Vision and Values
At The Redstart Learning Partnership (TRLP) we are committed to enabling our children to achieve the highest standards giving them the opportunity to both choose and create their own futures.
Based in the South West there is limited access to the diversity and opportunity offered within the cities and other regions in England. It is, therefore, essential we equip our children with the knowledge and skills to be fully participating global citizens in the 21st century.
TRLP was established in March 2015 with 3 primary schools in south Somerset forming a learning partnership. The premise behind the 3 schools coming together was that by working collaboratively we could achieve more together than we could alone and that belief remains at the heart of our work. As we have grown as an organisation other schools joining us need to be committed to this collaborative partnership both as contributors and receptors.
Social injustice takes many forms and it is our intention as an organisation to both support those children who have been disadvantaged enabling them to attain as highly as their peers but also to enable all our students to become ambassadors of change and to fight for social justice for all. We want all of our children to embrace diversity, stand up for their views and to fight for environmental matters.
Our Trust incorporates a broad mix of community and church schools, village and town, large and small schools which come together with the same common aim. As a mixed MAT TRLP’s vision aligns to the Church of England vision for education which ‘is for the common good of the whole community’.
Mission and core purpose
Our mission is to challenge social injustice
We bring together schools to work in deep collaboration to achieve high attainment, to value diversity and to develop character and cultural capital. Our vision and values align fully with the Church of England’s vision for children: John 10:10 “That they may have life in all its fullness.”
Vision
Every child accessing high quality teaching every day in every lesson
Measure - At 11 our children are more than prepared for their secondary education. They will have the academic, character and cultural capital to be successful learners, confident individuals and responsible citizens.
Our schools share the same mission, vision and values. They benefit from shared resources, high quality CPD, excellent school improvement and access to high quality central services. We promote aligned autonomy through the provision of a framework for daily business which is established and embedded thus releasing capacity for sustained improvements, creativity
and innovation.
Values
Our values permeate all aspects of Trust work and support the C of E vision for education.
1. Excellence - educating for skills, knowledge and wisdom
“Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches”
Galatians 6:6
2. Collaborative service - educating for community and living well together
“Let each of you look not only for his own interest, but also for the interests of others.” Philippians 2:3-7
3. Courage - educating for hope and aspiration
“Only be strong and very courageous to carefully observe the whole instruction.” Joshua 1:7-9
4. Compassion - educating for dignity and respect
“Comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing." 1 Thessalonians 5:11
Framework for Excellence
We are committed to our vision and values and to exemplify how we apply them in our daily life we have designed a Framework for Excellence which is forms the basis of our work across the Trust. We use the following 6 principles which are used to inform our curriculum, teaching and learning and Trust policies.
1. Powerful learners and knowledgeable individuals
‘The ability to read, write and analyze; the confidence to stand up and demand Justice and equality; the qualifications and connections to get your foot in the door and take your seat at the table’
Michelle Obama
‘Education is the most powerful weapon which can be used to change the world.’ Nelson Mandela
At the heart of all we do for both staff and pupils is a relentless focus on learning. We ensure all of our pupils master the core skills of reading, writing and numeracy enabling them to have the necessary skills to access their future education and careers. However, it is just as important to us that our pupils learn how to learn and think for themselves. We encourage them to be curious, to ask questions – of themselves and of us, to grapple with complex problems and work both independently and collaboratively. We want them to appreciate that real learning is not easy and sometimes the journey is more important than the destination. Our curriculum is designed to inspire, to cultivate new skills, to develop expertise, to deepen knowledge and understanding of the world in which we live.
All staff are committed to the principles of life-long learning and to commit to professional development for themselves.
2. High expectations
‘Treat a man as he is and he will remain as he is. Treat a man as he can and should be and he will become what he can and should be.’
Stephen Covey
All staff and pupils work to meet the highest standards they are able. We believe that every child is a special, unique individual who is capable of extraordinary things. We constantly challenge pupils and staff to do what they think they can’t, to persist, to persevere when things are hard and to be their best. We employ outstanding individuals and educate our pupils to become outstanding individuals.
3. Contributing citizens
“We realize the importance of our voices only when we are silenced.”
Malala Yousafi
“To be a good citizen, it’s important to be able to put yourself in other people’s shoes and see the big picture. If everything you see is rooted in your own identity, that becomes difficult or impossible.”
Eli Pariser
Our Trust is a values driven organisation. Whilst we recognise that academic success unlocks future doors we also know that it is how our pupils work together and contribute to society that will ultimately ensure their success. Our 4 Trust values are taught to explicitly to our children in assemblies and lessons but are also exemplified in our curriculum offer and the opportunities children can access during their time in our schools.
Our staff are committed not only to the work of the school in which they are based but to contribute to the wider Trust, local schools, local churches and the community in which they are based.
4. Confident leaders
“A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to be.”
Rosalyn Carter
‘He who cannot be a good follower cannot be a good leader.’
Aristotle
Every adult is empowered to lead. Developing leadership skills is important for all of our pupils and we provide leadership opportunities for them all. Our adults model successful leadership highlighting the importance of excellent role models but also showing humility and an ability to follow as well as lead. Our high quality Trust Continuing Professional Development (CPD) offer; talent management programme and career development framework provide opportunities for colleagues in all roles and at all stages of development.
5. Continually improving
“Technique and ability alone do not get you to the top; it is the willpower that is most important.”
Junko Tabei, first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest
‘There is no limit to the expansion of each one of us.’
Charles Schwab
We learn from the best. We seek out innovation and success; rigorously evaluating it before taking on board new ideas. We read widely and interrogate practice based research before making informed decisions about teaching and learning. We share our work believing that through effective collaboration a small idea can be developed and make a significant impact. Our view of continuous improvement is not about change for changes sake but whilst we acknowledge that perfection isn’t attainable we believe there is always something else to learn. We evaluate our strategies and the impact they have, only staying with the successful ones and recognising those which did not work as anticipated.
6. Resilient individuals
“I told myself, Malala, you have already faced death. This is your second life. Don't be afraid — if you are afraid, you can't move forward.”
Malala Yousafzai
“I really think a champion is defined not by their wins but by how they can recover when they fall.” Serena Williams
We recognise that that life presents many challenges to adults and pupils alike. Sometimes the journey may be bumpy and the route meandering. The future is unpredictable but we aim to prepare our pupils for whatever their future offers and to give them the skills not only to choose their future but to define it. We aim to instill resilience and encourage pupils not to give up but to take small steps towards their goals and not to be deterred by knock backs but to see these as part of the process of moving forward. Overcoming mistakes and finding solutions to problems is a much stronger learning process than aspiring for perfection. We promote positive mental health and wellbeing and support our colleagues.
