A. To improve the educational experience for all children across PACE, with many examples of curriculum innovation and highly effective teaching and learning, resulting in excellent achievement for all groups of learners (Achievement, Excellence)

Why this is important: Our PACE curriculum has been established in each of our schools, personalised to meet the unique needs of individual cohorts and communities. Our next steps are to ensure that the curriculum across PACE deepens and grows in response to the needs of the children, offers inspirational and relevant learning opportunities and provides children with the cultural capital they need to thrive in an ever-changing world. Our expectation is that all schools across PACE will have achieved positive external validation and that pupil outcomes will have improved across each school, with progress being at least in line with national expectations and above in many areas.

B. To demonstrate exemplary practice around equality, diversity and inclusion (Achievement, Community, Excellence)

Why this is important:  Equality is one of our core threads and our curriculum provides many opportunities to promote and celebrate difference. These opportunities and experiences are embedded more in some schools than others. We want to ensure that every adult and child across our trust has an appreciation of difference and an awareness of the role they play in tackling discrimination in all its forms.

We recognise that the number of children identified as having a Special Educational Need is increasing nationally and we have seen an increase in pupils with complex SEND across our schools. We want our practice around SEND to be the best it can be – relevant, innovative and personalised to meet the needs of our pupils. By 2025, we aim to be a trust recognised for valuing and promoting the UNICEF Rights of the Child – these rights encompass all of the goals we have identified as our priorities.   

C. To retain financial stability within an economically challenging climate (Partnership)

Why this is important:  Across Merton, pupil numbers have fallen drastically and as a result of this we have had to permanently close one of our 1FE schools. Pupil numbers in our other smaller schools fluctuate and we must continue to focus on marketing all our schools to secure pupil numbers, particularly in our Nursery settings. Uncertainty around funding for schools, alongside increased numbers of children with SEND (and the associated costs) makes budget-setting challenging.  It is important that we are proactive in seeking opportunities to grow as a trust and that we  constantly look for ways to increase income and make savings, without it impacting on our commitment to educational excellence.

D. To be a thriving trust of a size that enables strong infrastructure, which underpins excellent educational opportunities for children (Partnership, Community)

Why this is important:  We want to grow because we believe that we can extend our work to provide high quality education and care to more children in a wider range of schools. PACE Academy Trust is ready for the next stage of growth, with an eagerness to expand with the right partner/s. This will require organisational development in terms of finance and business management systems, as well as an extension of our shared services, and a continued focus on income generation. In order to achieve this, we must be proactive, forward-thinking and coordinated in our approach, ensuring our core values and ethos remain at the heart of this growth.

E. For there to be a high-quality professional development offer in place for all staff, directors and governors (Partnership, Achievement, Community, Excellence)

Why this is important: A key component of successful school improvement is access to high quality professional development, which includes a clear and consistent performance development process for all staff. Evidence points to continual professional development being an important consideration for prospective staff and school leaders when considering the benefits of joining a multi -academy trust. We have already established a continual development programme, which has flourished over the past year to include more opportunities for other staff and governors. We want to extend this further through the establishment of Learning Coaches and by offering some of our CPD programme to staff beyond PACE. We are proud of our coaching culture and have  plans to grow our programme further across 2024 and 2025.

F. To maintain and enhance (where possible) our estate, combining forward-thinking approaches to income generation with our commitment to sustainability, recycling and reusing whenever possible. (Partnership, Community)

Why is this important? Children learn best when they feel safe and have access to facilities that support high quality teaching and learning. Ensuring children are taught in environments that are safe, fit for purpose and conducive to effective learning is a PACE priority. We must ensure our premises meet high standards of health and safety and that our buildings, equipment and technology are as advanced as possible. In order to achieve this, we must monitor closely, and plan carefully for improvement, seeking opportunities for grants and income generation wherever possible.  One of the core threads that runs through our curriculum is Global Learning and as part of this we want children to learn about and be committed to environmental sustainability. We will do all we can to teach our pupils about the importance of this.