‘Setting the direction for specialist education in our city – journeying together, learning together, stronger together’

October 23 rd 2013
Congratulations!
We are now officially registered with Companies House as a charitable organisation and have successfully launched as the Newcastle Special Schools
Trust operating under the title ‘The Newcastle
Compass Trust’ last Friday at Gosforth Civic Hall.
‘Setting the direction for specialist education in our city – journeying together, learning together, stronger together’

• The Board of Trustees will represent the views of each partner school and the Local Authority.
• Each individual school retains its own independent
Governing Body.
• Sheila Kingsland will represent the Local Authority
• Each school’s Head Teacher and one nominated
Governor will serve on the Trust Board.
• The Chair and Vice Chair of the Trust will come from one of the four schools (but not the same school) and he/she will have a casting vote. These positions have yet to be decided.
• Also to be decided are Trustees from the business and voluntary sector, however we are pleased to confirm that Michael Quincy will be joining the Trust
Board.

‘Setting the direction for specialist education in our city – journeying together, learning together, stronger together’
Through collaboration, innovation and challenge the Trust in
Year One will:
1. Improve the educational experience and achievements of our pupils
2. Advocate on behalf of our pupils, their parents and carers, to develop and improve the quality of services they are offered or may require
3. Work in partnership with each other and other agencies to improve the continuity and provision of services across the Trust and the wider education, social care and health communities
4. Promote the efficient and effective and creative use of its partnership resources
5. Provide a framework for challenge across its schools.

Newcastle Compass Trust
Improve the educational experience and achievements of our pupils:
• Through successfully launching and sharing our vision with our membership and partners, including our Governing
Bodies
• Through the continuity and stability of our current discrete provisions offering parents/carers choices and excellent education
• Through working in partnership with our Trust Schools and partners (Linhope PRU/EEAST Team, LA, mainstream links) to share moderation, information exchange, subject specialisms, curriculum initiatives and joint CPD
• Through communicating and celebrating our pupils’ and partners’ achievements through a termly newsletter, creating an identifiable new brand/logo to raise our profile in the city and the wider region.

Newcastle Compass Trust
Advocate on behalf of our pupils, their parents and carers, to develop and improve the quality of services they are offered or may require:
• Through developing a SWOT analysis and auditing the combined needs of our community
• Through listening to our pupils’ views
• Through listening to our parents’/carers’ views
• Through communications between school councils/forums and auditing the pupils’ needs
• Through combining training opportunities for parents/carers across the Trust
• Through discussions and representations to the LA and the voluntary sector.

Newcastle Compass Trust
Work in partnership with each other and other agencies to improve the continuity and provision of services across the
Trust and the wider education, social care and health communities:
• Through communicating the Trust’s vision with our core membership, our staff, governors, parents/carers and pupils
• Investigate potential new partnerships and the contributions they can make to our Trust
• Through sharing expertise and strategic planning with the implementation of new EHC Plans
• Through enhancing the voice of the Trust at Schools’
Forum and LA level
• Through investigating the benefits of joint Health commissioning of services.

Newcastle Compass Trust
Promote the efficient, effective and creative use of its partnership resources:
• Through networking School Business Managers/Senior Admin
Officers promoting value for money in the procurement of goods and services and LA SLAs
• Through sharing school policies and protocols
• Through sharing the Pupil Premium accountability
• Through investigating ITT and Schools Direct
• Through joint membership of affiliations, e.g. FLSE, EQUALS,
NASEN, Newcastle Toy and Leisure Library, North East Special
Needs Network, SI Network, SLD Forum, Governor North
• Through investigating combined outreach, advice and support
• Through investigating Research and Development.

Newcastle Compass Trust
Provide a framework for challenge across its schools.
• Share a combined Strategic Target in each School’s
Development Plan that commits time to developing the
Trust’s vision and strategic planning. Time to set up protocols and operational procedures and a three year narrative outlining our capacity to move forward as a collective.
• Create opportunities to bring the community of schools together for social and educational forums to develop networks, forge relationships and plan future partnerships.
• Create opportunities to share school self-evaluation and preparation for inspection.
• Create opportunities for peer review, shadowing, middle leadership, succession planning.

Newcastle Compass Trust
Outline of opportunities in Years Two and Three to consider in the three year narrative:
• Linked Trust Achievement Partner
• Linked Trust HR Representative
• Linked Social Worker
• Linked Middle Leadership Forum
• Linked Subject Leader Forum
• Linked HLTA/Senior TA Network
• Linked Therapy Network
• Linked Educational Psychology
• Linked Social Care Co-ordinator
• Co-ordinated out of hours learning opportunities
• Charitable fund raising for joint initiatives
• Representation with Health Commissioners
• Local Authority SEN Transport
• Respite Provision
• Inclusion Panel

Newcastle Compass Trust
‘Setting the direction for specialist education in our city – journeying together, learning together, stronger together’
The current Trust members will in time, seek to attract additional partners from higher education, local and national businesses and charitable organisations to help support and challenge it to meet its aims and achieve its vision.
The first priority is to:
Plan our journey together, learn from each other’s experience and expertise, be proud to stand together as a collective of schools with one strong voice advocating for all.

Newcastle Compass Trust
‘Setting the direction for specialist education in our city – journeying together, learning together, stronger together’
Together in partnership we will support our staff to:
• Improve job security
• Improve job satisfaction
• Improve long term vision and direction
• Improve career development
• Improve a sense of community
• Improve collaborative working
• Improve efficient and effective working arrangements.

Newcastle Compass Trust
‘Setting the direction for specialist education in our city – journeying together, learning together, stronger together’
In partnership we will consider …………
• Trust inter-sports competitions
• Trust swimming galas
• Trust achievement awards
• Trust art exhibition at a city venue
• Trust talent competition ‘The Trust Factor’
• Web site links
• Parental workshops and training
• Trust ‘night out’, a social event for staff in the summer 2014
• Trust ‘Coffee Morning’ with guest speakers for parents/carers/professionals
• New joint initiatives like the ‘Newcastle Symbols Project’

Newcastle Compass Trust
We would welcome your feedback.
We would like to use this opportunity to network, feedback your views, opinions, comments, observations, priorities on the future development of the Trust.
• Where do you want us to go?
• Do you agree with the outlined vision?
• What opportunities have we missed?
• What are your priorities for the Trust?
• If we ran a Conference for the Trust what would you like it to focus on? What areas of CPD could we network on?
• Who would you like us to engage with and network with?
• Anything else? Comments, feedback, opinions?