Multi Academy Trusts have grown since their original inception over a decade ago. Over that time, there have been some great successes and, just like with all things, some negatives too.

What is really important to impress is that no two MATs are alike. Just like schools, each MAT will operate slightly differently and will have its own systems in place over a greater or lesser amount of areas.

If you are thinking of joining a MAT, and joining the Coppice Primary Partnership, we would really encourage you to come for a visit to discuss what we do. If you want to find out more, you can email office@coppicepp.org.

What joining Coppice means

Joining Coppice means that you become part of a bigger network - a family. Through this, you will be able to access support in a range of areas within and beyond the school. This doesn't however remove your ability to lead your school in the way that your community needs it to be lead. We believe in consistency, not uniformity and we achieve this in a number of ways.

Each school with Coppice has its own Headteacher. They are supported by their own Local Governing Board as well as being able to access support from the central team. The Trust Board oversees all schools within the trust but works strategically to ensure that all children in the trust have equitable access to the best quality education and experience. 

We believe that 'Aligned Autonomy' is the sweet spot for achieving excellence. Through collaborative work with our Executive Leadership Team, aligned frameworks are created which provide the platform to enact these autonomously in your school.

You can hear what our staff think about Coppice here.

The Coppice Offer

The core purpose of any school is to provide the best possible education to the children that attend it. At Coppice, we believe that the core purpose of a strong trust should be to provide the support to schools to enable this, and this is what drives us. The offer we provide for schools all feeds into improving the outcomes, experiences and opportunities for children.

Curriculum

• Trust Curriculum framework which gives agency to 'enact' it in schools​

• A voice in all curriculum decisions and the opportunity to work collaboratively on curriculum development​

• Subject network meetings to support subject leaders and share practice​

• Access to experts from their field, led by the school, to support school improvement

Pedagogy

• No Trust prescribed styles or expectations
• Pedagogy Principles based around evidence informed practice
• School and teacher agency - what works for your children in your context
• Trust summative data collection to support shared understanding and target specific actions

Professional Development

• Trust Wide Training which is bespoke and tailored to the specific needs of the schools
• Progression Pathways for all staff to develop in  a way that suits them
• Extended opportunities to work within and across the trust

Workforce and Wellbeing

• 'Coppice Promise' which supports workload and wellbeing of staff

• Trust Wide principles which inform policy, taking account of workload and wellbeing

• Private Healthcare through Benenden and Annual Flu Voucher

• Access to wraparound care and extended services

Central Services

• Support the schools to allow them to focus on the main thing - children's education
• Schools manage their own budget and have their own LGB
• Finance, HR, Estates and governance team support leaders to make plans a reality
• Standardised policies and systems avoid duplication of work and improve efficiency