Excellence through Partnership
Our Charter is a statement of our mission, values and culture ensuring that the Trust remains true to the founding principles of our collaborative partnership as it grows over time.
The six strands of the RET vision describe our key priorities over the next three year period. These are developed in the 2023-2026 RET strategic plan.
‘The secret of change is to focus all your energy not on fighting the old but on building the new.’ Socrates
Our Mission
Ridgeway Education Trust is committed to delivering excellence through high quality education for 4-19 year olds with powerful collaboration at its heart.
Education has the potential to transform lives. Schools are uniquely positioned to champion young people so they have high levels of aspiration, achieve excellent outcomes and develop a strong sense of purpose, enabling them to become happy, fulfilled and productive members of society. Social justice matters to us and we are determined that our most disadvantaged students thrive.
We believe that school improvement is most successful when underpinned by deep collaboration at all levels so that best practice is shared and the best ideas emerge from cross-cutting, non-hierarchical groups across the Trust.
‘We cannot wait for great visions from ‘great’ people, for they are in short supply at the end of history. It is up to us to light our small fires in the darkness.’ Charles Handy
Our Principles
Integrity: we lead ethically, demonstrate respect at all times and keep our promises. We try always to adopt the mantra of ‘listen first’. We ask questions and are curious to learn and understand more. This builds trust, enables deep and meaningful collaboration and inspires pride in our collective effort and achievements.
Ambition: we are unapologetically ambitious for all our young people and our schools. We are committed to supporting young people to achieve excellent outcomes which open doors to their best futures. Doing simple things well enables our school communities to thrive. This creates an aspirational culture where working hard and being successful is the norm.
Lead for legacy: we have the humility to recognise that we only inhabit our roles for brief periods of time. We are stewards, building a future for the next generation. Sustainable school improvement takes time and resilience. This inspires restless leadership and a commitment to developing others and developing teams, to step back whilst others step forward.
Our Culture
The culture of the Trust is collaborative and ambitious. We believe that each school within the Trust should be both a capacity giver and taker to enable continuous school improvement.
Whilst we believe that the identity of each school is precious, and the context of a school is fundamental to the right school improvement strategy, we also believe that good practice which has demonstrable impact should be shared and systematised across the Trust to the benefit of all young people.
We use systems and structures to create the clarity and consistency and platform for creative innovation and a healthy approach towards risk.
‘Reaching for the world, as our lives do, as all lives do. Reaching that we may give the best of what we hold as true. Always it is by bridges that we live.’ Phillip Larkin
Our Vision
Ridgeway Education Trust aspires to serve children and young people within our immediate and local communities. Measured growth with schools that share our values and are within easy travelling distance will ensure that continuous school improvement remains at the heart of what we do.
We aspire to be the employer of choice. We appreciate that people are our most precious resource. We invest in the continual professional development of all our staff to enable everyone to be the best possible versions of themselves and because we know that high quality teaching and learning benefits all students and benefits disadvantaged students disproportionately. We prioritise staff wellbeing because we want morale to be high and for people to enjoy coming to work each day.
The business arm of the Trust is highly effective. We invest in great support staff teams across the Trust so that the schools’ leaders and their teams are able to focus on the core business of school improvement and that staff have swift access to the high quality support they need when they need it. Strategic financial planning enables continuous development of the learning environment and experience offered by the Trust.
The quality of the curriculum is at the heart of what we do and enables excellent outcomes for young people. Our curriculum from 4-19 is seamless, inclusive and research-based, using technology in enabling and innovative ways. We privilege the supra-curricular alongside the taught curriculum as we believe this constitutes a 'whole education'. We set ambitious targets for our students at all key stages and empower them to achieve these and reach their full potential as we know that high quality qualifications will open the doors to their best futures.
Students are happy at school: levels of attendance are high and behaviour is impeccable. Children and young people choose to behave well and take responsibility for their learning. We champion each and every student. Our students respect each other and staff and they enjoy coming to school. We care about the wellbeing of our students and make their mental, physical and emotional health an everyday priority.
Our ethos of ‘everyone a leader’ is visible throughout the Trust. It develops young people and staff who are resilient, confident and articulate. For staff, this provides an ongoing professional development framework which supports high standards, innovation and a culture of continual improvement. This ethos allows us to define and celebrate the behaviours that we want to encourage in our young people and promotes their sense of agency and self-efficacy.
We are outward facing and always learning. Our schools are rooted in their communities and we pro-actively engage with parents and other key stakeholders. We appreciate the potential synergies of networking with organisations and industry in our local community, nationally and internationally. We are enthusiastic to network with and learn from the best, to welcome others in to our schools, and to share our good practice.