CEO Thought for the Week

Hi Everyone,

Only a few more days to go and we will be at half term — and it looks like it might be a scorcher!

It has been an incredibly busy term, with so much happening across our schools and the Trust. From school trips and visitors, to SATs, monitoring visits, professional development networks and recruitment activity as we approach the teacher resignation deadline, there has been a huge amount going on.

Thank you all for your continued hard work and for the support you give to our children, families and each other during such a busy period.

I also wanted to share some exciting news. The DfE has now formally agreed the merger between Infinity Academies Trust and Abbey Academies Trust. This means that the three AAT schools — Bourne Abbey, Bourne Elsea Park and Colsterworth — will formally become part of Infinity from the beginning of the new academic year.

We are really looking forward to welcoming new colleagues from these schools and meeting them through various networks and events over the coming months. They will be fantastic additions to the Infinity family, and I know they are keen to both share their own expertise and learn from all that IAT has to offer. As part of the transfer, we are also pleased to share that Megan Shears, Director of Teaching & Learning and currently Interim CEO at AAT, will join our Education Team as an Education Advisor. Megan will work alongside Becky Hopwood, with a particular focus on teaching, learning, and curriculum. This brings additional capacity and expertise to the team, and Megan will be shadowing Becky on a few visits next half term as she gets up to speed with all things IAT.

For those of you who may not have spotted it on LinkedIn, we are also delighted to let you know that Sarah Robertson, currently Deputy Director of the LEARN SEND Hub, will be joining IAT in September as our Education Advisor for Inclusion. Sarah already knows our schools really well, having completed many SEND audits across the Trust and worked extensively with our SENCO team over the past few years. With the ever shifting SEND and inclusion agenda, it will be fantastic to have Sarah’s expertise within the team, helping to shape the strategic direction of this vital work.

The Trust continues to go from strength to strength as we look forward to becoming a family of 20 schools in September. Are we perfect? Not by a long shot. Are there things we still need to get better at? Absolutely. But are we making progress all the time, learning and reflecting as we go, and building something together across every classroom, every school, and the Trust? I believe we are — and it is something truly very special.

Have a great half-term break and enjoy the BBQ weather!

Best wishes,
Gavin