Windsor
Academy Trust Strategy
2025 - 2030
Co-creating Brighter Futures for All
Introduction
Our ‘Co-creating Brighter Futures for All’ strategy is our ‘Game Plan’ for the next five years, marking an exciting new chapter for Windsor Academy Trust. As we launch this plan, we build with immense pride upon the strong foundations laid since our inception in 2011 and the successes achieved through our ‘Powering into the Second Decade’ strategy.
We stand as a family of 15 thriving schools, dedicated to providing an excellent education to 10,000 students aged two to 18, supported by 1,200 committed, inspiring and talented staff.
At the very heart of everything we do, as it always has been, are our children. Our shared moral purpose remains unwavering; to unlock the academic and personal potential of every single child.
We are incredibly excited about the journey ahead and the profound impact we will co-create together, for our children, our communities and the education system in our country.
Dawn Haywood CEO, September 2025
15 Sch oo ls
10000 Children
Two Golden Threads
This new strategy deeply embeds two golden threads that are fundamental to our vision: “co-creating” and “for all.”
Co-creating
Co-creating
Our commitment to “co-creating” reflects our deep commitment to trust, civic and system leadership. We recognise our responsibility extends beyond leading our individual schools and our trust. We are committed to harnessing the collective wisdom, resources and power of our entire community and the wider educational landscape. This means maximising the trust, civic and system dividends through genuine collaboration.
Inclusion
Inclusion is not just a word for us; it is a profound commitment. “For all” means ensuring that every child, regardless of their background or starting point, has access to unparalleled opportunities and achieves success. We are resolute in our belief that no child’s future should be limited by their circumstances.
Our aspiration is for all our students to become all and more than they ever thought they could be. Fostering a deep sense of belonging is central to this, creating a happy and safe place where children want to be.
Broad Direction of Travel
Looking ahead, our broad direction of travel will focus on:
Harnessing Collaboration: maximising the wisdom, resources and power of the collective to unleash trust, civic and system dividends.
Inclusion and Equity: unleashing the potential of all in our community, especially those that face barriers to opportunity.
Growing People: empowering our staff, fostering resilience and ensuring agility and equity for Windsor Academy Trust and the wider system.
Developing Organisational Resilience: strengthening our financial, operational and structural foundations.
Building a Brighter Future: for all students in expanded learning communities across the West Midlands.
Shaping Our Strategy
In developing Windsor Academy Trust’s ‘Co-creating Brighter Futures for All’ strategy, we’ve drawn upon a rich body of thought leadership, evidence and research from both within and outside the educational sector, while also carefully considering the current political landscape and where we are now as an organisation.
Thought Leadership
Our strategic thinking has been significantly influenced by several key texts.
Our trust strategy is fundamentally influenced by Sinek’s ‘Golden Circle’ (Why, How, What) and four of the questions Lencioni poses in his book ‘The Advantage’ (Why do we exist? How do we behave? How do we succeed? What do we do?).
‘New Domains of Educational Leadership’ by Cruddas has broadened our understanding of our role as leaders of schools with wider responsibility for trust, civic and system leadership.
McKinsey’s ‘Strategy Beyond the Hockey Stick’ highlights critical levers for organisational success: endowment, trends and big moves. This research, based on thousands of global organisations, has informed our approach to identifying and leveraging factors that truly make a difference.
‘The Founder’s Mentality’ by Zook and Allen emphasises the importance of a clear mission and purpose, an owner’s mindset and a relentless obsession with the front line. These principles have guided us in how to sustain success and avoid the pitfalls of growth.
‘Centennials’ by Hill introduced us to the 12 habits of great enduring organisations, underscoring the necessity of a stable core combined with a disruptive edge for long-term success.
Furthermore, Baroness Sue Campbell’s ‘The Game Changer’ has shaped our approach by stressing the power of visionary, inclusive leadership and the need for system-wide transformation to realise ambitious, game-changing goals.
Government Policy
The Labour government, in power for just over a year, has launched an Opportunity Mission aimed at breaking the link between a child’s background and success so that all children can achieve and thrive. This mission drives key policy initiatives such as the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, and an anticipated Schools and SEND White Paper.
Our strategy development has been equally cognisant of the government’s concurrent Health and Growth Missions. We recognise the profound interdependency between education, health and life outcomes. This compels us to co-create solutions across sectors to tackle shared societal challenges, ensuring our work promotes holistic child development and prepares our children and young people for the world of work and future success.
System Leadership
Civic Leadership Trust Leadership
What Makes WAT, WAT
Our strategic approach, encapsulated in our Why, How and What, draws significant inspiration from the foundational work of thought leaders Lencioni and Sinek. Their insights guide us in clearly articulating our purpose, our behaviours and approaches, and our pathway to success.
Why We Exist:
A Shared Moral Purpose
The mission of the Windsor Academy Trust family remains as steadfast today as it was on our first day. We exist for one shared moral purpose: to unlock academic and personal potential. We believe this is for all children, regardless of their background or starting point.
Academic Potential
Unlocking academic potential is enabling every student to achieve their full intellectual and educational capabilities. It means more than just helping students pass exams; it involves fostering a deep understanding of subjects, developing critical thinking skills and cultivating a lifelong love of learning. This is achieved through a knowledge-rich curriculum, expert teaching and personalised support that removes barriers to learning and allows each child to thrive academically.
Personal Potential
We want all our students to aspire and become everything, and more, than they ever thought they could be. This means developing students who know who they are and the sort of person they want to be; students who have discovered their passions; students who pursue their talents; students who hold high hopes and dreams for their futures with a clear sense of purpose. We want students who are driven to make a difference, and who therefore deeply understand the importance and value of education, not just for their own futures but also for the difference they will make in their communities, the society and world we live in.
How We Behave and Succeed
How We Behave: Our Values
In 2022, we collaboratively agreed on five core values: pride in excellence, respect, responsibility, collaboration and bold and innovative. As we move forward, we have honed these five fundamental values that underpin everything we do to reflect where we are now as an organisation:
• Excellence: We have high expectations, relentlessly striving to be exceptional in all that we do.
• Collaboration: We maximise the wisdom, resources and power of the collective - across our trust family, civically and systemically - for the benefit of all.
• Inclusivity: We foster belonging and equity by behaving with integrity, respect and kindness.
• Empowerment: We unleash potential, entrusting people to lead and achieve.
• Innovation: We courageously shape the future for wider public benefit.
How We Succeed: The WAT Way
Our approach to achieving success is built upon a clear and dynamic framework, much like a winning sports team’s strategy.
• Game Plan: Our overarching strategy, defining our long-term objectives and the broad direction we need to take to achieve our vision.
• Set Plays: Our “best bets for success” - the proven, high-impact practices and initiatives that we know deliver results and allow us to execute our Game Plan effectively.
• Empowerment: Entrusting our staff to perform at their best, fostering creativity and providing them with the trust and support needed to thrive and contribute fully to our shared goals.
What We Do
We develop high-performing schools that raise aspirations, inspire learning, build character and cultural capital, power social justice and enable all students to thrive and make a difference in their communities and the world.
Our Five Turbo Boosters
Through our ‘Co-creating Brighter Futures for All’ strategy, we will ignite five key Turbo Boosters. These will powerfully propel us forward, much like a rocket ship, towards our guiding star: unlocking academic and personal potential.
Turbo Booster 1
Students: boosting education for students in our schools
Turbo Booster 3
Society: boosting civic action to empower our communities to thrive
Turbo Booster 5
Turbo Booster 2
Staff: boosting careers in the best organisation to work and grow
Turbo Booster 4
Sustainability: boosting environmental action for the benefit of future generations
System: boosting education for all children no matter where they go to school
Our Igniters
Underpinning our five Turbo Boosters are five Igniters that power up our strategy.
• Technology: We will harness technology, including AI, to enhance teaching, learning, and inclusion. This means a reliable digital infrastructure and a seamless data ecosystem that empowers our entire community.
• Research: We will embed a culture of robust, evidence-informed research to drive continuous improvement. We will conduct research projects in partnership with academic institutions and empower our staff to be generators and consumers of research.
• Communications: We will build a powerful communications framework to ensure our vision is clearly understood, our reputation is strong and our culture is vibrant. We will become an employer of choice and ensure our schools are the number one choice for families.
• Resources: We will ensure the long-term financial sustainability and operational efficiency of our trust. This means maintaining stable reserves, investing in high-quality facilities and ensuring costefficient procurement.
• Governance: We will build a strong, ethical and effective governance framework that is not only compliant but also forward-looking and dynamic, with a continuous cycle of reviews and a focus on constructive challenge.
Turbo Booster 1
Students
boosting
education for students in our schools
“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire”
- William Butler Yeats
Description
At the heart of Turbo Booster 1 is a commitment to impactful school improvement, ensuring that all schools provide the highest quality education to our students. We remove barriers to learning and deliver a powerful, knowledge-rich curriculum taught by expert teachers through evidence-informed strategies which support all students to learn, but particularly those whose learning might be vulnerable due to disadvantage, SEND, absence or other reasons.
Our schools will be too good to miss; an irresistible place for students to be, a place where they belong, feel happy, find their passions and pursue their talents.
Destinations by 2030
• Our academic attainment outcomes will be among the highestperforming trusts nationally, with all schools that have been with us three years or more performing in the top five of similar school comparisons.
• Our primary schools will all perform above national average for reading, writing and mathematics combined at Key Stage 2 and for phonics in Key Stage 1 and within the top 5 schools performance compared to similar schools.
• In our secondary schools we will achieve the equivalent of FFT20 at Key Stage 4 using attainment 8, 5+ Mathematics and English, 7+ Mathematics and English and for all groups including disadvantaged and children with SEND.
• Schools that have been with us for less than three years have seen a significant rise in performance and by their third year are hitting close to national averages for progress data.
• 90% of students will read at their chronological reading age or above after three years in a Windsor Academy Trust school.
• Our schools will be places where every student feels a deep sense of belonging and safety, evidenced by attendance rates above national averages across all student groups and suspension/exclusion data that shows equitable outcomes for disadvantaged and SEND students.
• All students, especially the most vulnerable, maximise our full Personal Potential offer developing their character virtues, and their engagement rates are equitable with their peers.
• All students, especially the most vulnerable, will be well-prepared for their next steps, with a target of 0% NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training).
• All students and families feel that our schools are inclusive (90%+ voice surveys).
Catalysts: How We Will Get There
To achieve these ambitious destinations for our students, we will activate the following catalysts:
Inclusion
• Be deeply intentional about how we involve, listen, seek out voices and over communicate our ‘Why’ to ensure that all stakeholders feel equally included and valued.
• Remove barriers to academic and personal potential as early as possible, through effective strategies.
• Robust identification tools and supplementary assessment to effectively fill gaps in learning and support all children to thrive.
• Ensure that all children are supported well through key transition points in their educational journey.
Data and Insight
• Effective data analysis to identify ‘Glows’ and ‘Glows’ turning these insights into rapid action at both a school level and trust-wide level, with a particular focus on our students whose learning might be vulnerable.
• Utilise wider reporting mechanisms (such as VYED reports) to understand both national and similar school performance.
• Develop systems to capture
wider indicators and understand correlation, including our Personal Potential Dashboard.
Great People and Leaders
• Empower colleagues to be the experts in their field, through highquality professional development at all levels creating clear pathways for progression.
• Equip staff with high-leverage techniques and development of their subject knowledge to effectively enact the curriculum.
High Aspirations and Expectations
• Raise aspirations of and for all children, both academically and personally.
• Utilise radical candour to challenge ourselves proactively, through a high trust, low threat accountability model.
• Be system leaders and learners, always looking to better develop and add to our mental models of excellence.
• Ensure all children are supported to find their passion and find their purpose.
Safe, Calm Schools
• Ensure that our schools are predictable, calm and consistent in their approaches and routines, allowing all children to fully access a learning environment with no disruption.
• Have a proactive and vigilant safeguarding culture in our schools to ensure that all children are, and feel, safe.
• Implement a ‘phone-free schools’ strategy to ensure that our students are not distracted by or pressured to engage with their phones during the school day.
• Promote a culture of belonging in schools so that full attendance at schools is irresistible.
• Review and further strengthen the existing set play for attendance ensuring that schools support parents and families to build strong attendance habits.
Knowledge Rich Curriculum and Pedagogy
• Ensure that our pedagogy provides a strong universal offer for all children, but particularly for those whose learning may be vulnerable.
• Ensure that all children have full access to a high-quality, knowledge
rich curriculum to help them become educated, confident young people with their own views and opinions, all shaped by powerful knowledge and experiences both inside and outside of the classroom.
• Ensure an inclusive curriculum offer across all schools that is appropriate, challenging and well enacted, informed by the DfE Curriculum Review and other important sources of information.
• A strong approach to assessment (both formative and summative) which helps staff to tailor the curriculum to learning gaps and helps children to consolidate their learning.
• A strong literacy strategy, unlocking access to the entire curriculum, through reading, writing and oracy
• Maximising the impact of our ‘EmpowerED’ digital strategy and use of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Turbo Booster 2
Staff
boosting careers in the best organisation to work and grow
“Every child deserves a champion - an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection and insists that they become the best they can possibly be.”
- Rita Pierson
Description
Swaner and Wolfe said that “where there are few flourishing adults, there will be few flourishing children.” We are committed to making our organisation the very best place to grow, investing deeply in the wellbeing of our team while ensuring they have world-class professional development to shape the next generation. Our aim is to cultivate an inclusive, empowered environment where every member of staff feels supported and inspired, knowing that our strategic commitment to their growth is the foundation for delivering the very best education, directly securing the most positive outcomes and future for every child we serve.
Destinations by 2030
• A clear five-year Windsor Academy Trust People Strategy that directly supports the ‘Co-creating Brighter Futures for All’ strategic plan.
• A 100% fill rate for all vacancies with high quality staff assessed against clearly defined, sector-aligned professional standards.
• An annual staff turnover rate demonstrably below the national sector average, with a minimum of 0.5% year-on-year improvement in core talent retention metrics.
• Staff survey scores for workload, wellbeing and job satisfaction that exceed the national education sector benchmark and demonstrate quantifiable year-on-year positive improvement.
• Reduce overall staff sickness absence and specific mental healthrelated absence rates year-on-year, maintaining both below the national sector average.
• Secure formal recognition for our workforce strategy, professional development and culture by achieving a major, credible national education award.
• Meet all national training targets for recruitment, retention, satisfaction
and achievement across our Initial Teacher Training (ITT), Early Career Framework (ECF), and National Professional Qualifications (NPQ) programmes, as set by our Lead Provider, the National Institute of Teaching.
• Demonstrate quantifiable year-onyear improvement in staff survey positivity scores regarding perceived career progression opportunities and the quality of Professional Development for all employee groups, including professional services staff.
• Establish and maintain a positive year-on-year trajectory towards a workforce demographic profile that accurately reflects the diversity of the local communities and student populations we serve.
• Achieve measurable year-onyear growth in the percentage of internal promotions and the successful conversion rate of ITT and Apprenticeship programme participants into permanent roles.
• Demonstrate consistent year-on-year improvement in positive satisfaction scores within the New Starter/ Induction Survey, focusing on the clarity of role, welcome and early support provided.
Catalysts: How We Will Get There
To achieve these ambitious destinations for our staff, we will activate the following catalysts:
A culture of excellence and positive wellbeing:
• We will design and implement two system-wide practices annually, based on staff feedback and current research, that are statistically proven to increase staff thriving and success.
• We will launch a structured ‘Wellbeing Framework’ that strengthens support for physical, mental and financial wellbeing, incorporating mandatory resilience training for all managers and clear, measurable access targets for staff support services.
• We will establish and report against inclusion KPIs and implement an Inclusive Leadership and Recruitment training programme for 100% of leaders to ensure our workplace actively reflects the diverse communities we serve.
• We will implement a standardised, timely and supportive protocol for absence management and a performance management cycle focused on coaching and development, with audited consistency across all sites.
Talent development:
• We will ensure our professional development offering is mapped to defined professional standards and role-specific competencies, with measurable impact evaluation linked directly to staff performance reviews.
• We will implement a formal ‘High Potential’ talent review process annually to identify, nurture and track future leaders, linking their development directly to strategic organisational needs and available roles.
• We will develop 100% of line managers in high-impact coaching and feedback techniques through a mandatory programme, enabling them to conduct meaningful conversations that demonstrably improve individual aspiration and growth.
Workforce planning and recruitment:
• We will implement long-term, datainformed workforce modelling strategies to accurately forecast role vacancies, necessary skill sets and succession gaps up to five years in advance.
• We will formalise specific talent pipelines and development pathways, including maximising student-to-trainee conversion rates to build a resilient and adaptable workforce.
• We will refine our Initial Teacher Training (ITT) strategy to achieve a minimum 40% year-on-year internal placement rate of trainees into permanent roles across the Trust.
• We will overhaul all recruitment marketing materials based on candidate feedback and benchmarked against top employers. We will implement a ‘Gold Standard’ onboarding programme, achieving a minimum 95% positive satisfaction rating in new starter surveys upon completion of the probation period.
Turbo Booster 3
Society
boosting civic action to empower our communities to thrive
“There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about.”
- Margaret J. Wheatley
Description
We champion education as a force for greater public good, recognising that schools and students do best when communities thrive. As an anchor organisation, we embrace our civic duty to co-create a brighter future for all those in our society. We’ve laid strong foundations through partnerships with health, establishing community hubs and launching the WAT Community Foundation - work that has already generated a civic dividend and been highlighted in Leora Cruddas’ Domains of New System Leadership. Our strategy is now to intentionally build upon these successes, strengthening our commitment to deliver an even greater and more meaningful impact on both children and our communities.
Destinations by 2030
• A culture of civic engagement in our schools, with staff, students and community leaders acting and recognised as civic champions.
• Strong family engagement with parents and carers, positively impacting student attendance, inclusion and engagement.
• A ‘team around the child’ civic provision supporting and enhancing health equality, SEND/inclusion and early years (antenatal and beyond).
• A thriving community hub in each learning community providing a front door to public services and facilities.
• One trust-wide civic partnership in place for sport, the arts and business.
• A dedicated charity to support and grow our civic activities.
• Windsor Academy Trust recognised as a system leader in schools and
Catalysts: How We Will Get There
To achieve these ambitious destinations for our communities, we will activate the following catalysts:
A Civic Strategy and Coconstructed Plans:
• A new civic strategy will be aligned to priority areas such as health equality, SEND/inclusion, and early years.
• We will launch a national framework for schools and health and enact it locally.
• A school-centric civic engagement ‘Set Play,’ and data-driven civic action plans, will be co-created by our Civic Leads and Local Community Committees.
Community Engagement and Partnerships:.
• We will implement the Cradle to Career model as a framework for community development.
health, driving the national agenda and shaping policy.
• A published annual civic impact report.
• We will formalise civic agreements with other anchor organisations and community groups to maximise our collective impact.
• Formation of community hubs in each learning community with a dedicated civic support offer will help give children the best start in life.
• We will develop and implement a family engagement ‘Set Play’ grounded in research and best practice to strengthen our links with parents and carers.
Fundraising:
• We will establish a clear charitable purpose, structure and governance framework for the WAT Community Foundation to support our civic ambitions, along with a dedicated funding strategy.
Impact Reporting:
• We will develop and implement a robust measurement and evaluation framework to track our progress, inform our activities and ensure accountability.
Turbo Booster 4
Sustainability
boosting environmental action for the benefit of future generations
“Education is for improving the lives of others and for leaving your community and world better than you found it”
- Marian Wright Edelman
Description
Our commitment to a sustainable future is rooted in our responsibility to leave the world in a better place for future generations. Our ambition is to become one of the most sustainable school trusts in the country by minimising carbon emissions and aspiring for Scope 1 and 2 net zero by 2030. We will accomplish this by fully aligning our education, operations and estate to embed sustainable practice in everything we do. The entire Windsor Academy Trust family will be fully engaged in this mission, with every member having the opportunity to influence change and contribute to our sustainability objectives.
Destinations by 2030
• All schools will adopt and implement a core set of climate actions. Furthermore, bespoke, innovative pathfinder projects will be launched in individual schools.
• We will embed sustainability and climate action across our curriculum, empowering students to become agents of change.
• We will offer carbon literacy training to students and staff, ensuring they understand the importance of sustainability, preparing them for their future careers.
• We will minimise Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions, aspiring to be net zero by 2030.
• We will reduce our Scope 3 carbon emissions by a minimum of 25%, prioritising our supply chain and waste management.
• Water consumption will reduce by 20% across our trust estate.
• We will reduce paper and stationery use by a minimum of 5% annually by maximising our use of digital technology and 1:1 devices.
Catalysts: How We Will Get There
To achieve these ambitious destinations in alignment with our Sustainability Strategy, we will activate the following catalysts:
Strategic Alignment:
• We will integrate climate impact considerations into all strategic, educational and operational decisions.
Climate Action Education and Green Skills:
• We will develop a skilled workforce of teachers, trained to deliver sustainability and climate action content across the curriculum.
• We will provide carbon literacy training for students and staff across all schools and central operations.
• Natural habitats and biodiversity in our schools will be increased by 10%.
• We will be a nationally recognised thought leader in climate action education.
Operational and Estate Infrastructure:
• We will deliver a capital strategy and plan that embeds decarbonisation principles in all estate and facility developments.
• We will implement smart campus systems to monitor and reduce energy use and carbon emissions.
• We will reduce our reliance on paper and physical stationery by maximising the impact of technology and 1:1 devices.
• We will enhance natural habitats and biodiversity across our sites through initiatives like tree planting.
System
Contribution
• We will contribute to targeted and influential thought leadership on sustainability by publishing at least two articles or speaking at conferences annually.
Turbo Booster 5
System
boosting education for all children no matter where they go to school
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world” - Nelson
Mandela
Description
Our commitment is to act ‘on’ not just ‘in’ the school system. In order to maximise our system impact and support the accomplishment of realising the ‘system dividend’ our ultimate aim is to make a meaningful difference to the lives of all children, no matter where they go to school. The first way we support the system dividend is to provide more children with a world class education in our trust through more schools in our trust and more children in our schools. We will strategically expand our family of schools, building a reputation as the number one choice for both families and staff. The second way is to humbly share our knowledge, expertise and proven practices and drive innovation with other schools and trusts. Finally we shape education policy by working in partnership with national organisations and networks and government policy makers.
Destinations by 2030
• We will be the number one choice for families, with 100% school capacity (PAN) for primary, secondary and post-16 and and 95% of available places filled by firstpreference applications (schools 3 years +) and 90% school capacity and 85% first preferences (schools <3 years).
• Our expertise in school improvement will be shared to drive positive change across the sector, providing RISE targeted support to at least 10 schools, three universal RISE projects and entering into partnership agreements with at least three other trusts.
• Our family will have grown to include at least 25 schools, forming vibrant learning communities across the West Midlands.
• We will be recognised as national thought leaders, contributing to the education discourse through at least
Catalysts: How We Will Get There
To achieve these ambitious destinations for the system, we will activate the following catalysts:
Admissions:
• We will continue to refine, enhance and execute a highly effective admissions strategy and continue to drive school improvement to ensure our schools are the first choice for families.
Collaboration, Support and Growth:
• We will actively pursue formal and informal collaborative partnerships with other trusts, including providing shared leadership through co-CEO or other senior leadership roles.
• We will work with DfE to be a supporting organisation for DfE RISE targeted and delivery partner for universal RISE offers.
• Explore mixed articles of association to allow us to have faith schools in the family.
75 think pieces and 100 conference speaking engagements.
• We will have a significant national influence, with our leaders holding at least 10 advisory roles on Department for Education groups or panels.
• We will lead place-based initiatives across responsible bodies to drive positive change for local communities.
System Leadership and Advocacy:
• We will nurture key relationships and explore collaborative opportunities with the DfE, Local Authorities, MPs, other trusts and national and international organisations.
• Our leaders will serve on government and national advisory groups, providing strategic guidance and advocacy.
Capacity Building:
• We will strategically build the organisational capacity required to support external trusts and schools and facilitate further growth.
Thought Leadership:
• We will actively pursue writing and targeted and influential speaking platforms to share our thought leadership and influence national conversations.
Igniters
Underpinning our five Turbo Boosters are five Igniters that will power up each Turbo Booster.
Technology
Our vision for technology is digital transformation that empowers every student to unlock their full academic and personal potential, enabling them to self-regulate and flourish in a modern world. By strategically harnessing technology, we will not only enhance teaching and learning but also create a truly inclusive and efficient operational environment.
Destinations by 2030
• We will have an embedded EmpowerED strategy that supports unlocking the academic and personal potential of all students through digital transformation, enabling all to self-regulate and flourish.
• The benefits of the accessibility tools for all students (especially inclusion and SEND) will be fully maximised to enable them to self-regulate.
• We will harness AI to transform the way we lead, teach, work and learn.
• We will have a reliable and stable
single network allowing schools to communicate effectively.
• Our systems will be harmonised into an interconnected ecosystem, eliminating technological barriers and ensuring seamless integration across all facets of our educational organisation.
• We will build a seamlessly integrated infrastructure and data ecosystem that empowers deep, meaningful insights to drive strategic decisions and innovation.
• An effective AI operating system will be fully embedded.
Catalysts: How We Will Get There
To achieve these ambitious destinations for the system, we will activate the following catalysts:
• Embed the EmpowerED Strategy (phase 2) with the integration of the WAT Core Apps Wheel to enable consistency.
• Embed the EmpowerED Staff CPL Platform.
• Harness and leverage the power of AI to support and transform the way we lead, teach, work and learn.
• Embed an ethical AI framework for teaching and learning through a robust and progressive AI policy.
• Upskill our workforce to leverage the power of 1:1 devices to ensure an inclusive education for all.
• Have a single, cloud first infrastructure.
• Introduce a single sign-on solution across all WAT platforms.
• Demonstrate a deep connectivity between all platforms from HR to the Classroom.
• Centralisation of IT teams to amplify the skills and impact of the team.
• Creation of a centralised data warehouse to allow for connections to be made across all data sets.
• Harness and leverage the power of AI to support automation, workflows and insights.
Research
We believe that a culture of robust, evidence-informed research is vital for driving continuous improvement and innovation, not just within our family of schools, but across the wider education system. Our approach to research is multi-faceted, designed to generate new knowledge, solve complex problems and embed a culture of inquiry at all levels.
Destinations by 2030
• Robust research projects in partnership with sector partners and academic institutions designed for publication.
• Research studies developed in collaboration with school leadership to tackle ‘wicked’ (context specific) problems.
• Individual research projects within themes, e.g. effective reading, which allow innovation, insight and context specific indications of what works through our Practitioner Research programme.
• Knowledge management systems to create efficiencies in connection of human capital and generated knowledge.
Catalysts: How We Will Get There
• Partnerships with sector leaders to increase research scope, reliability and capacity, including the National Institute of Teaching, ImpactEd, the Confederation of School Trusts, and university partnerships.
• Sharpened methodologies to gather and analyse data.
• WAT Practitioner Research Team: time resourced.
• Master’s Level investigations.
• Chartered College of Teaching Partnership.
• Knowledge management systems to connect:
• Human capital (knowledge): Individual areas of knowledge e.g. Master’s dissertation area.
• Generated knowledge: Written research, reviews and studies created by WAT colleagues.
Communications
Effective communication is the cornerstone of our success, empowering us to build a powerful framework that strengthens our reputation, aligns our community and fosters a vibrant culture. Our communications strategy focuses on clearly communicating our trust’s vision to engage all stakeholders; establishing our reputation as a trusted, influential voice; becoming the employer of choice; and strengthening our schools’ appeal to families in their local communities. Underpinning this is our commitment to inclusive communication, ensuring we actively listen to our diverse stakeholders and use their feedback to drive action, making our messaging welcoming and representative for all.
Destinations by 2030
• Windsor Academy Trust will be an influential and trusted voice within the sector.
• We will have a reputation nationally, regionally and locally with key stakeholders as a strong trust that contributes meaningfully to the system.
• Windsor Academy Trust will be an employer of choice with a strong employer brand and talent pipeline.
• Our schools will be the number one
choice for families with our schools full/oversubscribed.
• Organisational improvement and performance is clearly informed by voice and insights from key stakeholders.
• A culture of inclusive communication across the Windsor Academy Trust family will empower our schools to ensure all communication and communication platforms are accessible, representative and welcoming to our diverse communities.
Catalysts: How We Will Get There
• A clear internal and external communications strategy and plan.
• A ‘Content Set Play’ providing our schools and central teams with a clear framework to tell their unique stories in a compelling way.
• Targeted recruitment and employer brand marketing campaigns and the creation of an effective candidate experience.
• Effective implementation of the Marketing Admissions Set Plays from Nursery to Post 16.
• A ‘Stakeholder Voice’ framework, using regular insights to develop and track measurable action plans for school and trust improvement.
• An ‘Inclusive Communications Set Play’ providing school and central teams with a clear framework and practical tools for sharing information in an accessible format.
Resources
We will ensure the long-term financial sustainability and operational efficiency of our entire trust family resources both physical and financial.
Destinations by 2030
• Financial sustainability across the family in the short and mediumterm with balanced budgets to match growth.
• Stable reserves in line with policy.
• Operational efficiency enabling achievement of 90%+ across internal KPIs for schools support.
• Strong compliance against relevant legislation evidenced through external and internal scrutiny.
• High-quality educational facilities that support the unlocking of academic and personal potential.
• Sustained improvement in baseline condition data.
• Highly effective and cost efficient contractual and supplier relationships.
• Effective procurement which adheres to legislation, providing best value and maximises streamlining opportunities.
Catalysts: How We Will Get There
To achieve these ambitious destinations in alignment with our Financial Strategy, we will activate the following catalysts:
• Streamline budget and finance systems to enhance mediumterm financial reporting to enable effective financial planning to anticipate and model challenges and opportunities.
• Maximise investment interest and passive income generation with structured and advanced cash management.
• Develop LIVE and future facing benchmarking metrics dashboard.
• Leverage finance system capabilities, streamlining procedures,
implementing and embedding automated processes and AI efficiencies across finance teams and developing standard KPIs to measure success.
• Have an embedded Estates and Capital Strategy and plan that drives strategic condition investment in an effective and efficient operational management of the WAT estate.
• Strategic investment into the maintenance and condition of the school estate.
• Develop a procurement roadmap to further leverage best value and efficiencies.
• Robust and expert understanding of all contracts and service level agreements at school and Trust level.
Governance
Strong, ethical and effective governance is the bedrock of our success. Our aim is to build a governance framework that is not only robust and compliant but also forwardlooking and dynamic, enabling us to fully embrace our responsibilities for trust, civic and system leadership. We will achieve this through a continuous cycle of external, self and peer reviews.
Destinations by 2030
• Have a strong and enacted trust and growth strategy that embraces trust, civic and system leadershipexternal, self and peer review cycle.
• Have an embedded and effective board and committee structure framework. Annual governance planner (statutory and regulatory guidance and compliance, Academy Trust Handbook (ATH), Terms of Reference (ToR) and Scheme of Delegation (SoD)).
• Have an embedded, effective and clearly-focused local governance structure through Local Community Committees (LCC), evidenced through stakeholder voice and
through the governance review cycle.
• Trustees and LCC representatives with excellent expertise, fostering a culture of diversity, integrity and constructive challenge, evidenced by self-review/observation and diversity data mapping.
• Exceptional CEO and executive leadership.
• An embedded ethical leadership framework in line with the Nolan Principles, evidenced by self review/ meeting evaluation.
• Strong accountability, assurance, risk management and compliance, evidenced through internal and external audit.
Catalysts: How We Will Get There
• Oversee and review the trust strategy and its annual development plan.
• Review decisions in line with the Nolan Principles.
• Review and add strength and diversity to the board of trustees.
• Implement and embed a reimagined approach to local governance.
• Strong approaches to accountability, internal and external audit, risk management and compliance.
• Development/growth and succession planning of trustees, LLC members and Resolution team members.
