What can you expect from joining WMAT?

• Genuine collaboration between academies, where sharing expertise and providing mutual support is fundamental.
• Collective responsibility, ambition and high expectations for all staff and students across the Trust.
• Supported accountability, driven by a collaborative, reciprocal and robust quality assurance programme, to ensure we achieve our goals together.
• Retention of individual school identities, whether through the name, logo, uniforms, timetables, or curricula, a school’s individual identity is seen as essential within the overarching values of WMAT.
• Centrally provided,  school based, shared services that maximise efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance school leadership capacity in order to prioritise high quality educational provision.
  • HR support and guidance, including a Trust HR lead and external HR and legal support
  • Estates management support and expertise with a dedicated Estates Lead. Support includes expertise in CIF bids and, as the Trust grows,  access to the Schools’ Condition Funding allocations.
  • IT development, support, and planning with a dedicated IT Lead for the Trust.
  • Marketing, media and website support with a dedicated Marketing and Communications Lead for the Trust.
• Financial sustainability at school and WMAT level is a key priority for us and you will be supported in ensuring this.
  • A focus on School-led budgeting, ensuring each school is financially self-sufficient and that resources are allocated effectively to teaching and learning and pupil support, alongside strategic estates and resource management.
  • A cost-effective Trust leadership model which maximises efficiency, reduces costs and enhances school leadership capacity.
• Strategic Governance
  • Our governance structure involves clear communication and defined roles for the Board of Trustees and School Boards.
  • Shared policies foster collaboration, ensure compliance and ease workload pressures. School-led policies reflect the individual needs of each school.
  • School Boards retain autonomy, including over quality of education.
• Expert and Ethical Leadership Our leadership structure includes a collaborative and supportive Trust team that promotes autonomy, accountability and evidence of impact, such as OFSTED reviews and operational audits. We provide support and guidance, utilising trustees’ expertise.
• A staff-focused culture, where the role of leaders is to facilitate exceptional provision through the growth and development of all, enabling staff to perform at their best for the benefit of our students.
  • A comprehensive people strategy which is designed to attract, develop, engage, and retain high-quality staff across all schools within the Trust. It will enhance employee well-being, professional growth, and operational efficiency while fostering a culture of collaboration and innovation.
  • Our professional growth and appraisal system is standardised , with processes aligned and  designed to meet the needs of schools, reduce workload and focus on well-being and staff development in order to drive personal, school and MAT improvement.
  • Programme for careers development, leadership development and opportunity.
  • We pride ourselves in growing our own future leaders.
  • We pride ourselves on being an employer focused on diversity, equality and inclusion.
• High-Quality and Inclusive Education We offer high-quality, tailored staff professional development at both MAT and school levels, including staff conferences and targeted school improvement programmes. Our school improvement programme provides support where needed to develop staff at all points in their career, utilising internal and external resources. Senior and middle leaders are integral to our quality assurance and self-review cycles.
• A strategic approach to school improvement which is responsive to the needs of each school, recognising that one size does not fit all as we look towards future opportunities.
• A conducive physical environment that sets high expectations for learning and work, supported by an efficient central team and infrastructure.
• Trust growth: We prioritise good growth, expanding WMAT thoughtfully to ensure the right schools join at the right time. There is a desire to increase the secondary schools in WMAT alongside building a strong group of primary schools. We will also welcome Alternative Provision and SEN settings to ensure an outstanding provision throughout WMAT.