Back in July, the Confederation of School Trusts (CST) announced plans to establish an elected policy advisory group, designed to broaden the involvement of trust leaders in policy discussions.
Following a highly engaged election process, our 36 advisory group members are now set to provide critical, front-line perspectives that will help to shape the policy landscape for school trusts across England.
CST is the sector body for school trusts.
We support the work of school trusts, but more than this we exist to build an excellent education system in which every school is part of a strong and sustainable group, where every child is a powerful learner, and adults learn and develop together as teachers and leaders.
Not ‘structures for structures’ sake’
This isn’t a “structures for structures’ sake” perspective. It’s about making the positive case for an education system which has the expertise, capacity and infrastructure to make a difference for children – especially those facing the greatest challenges.
This is why the government’s opportunity mission resonates so strongly with many trust leaders.
These are organisations which, over the past couple of decades, have stepped up to improve education, often in areas where the most disadvantaged were getting the rawest deal.
A commitment to disadvantaged pupils running through trusts like a stick of rock.
In secondary, 82 per cent of disadvantaged pupils are taught in academies.
And in the primary phase, where just under half of all state funded pupils are taught in academies, we also see a tilt towards disadvantaged children. Breaking down barriers to opportunity is what the sector is about.
Which is why it is so important to listen to the voices of the people leading school trusts.
They translate big picture policy into practice on the ground on behalf of the children and communities they serve.
They build capacity by learning and scaling what works, and they find out what doesn’t too. They are a vital resource for government and policy makers and it is a privilege to be a conduit for their views and professional practices.
‘A diversity of voices’
Our newly elected policy advisory group will help us do this even more effectively. They represent a rich diversity of voices, coming from trusts that vary in size, location, phase, type, and approach.
The group mirrors the breadth of experiences within CST’s membership: every region is represented and alongside trustees and chief executives we have expertise in school improvement, special educational needs, operations, and public affairs.
Research highlights that school and trust leadership is not yet representative enough of the population, our workforce, or our pupils, especially with regard to racial and ethnic diversity.
We are pleased that the advisory group brings together leaders from various backgrounds, and with a balanced representation of men and women. While there is still much progress to be made, we hope this group will actively contribute to that journey.
‘Gathering member perspectives’
The group will not operate in isolation or directly decide policy; rather, it will complement CST’s existing open member meetings, professional communities, and agile working groups.
By gathering member perspectives from the advisory group and our broader membership, and incorporating them into CST’s overall policy framework, we aim to ensure that our policies reflect a comprehensive understanding of trusts’ needs and aspirations.
We’re thrilled to launch our policy advisory group today. The voice of all CST members matters to us as much now as ever and we will continue to build policy with them all as usual.
With trust leaders at the heart of our policy development, and CST’s work feeding through into discussions with government and other policy makers, we look forward to working collaboratively to shape a future where school trusts are empowered to deliver the best possible education for the children we serve.
You can read the full list of members here.
