Please find recent news and correspondence from the Trust

• MAT Excellence Award

  Thu 09 Mar 2023 T.Watkins

  Bridge Academy Trust are very proud to be shortlisted for a MAT Excellence Award in the Community Trust of the Year category.

  We launched the Bridge Academy Trust Community Award in all our schools this academic year, so to get this recognition is very special.

  

• Bridge Academy Trust Community Award

  Wed 08 Jun 2022

  I am extremely excited about the launch of our new, trust-wide Community Award programme.  Community is at the heart of what Bridge Academy trust stands for and we have achieved so much within and across our schools through collaboration, networking and sharing best practice and resources.  All to raise standards for our children and families and to support our staff.

  What has been very clear to me since the formulation of our trust is that our children (& adults) are involved in some truly wonderful things outside of school.  We now want to recognise and celebrate the children’s community work, and to encourage/promote more children to get involved in community activities/projects too, and, at the same time, to see what more our local communities can do to support our schools/children too.  Our Local Governing committees are working on this and much more.

  Please read through what our new award is all about and help us to promote this and to celebrate the fantastic community work that our children are involved in.

  Mark Farmer, CEO

• Mark Farmer from Bridge Academy Trust appears in Leaders Council podcast alongside Geoff Hurst.

  Tue 21 Jul 2020

  The Leaders Council of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is currently in the process of talking to leadership figures from across the nation in an attempt to understand this universal trait and what it means in Britain and Northern Ireland today.

  Mark Farmer from Bridge Academy Trust was invited onto an episode of the podcast, which also included an interview with Geoff Hurst. Host Scott Challinor asked both guests a series of questions about leadership and the role it has played in their careers to date.

  Scott Challinor commented, ‘Hosting a show like this, where you speak to genuine leaders who have been there and done it, either on a national stage or within a crucial industry sector, is an absolute honour.’

  Lord Blunkett, chairman of The Leaders Council of Great Britain and Northern Ireland said, ‘I think the most informative element of each episode is the first part, where Scott Challinor is able to sit down with someone who really gets how their industry works and knows how to make their organisation tick. Someone who’s there day in day out working hard and inspiring others. That’s what leadership is all about.’

  You can listen to the podcast in full here: https://youtu.be/gXXPi8O6Pug

  You can also discover more about Mark Farmer here:

  http://www.leaderscouncil.co.uk/members/mark-farmer

• Letter from CEO to parents - January 2020

  Mon 02 Mar 2020 M. Farmer

  Dear Parents and Carers,

   

  As the Chief Executive Officer for Bridge Academy Trust, of which your child’s School is a part of, I wanted to give you a brief update of the work we have been doing this academic year.  Although formed some years ago, Bridge Academy Trust has only recently in the last year or so been a truly ‘Multi’ Academy Trust (MAT), now comprising of eight schools.  There are four schools in Chelmsford and four in Ongar – 2 secondary( Moulsham High; The Ongar Academy) and 6 primary phase schools ( Chipping Ongar Primary; High Ongar Primary; Mildmay Infants; Mildmay Junior; Oaklands Infant; Ongar Primary).

   

  Although the term ‘MAT’ is what we are called in the educational world, I think a better, and more accurate term is that we are a ‘Charitable Schools Trust’.  We are the organisation now (previously the Local Authority) accountable for the academic standards/outcomes for your children, and for all school funds across the Bridge Academy Trust schools.  I am delighted to inform you as parents/carers that in times of educational hardship, financially, Bridge Academy Trust has managed its finances well and we have processes in place to ensure that we continue to be financially stable.  As for outcomes across the Trust, as a collective, I can report to you the following:

   

  Phase

  Bridge Academy Trust schools (collective)

  Early Years Foundation Stage Yr 2 SATs Combined (Expected) Yr 2 SATs Combined (Greater depth) Yr 6 SATs Combined (Expected) Yr 6 SATs Combined (Greater depth) GCSE Basics (Eng & Maths combined) at 5+ GCSE Basics (Eng & Maths combined) at 4+ Attainment 8 (All subjects) Progress 8 (All subjects) A Level Qualifications (A*-B, A*-C, A*-E grades) Post 16 Vocational Qualifications

  Above the national average Significantly above the national average Significantly above the national average At the national average Above the national average Significantly above the national average Significantly above the national average Significantly above the national average Well above the national average All Significantly above the national average Significantly above the national averages

   

  So, in our initial couple of years together, we have been very successful and, of course, our intention is to further build upon this.  Our core purpose has been agreed as; High quality continuity of every child’s journey through education from 3-19, and a community and school-led school improvement system.  Working with our stakeholders, we have developed a 5 year Strategic Plan to achieve a number of objectives, which myself and the Trustees are responsible for, which can be found on our website www.bridgeacademytrust.org.

   

  Our approach to supporting the schools and school leaders with school improvement is through access to high quality resources and information and through the development of staff to improve the quality of classroom practice in every classroom in every school within the Trust.  From listening to parents, a key priority is having a great teacher in every classroom and we are committed to this approach.  Every child deserves this and no less.  We have put in place a range of coaching, networking and professional development support for staff at all stages of their careers –from newly qualified staff to Headteachers.  All of the Headteachers meet regularly and it is so exciting to work with so many great leaders and to see the development of potential/future leaders too.

   

  Alongside coaching for senior and middle leaders, we have flexible central staff who can provide direct support when required. Our network groups, which have staff from every school, meet termly, and currently we have groups for English/Literacy; Mathematics/Numeracy; SEND; Science.  These are opportunities for staff to hear first-hand the best practice, have time to discuss how to implement new ideas and then share back at their own schools with their own staff so that our children receive the best and most up-to-date delivery.  We also

  ensure that schools come together to review whole school practice, and to moderate/quality assure their work so we know, with confidence, that the children are making good progress.  I am very much looking forward to bringing together all of the staff from our schools on Valentine’s Day for a joint training day.  We have been able to provide new or promoted roles to 18 members of staff with numerous others leading sessions for staff, developing their own practice and development.  This shows the value we have for our staff within Bridge Academy Trust.

   

  On occasions we can also access funding that schools otherwise could not, and this year we have been able to centrally fund several projects for our schools.  To give you a flavour of what we have been able to fund, these include:

  • Coaching programmes for middle and senior leaders  
  • SEND Reviews and training for staff   
  • Climate Teacher status development   
  • NPQH Leadership Courses for future leaders   
  • Literacy Intervention worker  
  • SEND support work   
  • A Family support Worker    
  • Forest School development   
  • Character Education development  
  • PSHE across a number of schools  
  • Specific Maths training for staff   
  • Phonics strategy and resources for schools   
  • Resources across subjects.

   

  Trustees continue to be keen to have a local focus on ‘Governance’, which now primarily focuses on the provision for the school and for its community.  Parents or local residents can still be, and we would fully encourage you to be, local governors.  There will be a flier coming out very soon about how to become a local governor and what this entails.  It would be great to have a list of people who are interested in finding out more about becoming a Governor and I would encourage you to make contact, however informally at this stage, with our clerk, Aishia Jeffries on clerk@bridgeacademytrust.org. 

   

  I shall, of course, be in communication with you as we continue our work across and for our schools moving forwards, but, for now I would like to thank you for your continuing support for your child’s school and hope you have a wonderful start to the new decade.

   

  Yours sincerely,

   

  Mark Farmer

  Chief Executive Officer

  Bridge Academy Trust