Our Operating Model
We are purposeful about what our strategy means in practice – which is why a clear statement of our operating model is crucial.
- How we make decisions
- When we act at Trust-Level
- How we determine our size and shape
- How we determine our financial model
How We Make Decisions
Decisions in the interests of our students are at the heart of everything we do. Each action we take, from strategic planning to everyday practices, is evaluated through the lens of how it will impact student learning, wellbeing, and growth.
We also believe strongly in the notion of autonomy with alignment for our schools.
Individual schools are provided the freedom to innovate and operate independently while ensuring their efforts are in harmony with the Trust’s overarching mission. This dual approach fosters a culture where schools are empowered to make decisions that best serve their unique contexts yet remain guided by our collective purpose. Autonomy within this aligned framework encourages schools to tailor their actions, nurturing creativity and responsiveness without sacrificing consistency or mutual accountability.
When We Act at Trust-Level
Our strategic interventions are guided by a set of clear principles that help determine when shared action is necessary to enhance the collective capability and resilience of our member schools. These reasons provide a structured framework for decision-making, ensuring that shared actions are purposeful and aligned with our overarching mission. There are seven reasons that underpin any decision we make to move to a Trust-wide approach.
Solving common problems more efficiently together
Pooling expertise and resources allows for shared challenges to be addressed effectively. By harnessing diverse perspectives and collective wisdom, we can develop innovative solutions more efficiently, benefiting all schools involved. This collaborative approach fosters a sense of unity and shared purpose, streamlining problem-solving processes and reducing duplication of efforts.
Delivering more specialised strategic support for schools
Acting at the Trust level enables strategic support to be tailored specifically to the unique needs of each school. This approach ensures that educational interventions and resource allocations are closely aligned with the individual goals of each institution, enhancing overall performance. By centralising specialist knowledge and guidance, schools can access targeted support that may not be feasible individually.
Securing better value for money from our services and activities
By consolidating services and leveraging collaborative procurement, we can achieve better value for money. Economies of scale allow for more effective allocation of resources, ensuring that funds are best spent, and high standards of service delivery are maintained across all schools. This strategic use of resources contributes to our overall financial sustainability and consistent quality.
Creating more autonomy through internalisation
Internalising key functions reduces reliance on external providers and enhances control over the quality and delivery of services. This move supports greater operational autonomy, enabling the Trust to adapt quickly to the evolving needs of our schools and ensure consistent service standards. In-house capabilities strengthen our overall resilience of operations and foster independence from external market fluctuations
Guaranteeing greater resilience in high-risk areas
By pooling the management of high-risk areas, we can mitigate potential risks more effectively and reduce single points of failure within individual schools. This approach ensures a more robust operational structure that supports the continuity of critical services and safeguards the Trust’s educational mission. Enhanced risk management at the Trust level builds confidence and security across all schools.
Reducing the management burden on education-focused staff
Streamlining administrative processes and employing specialist senior staff within the Trust can significantly reduce the management burden on school leaders and education-focused staff. This allows school-based teams to concentrate on their core mission—teaching and learning—while the Trust handles complex or time-intensive operational tasks, ultimately improving educational outcomes and staff wellbeing.
Monitoring and securing compliance with our legal duties
Unified oversight of compliance ensures that all schools within the Trust meet their legal obligations effectively. This proactive approach reduces the risk of non-compliance, simplifies regulatory management, and provides a clear framework for schools to follow. By acting at the Trust level, compliance is consistently maintained, contributing to a stable and secure educational environment for both staff and students.
How We Determine Our Size and Shape
The decision of whether the Trust should grow should always come down to our core purpose – the education of students. Whilst we have a duty to staff and students already within the organisation, the premise of the trust model is one of continuous improvement and system development. We will never ‘pull up the drawbridge’, and we will regularly consider the question of whether our Trust could help improve the education outcomes, progress and experience of other students. Starting from this position, our growth strategy is therefore grounded in the answer to a simple but powerful question:
- Key Growth Question: on a long-term and sustained basis, are students in a school better off in our Trust?
But whilst the question itself might be simple, the answer is far from it. Every student and staff member is unique, every school faces different challenges, and the operating context shifts continuously. It is therefore essential that we provide a clear framework for how we might assess an answer to this, untangling this complexity into more manageable components. To do this, we rely on three key tests. The first two tests relate directly to the impact we are seeking – in this case providing an outstanding education that promotes wellbeing and personal development for everyone in our schools:
- Test One: how can our Trust add educational value to a potential school?
- Test Two: how can a potential school add educational value to our Trust?
The third question takes a different view, looking inwards at the organisation and in particular, at our shared infrastructure model. It relates directly to how we think our Trust can leverage power through collaboration and sharing services:
- Test Three: how can our Trust add capacity and support to ensure sustainable development of a potential school?
Any decision we make on our size and shape will always be grounded in an answer to our key growth question and analysis against our three tests.
How We Determine Our Financial Model
As a relatively small Trust, we adopt a collaborative approach to financial management, ensuring transparency and equity across our schools. We do not apply a fixed ‘top slice’ from school budgets to fund our shared professional services. Instead, we operate an integrated budgeting model. This approach is built on shared decision-making and engagement with all members of the Executive Leadership Team (which includes all Headteachers) during the annual budgeting process.
Shared costs are apportioned amongst schools based on a straightforward ratio tied to their government funding levels. We do not GAG pool. This ensures fairness while enabling a consistent approach to shared expenses based on the national agreed funding framework.
Each school is set a clear target to deliver an annual 3% surplus, which funds essential capital expenditure, including IT infrastructure and major estate projects. While we pool reserves—excluding those donations or restricted income specifically earmarked for individual schools—to support large-scale initiatives, prioritisation is a collective decision. Headteachers play a central role in these discussions, ensuring that Trust-wide projects reflect the most pressing needs and deliver maximum impact where it matters most.
This model exemplifies our commitment to financial autonomy with alignment, fostering trust and collaboration while maintaining a robust and sustainable financial foundation for the entire Trust.