Welcome from our CEO Dawn Haywood

I am delighted to share with you Windsor Academy Trust’s first annual report.

2022 was an important milestone for our family of schools as we continued to emerge stronger from the pandemic. Not only did we enter our second decade and launch a new strategy, it also marked my first year as CEO. I can honestly say that it is an utter privilege to lead our family of schools and, despite some of the challenges currently facing our sector, I still firmly believe teaching is the best job in the world.

Just over 12 months into my new role, I am hugely proud of all that we do. Our staff and our students have a deep sense of belonging both within their school and the broader WAT family.

As a family, our moral purpose is to unlock the academic and personal potential of young people. We want our students to aspire and to become all and more than they ever thought they could be. Students who know who they are and the sort of person they want to be; students who have discovered their passions; students who have high hopes and dreams for their futures and a clear sense of purpose; students who want to make a difference in their communities and in the world and students who understand the importance and value of education as a powerful driver for the greater good. I am proud to say that our young people are achieving all of this and so much more.

Although we have a clear sense of what makes WAT WAT, each of our nine schools is unique and is cherished for its uniqueness. All schools in the WAT family have their own identity and values. Each brings something different and each is supported to improve, including the very best. Academic outcomes are strong and improving across the family and we seek to keep driving these forwards. The Ofsted judgements of schools are also very strong. Six of our nine schools were deemed ‘requires improvement’ or ‘inadequate’ when they joined the WAT family. All schools in the family are now graded ‘good’ with many outstanding features.

As a family, our collective work is making a difference to the lives of young people, the communities we serve and the education system more broadly. I hope our annual report reflects this and provides you with a greater understanding of what it means to be part of the Windsor Academy Trust family.

Warm regards,

Dawn Haywood