Trust Leadership Group Conference 6

The final Trust Leadership Group conference of each year is a key moment in our strategic planning, as we review progress to date and evolve our priorities for the coming year.

In previous years, this conference has been the starting point for the construction of the Curriculum Blueprint and for embarking on a refreshed strategic focus on Inclusive Classrooms. This year, heads and the central team explored how we can improve the engagement, wellbeing and achievement of those pupils most disengaged with education.

Research, particularly, but certainly not exclusively, since Covid and in the context of our current economic climate, is increasingly highlighting sense of belonging as being critical to success at school. We have been exploring what this means for our schools: why do some pupils not have a sense of belonging, how does this affect their attendance, engagement, behaviour and learning, and what can we collectively and at school level do to increase pupils’ sense of belonging?

The Virtual School provided powerful training that vividly illustrated the sometimes deep rooted reasons for detachment from education, at the same time as offering hope, informed by scientific research into child development, that young people’s paths are not pre-destined and that there are practical approaches that teachers and all colleagues in schools can adopt to re-engage and support such pupils.

Complementing this work, we reviewed our People Strategy, looking at how we continue to develop colleagues’ sense of belonging to Anglian Learning and revisiting our offer to colleagues to support workload, wellbeing and quality of life in our schools. This is important work to ensure equity and opportunity for all colleagues and to spread the practice and expertise that can best empower colleagues and thus help to secure the best experience and outcomes for our pupils.