Key Principles of our approach
Apex Collaborative Trust’s approach to school support is based upon talent mapping to build capacity to provide sustainable improvement in all our schools. Our model is co-design and collaboration. We proactively seek to identify our Trust wide strengths and expertise. We consider and plan for how we identify, develop, and employ leadership and staff expertise to address school needs both internally and within our determined networks. We establish mechanisms to move knowledge and effective practice around the trust and beyond to support school improvement. We have developed a holistic trust wide approach to CPD mechanisms; we proactively map talent and expertise which harnesses redeployment as an effective mechanism for school improvement and knowledge sharing. Furthermore, we ensure high levels of engagement with all NPQ training programmes so that we can build sustainable capacity for growth and system leadership. Our approach is one of partnership and collaboration and is underpinned by sustainable development rather than rapid improvement. Drawing from the EEF model for effective implementation, we explore and identify with leaders the challenges which need to be addressed; we jointly prepare succinct implementation plans which support small steps delivery. We seek to continually support leaders to monitor and evaluate progress. Our ambition is to build a network of expertise across our Trust and our wider partnerships.
Established capacity
We have developed a trust-wide mindset which focusses behaviours on collaboration and a shift away from school-centred to wider trust implementation and impact. We seek to use our performance management framework as a mechanism to create a collective, trust-wide approach to school support and improvement. We harness our expertise through existing professional networks. Our IT strategy supports communication and collaboration throughout the trust, and we seek to use our media platforms effectively and professionally to raise our profile and communicate our strategy. Our whole trust professional development strategy is based upon reciprocity and collaboration and is not restricted purely to Trust schools.
Through a child-centred approach and exceptional educational experiences we will inspire excellence from all, develop independence, build confidence, and ensure readiness for tomorrow.
We offer a broad, balanced, and rich curriculum from EYFS through to Key Stage 4 which teaches the essential concepts and knowledge as outlined in the Early Years Framework and the National Curriculum 2014. We have designed our curriculum in a way that provides a foundation for achieving success, reaching deep understanding and being creative. The more children know, the more they can learn. We aim to ensure our pupils enjoy learning and feel prepared for a life that is empowering and positively encourages self-determination, reflecting our value of Ambition.
Our intent is to ensure foundational concepts are mastered and the meta cognitive skills for learning are in place before linking new subject content. We seek to support critical thinking with secure understanding of subject knowledge, and we plan for our curriculum to explicitly make connections. This enables pupils draw out the relevance of key concepts to develop understanding and support the transfer of learning.
We recognise that a curriculum must have depth and breadth to offer opportunities for pupils to broaden their horizons; enabling them to flourish within the community and make positive choices which will impact on future generations.
Our ambition extends to providing all pupils with a core academic curriculum. This includes specialist modern foreign language provision by specialist staff from an early age and ensuring entitlement to the EBacc subjects is strong across all key stages, with strong encouragement to pupils to complete the EBacc at Key Stage 4.
The careful sequencing of content both within each year group and progressively across key stages is the essence of our cohesive curriculum. This approach aims to ensure that knowledge acquisition is built upon secure foundations resulting in deep conceptual understanding and knowledge that is remembered.
Key elements of the curriculum are regularly revisited through interleaving and includes a specific focus on explicit instruction and retrieval strategies. Subjects are taught discretely, and authentic connections are planned to ensure pupils connect schema.
Analysis of needs
We fully evaluate and explore the challenges our schools are encountering which enables us to hold a strategic view of the educational landscape and emerging priorities. We draw from specific issues highlighted within inspections and self-evaluation frameworks. We provide expertise and support to new leaders but also provide bespoke expertise with curriculum design, sequencing, pedagogy, assessment, and quality assurance.
Deployment and
supportive leadership
The executive leadership of our Trust includes the senior leaders in each of our schools. This means that trust deployment is based upon the notion that collectively and collaboratively we seek to deploy staff for wider trust improvement whilst ensuring quality of provision in each school is not compromised. Our approach is dialogical and focused on long term planning and longevity. We seek to identify rich practice and all school leaders are aligned to our value of collaboration and are driven by the reciprocity of offering and being the recipient of support. Apex Collaborative Trust seeks to be recognised as a broker of school support and collaboration within the locality and beyond.
Access to effective practice and expertise
Apex Collaborative Trust has a cohesive approach to curriculum design and pedagogy and is underpinned by evidence and research as outlined in our Trust Curriculum Intent. We draw upon an instructional coaching model to support our leaders and curriculum champions to equip them to be the recipient and provider of professional support and guidance.
Monitoring of
improvements in outcome
Apex Collaborative Trust has developed a quality assurance framework which empowers all system and senior leaders to collaboratively assess the effectiveness of curriculum and pedagogy and wider aspects of school development. Our school development framework operates on a four-stage continuum of development: Renew, Reinforce, Refine and Rich and is underpinned by an ethos of the harnessing of rich practice across all schools and networks and collaborative evaluation and monitoring of implementation.