Ridgeway Infant School

Proposed Academisation

Dear Parents, Carers and Stakeholders,

The education landscape is changing, as evidenced by the many schools in the city that have already converted to academy status or are currently considering this adjustment. As a consequence of the national picture, the continued debate and the growth of academies in England, the Governors have spent a great deal of time looking more closely into whether an academy model would be in the best interests of the children, the community and the staff at Ridgeway Infant School. The Governors are keen that Ridgeway has full control of when and how they go forward with academy status, without pressure from Government departments.

For that reason, during the last 12 months, Ridgeway’s Governing Board and the school’s Senior Leadership Team have been exploring the possibility of converting to academy status, looking carefully into the benefits and potential drawbacks, as well as discovering more about the range of Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs) available for us to join.

Having considered carefully how any change in status will benefit our school, we have identified TEAM Education Trust as one that most closely aligns with Ridgeway’s values and would best support our nurturing and inclusive school community.

We have already been working in partnership with TEAM Education Trust on projects in school for over a year and they have provided highly effective support and some wonderful opportunities for our children, families and staff. We have reviewed the extensive offers available from other local MATs, alongside the huge benefits that further collaboration with TEAM Education Trust would bring to Ridgeway. We believe that formally joining the trust would be an exceptionally positive step for our school, its children and community, and are therefore keen to move the conversion process a step further.

We are committed to continual improvement and will always make decisions based on what is in the best interests of our children, families, staff and stakeholders. It is therefore very important, that we take every opportunity to consult widely with you, and are transparent in our communications.

It is for this reason that we are writing to you now to invite you to give your comments either in writing or online – details of how to do this are on the next page or on our website (link below). We will carefully consider your thoughts and views as part of the consultation before we proceed any further.

For more details about the consultation, please visit our school website where you will find some key information about TEAM Education Trust and the reasons we believe that joining this award winning MAT will only enhance the provision we can offer our children.

Key information for parents/carers:

• There will be NO change to the name of the school and NO changes to the uniform.
• There will be NO changes to school holidays.
• INSET Days will continue to match all of Gayton’s INSET days. However, Ridgeway staff would also benefit from two additional training days over the year.

Our partner school, Gayton Junior School is also looking to acadamise, but with Odyssey Collaborative Trust. However, the Headteacher of Gayton Junior School, Mrs Hill, and I want to reassure parents/carers that the decision to join different trusts has been well-thought out and extensively researched by senior leaders and the governing board who concluded that the different schools have different needs which would be best served by different trusts. Throughout the process, outcomes for children were always considered the highest priority. Both schools, along with the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of each trust, have already met to discuss this and both are committed to ensuring Ridgeway and Gayton continue our close working relationship that has benefitted our pupils so well over the last six years.

Representations should be made electronically using the following link: https://forms.office.com/e/W6Ck41QFrE . The closing date for representations is Friday 4th April at 3:30pm.

We will circulate answers to all of your questions.

Following the consultation period, if any parents/carers would then like to meet with the Governors or representatives of TEAM EducationTrust to discuss further our rationale behind the proposed academy conversion, then we will conduct a public meeting either face to face or online. Please indicate on the electronic feedback form whether you would be interested in attending this meeting. Arrangements will be confirmed based on the number of responses received.

Finally, we would like to thank you, our wonderful school community, for your continued support. We are so very proud of our school and especially of our children. The Governing Board and senior leaders are committed to ensuring we can continue to provide memorable opportunities and a high quality education within a nurturing school to all children. As such, the priority of the Governing Board, and school leaders must be to enable Ridgeway to continue to provide excellent, inclusive education for our children, retaining our unique qualities and strengths whilst protecting the school’s role at the heart of our community.

We feel that to continue to provide the exciting opportunities afforded through our existing partnership with TEAM Education Trust is to formally convert to an academy and join the trust. This will allow our children to truly thrive at school, make the best possible progress and gain a wider experience, leaving them fully prepared for their next stage in education. By joining TEAM Education Trust, we would be joining a community that strives for the highest standards in education, ensuring that your children continue to receive the quality education they deserve.

We hope that you will continue to place your faith in us.

Yours sincerely,

Mrs T Dale [Headteacher] and Ms Sukhy Kandola [Chair of Governors]

Useful Supporting Documents 

Frequently Asked Questions 

Electronic Copy of the Above Information  

Timeline