Safeguarding Lead Practitioner

Introduction

Greater Manchester Academies Trust (GMAT) is a multi-academy Trust which currently provides nursery, primary and secondary education in North Manchester, at the Manchester Communication Academy (MCA) and Manchester Communication Primary Academy (MCPA) . We also provides associate leadership and management support to Collyhurst Nursery, a Local Authority maintained nursery and Children’s Centres.

​GMAT serves a diverse community and all our focus and commitment is on enabling transformational change for our families and their communities. We aim to deliver deep social impact and excellent educational outcomes for children through a curriculum that inspires, preparing them for a future unknown.

Their story is unwritten, their future untold, they will succeed.

As part of a coherent vision to act together in a deep partnership, the trust is formed with a Trust Board, an Executive Principal, and an Executive Leadership team including a Headteacher at MCA and MCPA. The senior leaders of the Trust’s academies are determined to improve the educational outcomes of all the children and young people it is directly responsible for. This will only be achieved through the recruitment and retention of a high quality and committed workforce. To this end the Trust is aspiring to become the employer of first choice within the area. We intend to develop, implement and embed a recruitment and retention strategy based on a positive ethos within all our academies, delivering workload reform, outstanding professional development, evidenced informed practice and enhanced career opportunities for staff. This plan, we believe, will have a significant impact on the quality of teaching and learning, removing barriers to achievement and enhancing educational outcomes.

We have strong, effective and professional governance reflecting local, regional and global business and education partners.

Manchester Communication Academy

Manchester Communication Academy has been open since September 2010 and currently has 1200 students, the highest number since opening. Progress outcomes have a 4 year trend of average or above average (2019-2023). MCA has achieved its best ever GCSE results in 2023 something we are extremely proud of.

The most recent OFSTED inspection reviewed MCA as Good in all areas with and outstanding judgement for personal wellbeing (April 2019).

Manchester Communication Primary Academy

Manchester Communication Primary Academy opened in a new building in September 2015 and currently has over 400 children, including a nursery. MCPA was inspected by OFSTED in March 2023 and was judged Good in all areas.

Manchester Communication Research School

The Research Schools Network is a partnership between the Education Endowment Fund (EEF) and the Department for Education. There are 32 Research Schools which provide school-led support for the use of evidence to improve teaching practice. Manchester Communication Academy was awarded Research School status in 2019, the only school in the north west to achieve this. Our role will include sharing and disseminating the very best of evidence-based practice to schools and teachers across the north west whilst supporting schools and Teaching Schools in the region.

GMAT Families and Community/ Social Investment

We are very proud that we have a dedicated team who assists our families and the local community. The core aim of the Social Investment Department is to mitigate the impact of disadvantage on our students, their families and the wider community. Some of the examples of programmes we provide are The Bread & Butter Thing, The family zone, Hidden homeless campaign, Adult learning programme, Once upon a Time.

We are supportive, not prescriptive and empowered by deep social insight

More information about Manchester Communication Research School can be found at https://researchschool.org.uk/manchester/ where you can sign up to receive our monthly newsletter (https://mailchi.mp/9afdcd06c4f3/research-school-newsletter). You can also follow what the Research School is up to on twitter @ManComRS

Our Commitment

At GMAT we will deliver excellent provision for our students, their families and community and our staff. We aim to bring equality of educational experience to every student in order to maximise outcomes for all.

Our students will:

•be physically, socially, emotionally safe and healthy

•be asset rich and resilient to the effects of area and personal disadvantage

•make good or better academic progress a teach key stage of their education

•be able to secure the employment opportunities of their choice

•be able to contribute to the community

Our families and the wider community make an important contribution throughout GMAT. They access our outstanding facilities and the diverse programme of social and learning opportunities. Their involvement underpins our community strategy.

Our staff will achieve the highest professional standards, continuously developing their skills and experience through high quality research, training and innovation. We will ensure that their working conditions allow them to be happy and fulfilled at GMAT.

Vision

To provide high quality teaching & learning through a supportive framework for academic success which engages local communities, mitigates the effects of disadvantage and positively impacts social mobility

Our ambition is to provide the highest quality education for children and young people in the urban context of Manchester. We believe passionately in the power of an excellent education to transform lives and futures and feel that we can build on our social investment activities, local knowledge, community relationships and strong partnerships to make this happen. We seek to be the place of first choice for children to learn and staff to work. Through an extensive challenging curriculum and best practice in teaching and learning, informed by research and the experiences of our staff, we will enhance children’s life chances by maximising their educational outcomes. The Trust’s ability to look and work cross phase will enable us to become a centre of excellence in transition. We will invest in families, develop strong curriculum and pedagogy to ensure enhanced progression in children’s learning from the primary to the secondary phase.

We will embrace the opportunity to take responsibility for a child’s education throughout their whole school life, providing them with the best opportunity for a successful future.

Values

· We are committed to excellence, supporting the ambitions of young people and their families

· We work in partnership with our local community and local schools to improve life chances for all

· We aim to deliver transformational deep social impact

· We are trustworthy, helpful and straightforward whilst inspiring others and demonstrating heart

Ambition

Our ambition for the community we serve shapes our approach at all levels of the Trust. Whilst we aim to build a strong and cohesive identity, with common expectations and standards, we recognise that each school within the Trust has its own unique characteristics. Collaboration and joint working ensure that all schools within the Trust, and those that work with us, can share in, and benefit from, each other’s strengths.

Our ambition is to be a successful and growing MAT that fosters an inclusive and aspirational culture that promotes academic success and lifelong skills amongst all our children, regardless of their social, economic or cultural background.

To achieve this, we must:

·  Make a positive difference to the lives of the children, their families and the communities we serve.

·  Have an unflinching commitment to closing the gap between all groups of students so that no child is left behind.

·  Build a positive, inclusive culture that fosters open and honest communication so that barriers to our vision can be removed.

·  Provide a working environment to enable our staff to develop and flourish, working for an employer of choice that supports them personally as well as professionally.

Across our Trust, our children will:

• Be physically, socially, emotionally safe and healthy
• Be asset rich and resilient to the effects of area and personal disadvantage
• Make good or better academic progress at each key stage of their education
• Be able to secure the employment opportunities of their choice
• Be able to contribute to the community

·  Be able to communicate effectively through technology and innovation

Our families and the wider community make an important contribution throughout GMAT. They can access our outstanding facilities and the diverse programme of social and learning opportunities. Their involvement underpins our community strategy.

Our staff achieve the highest professional standards, continuously developing their skills and experience through high quality research, training, and innovation. We ensure that their working conditions allow them to be happy and fulfilled at GMAT.

By 2025 all of our academies will:

·  Achieve the best possible outcomes for all of our learners through high quality teaching and learning and effective family support

·  Offer an engaging curriculum to meet the needs of students and employers both now and in the future

·  Be a great place to work with the best professional development and career opportunities where we recruit and retain excellent staff and deliver a high quality evidence informed approach to professional development.

·  Make a positive difference to the lives of the pupils and adults in our community, ensuring children thrive and achieve

·  Grow and sustain a MAT built on transparency and integrity which improves the life chances for a wider population by reaching more pupils and their communities; and leveraging better value and increased economies for shared services