Hampton Academies Trust
Dogsthorpe Infant School
Applicant Information Pack
”Dream, Believe, Shine”
Dear Applicant,
Welcome to Dogsthorpe Infant School!
I have been fortunate to work at Dogsthorpe Infants since 2001 and I have been the Headteacher since April 2015. The school has seen many changes, developments, and growth during this time, but we have always kept the children at the very heart of every decision we have made. We firmly believe that every child who attends our school should have the ambition to be anything they want to be - if they have the ‘Dream’, and ‘Believe’in themselves, then they will ‘Shine’!
Our staff work tirelessly to ensure all children have exciting and meaningful experiences across all areas of the curriculum which enable them to develop a sense of curiosity and a love of learning. We consider it a privilege that we can play a key role in these early stages of their educational journey. We believe that a parent/ carer is a child’s first teacher, and we value working in partnership to support children's learning and development.
We look forward to meeting you soon.
Yours sincerely
Mrs Waters Headteacher
Meet The Team
Executive Headteacher
Headteacher
Deputy Headteacher
Dr Price
Mrs Waters
Miss Gattuso
Our vision and values
Welcome to our school family where all our children, regardless of differences, are...
inspired to dream and start to become independent, confident and inquisitive life-long learners.
nurtured, valued and respected, and taught self-belief, in a happy, safe, learning community.
little stars who know they can shine!
S H I N E
Our Values will make us SHINE!
uccess – determination, perseverance, ambition
appiness – confidence, empathy, respect
ndependence – resilience, responsibility
urture – kindness, co-operation
nthusiasm – curiosity, imagination, motivation
Hampton Academies Trust
The Hampton Academies Trust was formed in September 2014 when Hampton College became a convertor academy and formed a multi-academy trust. One of the drivers for conversion was to allow us to bid for other local opportunities. In September 2015 following a competitive bid process, we were named by Peterborough City Council and Cambridgeshire County Council as the preferred education provider for the new secondary school in the locality, Hampton Gardens School.
The name of the Trust reflects our local focus and we have no current plans to expand our operations beyond the Peterborough/ Cambridgeshire area. We are not a corporate MAT (and do not want to be) and neither are we part of a regional/ national chain. Our vision is to retain our ‘homegrown’ status and manage our growth in a sustainable way. We believe that MAT working can be most successful when you concentrate on what you know best, in the community you are invested in.
Other Hampton Academies Trust Schools:
Hampton Gardens
Hampton College Primary Phase
Hampton Lakes School
Dogsthorpe Infant School
Al Kingsley – Chair of Trust, Hampton Academies Trust
Our overarching aim and vision is for our member schools to deliver an outstanding education for children and young people. We will ensure that all our pupils and students have access to the highest standards of teaching, resources and opportunities. Our role is to oversee the leadership and vision of our member schools and to develop partnerships between them. We encourage members of staff from our schools to meet together and share best practice, while our students will benefit from access to joint opportunities such as shared learning, trips and events, and working with a wider range of peers and teachers.
Dr Helen Price – Executive Headteacher, Hampton Academies Trust
Helen had been at HAT’s first school, Hampton College, since it opened in 2005 and became Headteacher in 2011. In 2014 when the school converted into a multi-academy trust, Helen became Executive Headteacher. In January 2017 Helen relinquished the day to day running of Hampton College and moved across full time into her trust role. Helen now oversees the strategic develop of all HAT schools.
Caroline Behan – Director of Finance and Resources, Hampton Academies Trust
Caroline works closely with Helen at Trust level. She is an experienced and well-qualified financial and operational leader and joined the trust in 2014 having completed 10 years’ service at St John Fisher School in Peterborough. Caroline is also highly experienced in the field of new build project management and procurement. Thanks to her stewardship and robust financial governance, the Trust is financially secure. Caroline is a key support to the Heads of School in terms of financial planning and resource management.
Why Join Hampton Academies Trust
People are at the heart of our core visions and values. Our trust vision is to meet the needs of our students and equip them to achieve their potential. To enable us to do this we need to ensure that we are attracting, developing, and retaining the best possible talent.
We offer a variety of opportunities for professional learning and career development. The trust supports a range of training and talent development opportunities including apprenticeships in teaching and support staff roles, professional leadership training and bespoke training to meet the needs of individual training and development requirements. Hampton Academies Trust is locality based and therefore there are realistic prospects for staff looking for career development within the trust. The close proximity of our schools makes cross-trust working, delivery of training and collaborative working practical and viable, creating more opportunities for staff.
The trust provides a supportive, collaborative community which is diverse and inclusive. We encourage staff to work together, sharing ideas, resources, and expertise with colleagues from across the trust. The trust has a keen focus on wellbeing and supporting good mental health and is well supported by our team of dedicated HR professionals who are all trained Mental Health First Aiders.
The trust provides an excellent working environment. Most of our schools are new builds and offer light, modern accommodation and a range of new technologies. All our schools provide a well-cared for and stimulating environment where students and staff are able to thrive.
The HAT Family
What we can offer you:
• Staff CPD – we offer extensive CPD opportunities with access to National College and support with external courses to promote career development.
• Competitive Pay – we follow the STPCD for teaching staff and National Pay Rates for support staff.
• Excellent Pension schemes (Teacher Pension Scheme and Local Government Pension Scheme) with generous employer contributions.
• Access to HR support – a Trust HR team that is on hand to support you from day one.
• Flexible working and family friendly policies – we have generous policies in place to support our colleagues such as flexible working, maternity and paternity leave. We also have a Discretionary Leave of Absence policy which includes dependency care leave, compassionate leave and a paid day to move house!
• Generous sick pay entitlement - for teachers and support staff. We work with an Occupational Health provider to ensure that colleagues are supported in the workplace, for example through phased returns.
• Free onsite car parking at all HAT schools – Electric car charging is available as some HAT sites.
• Employee Assistance Programme – all our colleagues have free access to Health Assured, a 24 hour a day/7 days a week confidential service which provides a huge amount of support such as counselling, financial and legal advice. You can also access an on line portal to view resources and guides to promote a healthy lifestyle.
• Free tea and coffee at all HAT schools
• Free eye test
• Access to school gym facilities and discounted membership to Vivacity Leisure Centres in Peterborough (subject to change)
Ofsted
The school has been recognised by OFSTED as Good in its last three inspections (February 2016, December 2019, October 2023).
The full reports can be viewed on our website: www.dogsthorpeinfants.co.uk
“Pupils are very positive about coming to this school. They love the time they get to be with their friends and staff. Pupils respect the school values of ‘dream, believe, shine’.” - Ofsted
“
Pupils obediently follow clear rules and established routines. They also trust the adults to look after them. This makes pupils feel comfortable and secure. ” - Ofsted
“"We firmly believe education extends well beyond the curriculum offer in any school. At Dogsthorpe Infants we embrace the opportunity to support our children and staff to truly shine. The local governing body, supports our broader trust priorities ensuring everyone has a happy, healthy and safe space to grow and learn. I became Chair of Hampton Academies Trust many years ago and continue in this role, but after 5 years on the local governing body at Dogsthorpe Infants the opportunity to become chair of our school and support our amazing team was just the icing on the cake. Walk in the doors of our school and you will see why we live up to the motto of supporting our children to Dream, Believe and Shine."
- Al Kingsley (Chair of Governors)
The OFSTED inspectors reported that:
"This sense of warmth and care results in pupils who learn and play happily together. They talk about being part of a ‘class family’ and looking out for each other."
"The school has rightly continued to focus on developing an ambitious curriculum for reading, writing and mathematics."
"Reading is prioritised throughout the school. The new phonics programme is taught effectively." ."
