Chief executive tells conference: ‘We will build a stronger future by working together’

Hundreds of education professionals attending the annual conference of Prince Regent Street Trust have been told: “We are creating a very special legacy.”

The Trust’s third annual conference was staged at Hardwick Hall Hotel, near Sedgefield, with the theme: “Enhancing Education Through Collaboration.”

The event began with a welcome speech by the Trust’s CEO, Julia Armstrong, who told the 300-strong audience: “I feel so proud of what we have achieved together, and my aim is to make it better and better.”

“There are always things we can do better, and I want you to tell me what they are, so we can continue to move forward,” she added in her opening remarks.

Julia said the future of the Trust would focus on improvement, listening to the views of staff, arranging stakeholder focus groups, and creating a culture in which everyone understands the organisation’s values.

The conference heard that the latest employee survey showed 97 per cent of staff feel the Trust invests in professional development.

“There is high turnover elsewhere but not with us – everyone seems happy in their schools, and our aim is to be an employer of choice,” added Julia.

She pledged that health and wellbeing of pupils and staff would continue to be high on the agenda, with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) another “huge priority”.

Julia finished by telling the audience “Thank you for everything you do” before handing over to the Director of School Improvement, Keith Morrison, who reminded delegates of the Trust’s core principles: Excellence, Opportunity, and Partnerships.

“Aiming for education excellence is key to our success and, ultimately, that’s what our children deserve. We are creating a very special legacy here – a culture where everyone thrives,” said Keith.

“We want you all to feel part of something bigger. We want every one of you to not just feel that you belong in your schools, but that you belong in Prince Regent Street Trust.”

Autonomy and independence, while sharing values and beliefs, is key to the Trust’s partnership model, added Keith: “We have a shared goal – to give pupils what they deserve every day.

“The Trust has so many opportunities and there is fantastic collaboration going on, but we have to make sure the collaboration is purposeful and impactful. Everything we do must have a positive impact on our pupils.”

Keith finished by highlighting some of the positive aspects of the Trust’s “fantastic” schools: Hartburn Primary School; Village Primary School, at Thornaby; Wolviston Primary School; and Barley Fields Primary School, at Ingleby Barwick. He also welcomed Oxbridge Lane Primary School, at Stockton, which is scheduled to join the Trust next month.

Keynote speakers were Senior HM Inspector, John Lucas, explaining the more collaborative approach to Ofsted inspections, specialist education presenter ‘The Real David Cameron’, and motivational speaker, Paul McGee, known as SUMO Guy.

Workshops were held across a variety of disciplines, including artificial intelligence, human resources, systems, and SEND.

Ofsted changes will make inspections better – pledge to Trust conference

OFSTED changes will put collaboration at the heart of future inspections, the Prince Regent Street Trust annual conference was told.

Senior HM Inspector John Lucas was a keynote speaker at Hardwick Hall Hotel and praised the Trust for “being steadfast in doing what’s best for its children”.

“Thank you for what you are doing for children in this fantastic region – children need caring, talented, dedicated professionals like yourselves,” he told the audience.

John outlined the major changes taking place following Ofsted’s biggest ever consultation exercise – ‘The Big Listen’ – which attracted 22,000 responses.

“We want to regain the trust of the dedicated professionals we work with,” he said.

The consultation has led to the immediate scrapping of single-word overarching school judgements, with a new report card system being introduced, along with an end to ‘ungraded’ inspections and deep-dive methodology.

John added: “We want to improve how it feels to be inspected, while encouraging and supporting education providers to raise standards.

“We want inspections to be collaborative and transparent, and for children to achieve the best outcomes they can. We want schools to be those safe places where children can thrive and flourish.

“The biggest changes are yet to come. We want inspections to feel and look different and at the heart of that will be collaboration.”

John said best practice would be shared and there would be a more tailored approach to place greater emphasis on the context of individual schools. There would also be a sharper focus on SEND children and those who are disadvantaged and vulnerable.

John ended his presentation with an appeal to delegates to make their views heard and help shape the new report cards.

“We will consider all of the responses as they come through,” he promised.