WE ARE ALWAYS STRIVING TO DO BETTER FOR OUR CHILDREN
Coombe Road Primary School has a strong reputation in the community for being highly inclusive, built on strong relationships, and feeling like a family. We are ambitious for our children’s education and have high aspirations for their future. As a result, we are a highly successful school, rated good by Ofsted twice in a row, and have seen a 26% increase in pupil numbers over just three years – in a city with one of the lowest birth rates in the country.
Our dedicated governors have been exploring ways to take the school to the next level. They take their role seriously in ensuring the school has access to the capacity and expertise needed to accelerate improvement. Generously, The Pioneer Academy has given the school ‘associate membership’ to their trust – a package designed to accelerate improvement at no cost to the school, initially until the Christmas break. The governing body’s aim is to share our ambition with The Pioneer Academy and better understand how it might help strengthen key aspects of school life and learning. We are committed to transparency and we will be evaluating the partnership and considering feedback from teachers and parents, to decide the next steps in December. Governors will then be in the strongest position to carefully weigh all options to determine what is in the best interests of our children, the school, and the wider community.
Our small size is, in many ways, one of our greatest strengths. It allows our staff to know our children and families well, build deep relationships, and create a safe and exciting environment for learning. However, it also means we are continually seeking additional support to make the school even better. The Pioneer Academy, which has a strong track record of school improvement and can enhance our capacity. A multi-academy trust is a group of schools that work together as one organisation. They share resources, expertise, and ideas to help all the schools improve and give children the best education possible. We are working with an academy trust – not starting a consultation to join.
Earlier this year, the Government launched Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence (RISE) teams to help raise education standards across England. The head of The Pioneer Academy is one of the first RISE advisers appointed to the programme. The trust also includes staff who are trained Ofsted inspectors and leaders with experience across London and the South East, offering valuable support to our school. You can find out more about the trust by clicking here.
We are aware of the misinformation and disinformation that can surround academies, and you may have questions. As always, our door is open if you would like to speak with us. We have also organised ‘surgery-style’ information meetings with the head of The Pioneer Academy, Lee Mason-Ellis, for those who would like to learn more. The regional director, Ian McManus, will also be joining us for the Meet the Teacher and Celebrate Learning session on Tuesday 7th October, should you wish to ask questions in an even more informal setting.
Please contact Lumina in the school office (admin@coomberoad.brighton-hove.sch.uk) if you would like to attend one of the surgeries with Lee:
- Thursday 2nd October at 2:30pm, 3:30pm or 5:00pm
- Wednesday 15th October at 2:30pm, 3:30pm or 5:00pm
You can also read a recent article about school improvement, written by Lee, in the TES by clicking here.
The opportunity to work with new partners is an exciting proposition and will provide additional expertise and resources to support school leadership in driving the school even further forward, while retaining our unique inclusive identity. We would like to thank you for your continued support of Coombe Road Primary School. We believe that we have a truly wonderful school here and we are committed to ensuring we provide the very best for all of our school community.
You can find our letter to parents below:
