Bridge Education Trust Consultation 2023

The Reason for the Consultation:

The Governing Bodies of Fairisle Infant & Nursery School, Fairisle Junior School, Mason Moor Primary School, Newlands Primary School, Oakwood Primary School, Redbridge Primary School, Shirley Warren Primary & Nursery School are proposing to change their legal school category from Community to Foundation and, at the same time, acquire charitable status as a shared co-operative trust; to be known as: Bridge Education Trust (Southampton) 

To take this plan forward, the schools are proposing to change category from community to foundation and at the same time to join the newly created cooperative education trust called Bridge Education Trust (Southampton)

The proposed date of implementation (i.e. the date on which any legal change of category would take place and when the school would join the trust) is 1st March 2023. 

The process of change will not result in noticeable day to day differences for our school, but we believe that setting up this partnership will allow us to join a group of likeminded education providers and learn from the shared expertise and experience they offer.

You are invited to comment on these proposals at any time until the end of the consultation period, which runs for 4 weeks starting on 5th January 2023 and ending on 2nd February 2023. The full Proposal have been distubuted by each school, if you would like a copy or have further questions please email Trustinfo@rlfederation.net and a member of the team will be in touch with you shortly. 

The Vision and Values of our proposed Education Trust

The vision we have for our proposed Education Trust is of a strong partnership that helps us to: 

• Strengthen existing partnerships and encourage reciprocal effort in order to develop a sustainable self-improving schools’ system, which improves our children’s educational experiences and long-lasting relationships in the community.
• Ensure that local schools remain accountable to local people.
• Attract and retain the best possible quality staff to work with our children and families, offering a broad range of effective and relevant development opportunities.
• Enhance the well-being of our children and all other stakeholders in our school communities.
• Further increase the levels of aspiration and opportunities for our communities.
• Promote the academic and social potential of all our young people in our community. 
• Ensure improved longer term employment prospects for our learners through closer working with local secondary schools and higher education institutions. 
• Work together on specific curriculum areas to enhance learning opportunities that develop our children’s knowledge and understanding of the world, raise their self-esteem and promote well-being so they are prepared academically and socially to succeed in the next phase of education.
• Improve transition for our learners across their journey within our schools.
• Develop partnerships with pre-schools, nurseries, secondary schools, colleges, universities, employers and apprenticeship providers.
• Improve value for money and economies of scale in a time of real terms reduction in funding.

As a Cooperative Education Trust, we will adopt and support the values and principles of the Cooperative movement in our work: all Cooperatives are based on the values of self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity and solidarity.  Cooperative members also believe in honesty, openness, social responsibility and caring for others.