Central Services Provision

We fully understand that every school is unique and that every school is at a different point in their journey as they strive for excellence. Our highly qualified and experienced Executive and Central Team will work with leaders, trustees and governors to evaluate and decide how we can best support you by creating a bespoke core offer of support and improvement for your individual school. 

A central contribution (top slice) will be agreed at school level to pay for any services that are provided by the Trust centrally to make them more cost-effective. This would be dependent on the needs of the individual schools within the MAT but currently is between 5-7% of the total GAG. The central contribution will be reviewed periodically to ensure that it continues to meet the needs of each individual school.

The central contributions from our schools contribute to the following range of services:

School Improvement

1. Progress review meetings with the Chief Executive Officer 
2. Systematic opportunities for leaders to support colleagues in other schools, including coaching and mentoring
3. Access to our team of Strive4 Leaders in Learning and other outstanding teachers and leaders
4. Opportunities for staff to become Leaders in Learning
5. Teaching & learning development and support 
6. Access to support from the NQT appropriate body (free of charge)
7. Professional learning networks for subject/phase leaders and teachers
8. Leadership development programmes and pathways
9. Opportunities to be trained as a NPQML or NPQSL facilitator with Best Practice Network
10. New headteacher induction
11. Peer and external reviews
12. Annual Pupil Premium review or healthcheck on request
13. Quality Assurance of SEF and SIP
14. Annual Standards Review with Trust support plan as required
15. Annual Trust wide training days
16. Support with OFSTED inspections
17. Widespread staff secondment and shadowing opportunities
18. Trustees’ and governors' leadership and training opportunities 

Safeguarding

1. Trust wide DSL meetings
2. HR support for SCR and safeguarding administration
3. Annual calendar of Trust safeguarding training

Human Resources

The Trust provides schools with an HR adviser who will work with you to help you identify and plan what your strategic HR needs will be in the coming year, linking them to your school improvement plan.

General Support covering:

• Performance management
• Employment law advice
• Absence management and reporting
• Terms and conditions
• Grievance and disciplinary
• Complex casework
• Investigations
• Union consultation
• Workforce planning
• Staff recruitment and retention
• Processing of all contractual appointments, terminations and variations
• Management information
• e-Safeguarding DBS service
• Appraisal

Systems support

1. Fully integrated HR and Payroll system
2. Pension returns and audit

Staff wellbeing

1. Occupational health provision covering referrals and reviews
2. Employee Programme and staff wellbeing initiatives
3. Absence management and guidance
4. Stress management

Finance

General

1. Payroll provision for all schools
2. Administration of bank accounts
3. Access to financial expertise and training from a range of Trust staff including the Finance & Operations Director, accountants and the Chief Finance Officer
4. Advice on compliance with the Academy Financial Handbook and the Trust’s financial procedures
5. Provision of internal and external audit service
6. Processing of all ESFA returns, VAT returns, BACS payments and month and year end procedures

Procurement

1. Creation of a strategy for each commodity (books, printing, etc.) to establish bulk buy savings and quality improvements for each key area of spend
2. Access to a single high quality contract supplier for key services across the Trust. Tender & quotation management for contracts shared with other schools.
3. Service level agreements and regular meetings with key suppliers to continuously improve quality and drive down costs
4. Training to procure goods & services effectively.

Please note that procurement of low value or occasional items remains the responsibility of individual schools.

Business management

1. Legal advice for day to day issues (additional school contribution may be required depending on circumstances)
2. Insurance commission fee for arrangement of insurance not covered under RPA

Estates and Facilities

Estates

1. On-site and by phone support
2. Property/condition funding strategy
3. Assistance with ESFA data collection surveys
4. Assistance with Emergency Planning
5. Guidance on strategic services for repair and maintenance
6. Assistance with recruitment
7. Estates monitoring check lists for Site Teams
8. Assistance in the event of plant/building failure
9. Assistance with major project 
10. Assistance with Budget planning

Health and Safety Support

1. On-site and phone support
2. Statutory compliance guidance and audits
3. Accident reporting (RIDDOR) and follow up investigations
4. Asbestos management plan guidance
5. Risk assessments
6. Fire Risk Management guidance and reviews
7. Health and safety Induction guidance
8. Policy support-eg Health & Safety policy, Asbestos Management policy etc

GDPR/data protection

1. GDPR policy and privacy notices
2. Registration with the ICO
3. Data protection officer support and audit provision
4. Training and support
5. Data breach and subject access request guidance
6. Privacy notice