Working Partnerships

We are members of the Confederation of School Trusts, which is the national organisation and sector body for school trusts in England.  They provide support for the Trust in terms of specialist knowledge and understanding policy making, advocating for the voice of school trusts and connecting trusts to create stronger professional networks.

All of our schools are ‘Trauma Informed Schools’.  As a Trust we understand and endeavour to reduce the negative effects and impact of trauma experienced by our pupils.  We support our pupils who suffer with trauma or mental health problems and whose behaviour may act as a barrier to learning.

We are part of the Plymouth Inclusion Charter, which involves parents/carers, children, young people and professionals across Education, Health and Care and SEND across the city.  The purpose of the Charter is to define and agree on a set of principles, which support children and young people in the city to have ambitious dreams that will lead to them succeeding on their chosen path.  The principles fall under the three key areas, which are Safe, Valued and Respected. The agreed principles provide a common reference point for all agencies and settings in the local area for the benefit of parents/carers, children, young people and the wider community.

The Inclusion Quality Mark Centre of Excellence has been awarded to Weston Mill Community Primary Academy.  This award recognises that the school demonstrates a commitment to outstanding levels of inclusive best practice.

The Trust is committed to the ‘Wellbeing at Work Awards Programme’, which prioritises staff health and wellbeing, and supports us as an organisation to become a healthier and happier workplace.

SWIfT membership enables the Trust to be part of a local professional educational community, which is driven by school leaders.  SWIfT provides opportunities for subject and leadership support and professional development courses and training.  SWIfT is also the provider for our Early Career Teacher (ECT) training programme.

We are proud to be a member of DPSCITT, a teacher training partnership made up of 50 schools throughout Devon.  Since 2000, the partnership has been offering outstanding teacher training for 30-40 prospective primary school teachers each year.  DPSCITT is a school-centered programme, with trainees based in partner schools for the majority of the time on a one-year course.  This leads to the award of a Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) and Qualified Teacher Status (QTS).

Weston Mill Community Primary Academy and Oakwood Primary Academy are both partner schools and often have trainees in one, or more, of their classes.  Trainees work alongside an experienced teacher to support and lead learning.

We have a working partnership with the University of Plymouth to support Initial Teacher Training (ITT).  The partnership reinforces our commitment to the teaching profession, raising standards of teaching and supporting the effective practice in training teachers of the future.