Trust spells out its vision for Telford Priory School

The school will officially become part of the Telford-based Learning Community Trust in March, joining its existing secondary schools Hadley Learning Community, Ercall Wood and Charlton in Wellington, and Burton Borough in Newport.

Members of the Trust’s senior leadership team held a series of information sessions this week at Wrockwardine Wood and Trench Parish Council Centre to give parents chance to hear about their plans, and ask questions.

Trust chief executive Jane Hughes, chief operating officer Paul Jones, and executive director Paul Roberts joined the school’s acting headteacher David Barber to explain what becoming a member of the Trust would mean for students, and staff.

They said the primary focus would be built around creating engaged and successful students, ensuring high quality teaching, continuous improvement, and effective leadership and governance.

Jane Hughes said: “Our approach will be one of evolution, not revolution. Our schools all share common values, and we recognise the importance of each retaining its own distinct identity.

“Community interaction is very important to us, which is why we hold events such as this, to ensure we keep communication channels open and find out how parents want Telford Priory School’s culture to look.”

Paul Roberts said the Trust would be seeking to emulate the success it had achieved with nearby Hadley Learning Community, taking it from a ‘difficult position’ to being recognised as one of the top 5% of UK secondary schools for positive progress.

“Students need a sense of belonging, and must feel supported to want to be, and to stay, in school. We have got an amazing team with huge experience of overseeing big turnarounds,” he said.

Telford Priory School opened in September 2015 in a new campus, following the merger of Wrockwardine Wood Arts Academy and Sutherland Co-operative Academy.

The Trust’s team answered a wide range of questions from parents on issues such as teacher recruitment and training, school uniform policies, homework – and whether there were any plans to change the school’s name.

Jane Hughes said: “We have not made a decision one way or the other yet about the name. Some people are really attached to it, and others tell us they would like to see it changed.

“We will continue to consult widely on this – as we will with the school uniform too. If we do decide to make changes to the uniform, it won’t happen until the start of the next academic year, and will be minimal, and phased in.

“We are very aware that many people are struggling financially right now. Families need to be able to pick up what they need for a school uniform as cheaply as possible.”

David Barber said Telford Priory School had achieved its best ever academic results last year, and revealed his team had already held initial discussions with the Learning Community Trust on how to shape the future curriculum.

He said: “The Learning Community Trust has an enviable reputation locally and regionally for meeting the needs of the communities they serve, and for improving the life chances of the young people in their care.

“We are delighted to be joining LCT because of the opportunities it will provide for our children and our community. Their expertise, commitment to young people and their communities, and their vision for sustained improvement is what the school and all associated with it deserve.”

The Learning Community Trust has more than a dozen school sites across Telford & Wrekin and Shropshire, with over 5,000 students and more than 1,000 staff.

In addition to its secondary schools, it also runs special schools including Queensway in Telford and Severndale in Shrewsbury, plus primary schools in Wellington, Crudgington, Hadley, Ketley Bank, and the newly opened Allscott Meads.