Mysteries of the Universe.

Woodston Primary School chose an Encyclopaedia, the Guinness World Records 2024, and books about Mythical Beasts, Mysteries of the Universe, and Intriguing Animals.