Employer of Choice

We aim to:

“Attract and retain the best staff through our vision, culture, leadership style and employee engagement.”

Richard Fletcher – CEO, NCLT

Employees treat each other with dignity and respect

The organisation is well led and managed

I am able to make decisions affecting my work

I am satisfied with the workplace flexibility offered by the organisation

I am proud to be a member of staff at this organisation

Why are we the employer of choice?

Work-life Balance 

As a Trust we recognise the importance of staff members maintaining a healthy work-life balance. 

Nurturing a culture of positive mental and physiological health is important for the benefit of all our staff. We believe that people who successfully balance the commitment of work with a healthy social life are less likely to have health problems and be absent from work, and are more likely to work productively, leading to better performance and outcomes. We also know that having this kind of positive workplace culture is crucial in recruiting and retaining high quality professionals. 

The Trust encourages this positive work-life balance in several ways. 

• A commitment to a staff wellbeing charter approved by the DfE. 
• Lieu days. One flexible holiday day comes as standard at Wingfield Academy, and across all our colleges lieu days can be accrued by working at additional events such as Open Saturday or interview evenings. Staff are then able to take these days back flexibly and at their convenience, during term time. 
• Special Leave Policy. This allows staff to not attend work when unexpected life events occur. We recognise that sometimes things happen outside of work which are beyond an individual’s control. When those moments happen, we want to support our staff.  
• Wellbeing Day. Across the colleges we hold an annual wellbeing day where Trust colleagues meet and take part in various recreational activities. 

• Wellbeing Programme. Coordinated by each college, this usually consists of regular wellbeing activities throughout the year, with ideas for these generated by staff. 
• Flexible working request. The Trust has a very positive track record of approving requests to help staff with their specific needs, such as childcare.  

Professional Development

As we recognise that employee wellbeing and performance has a direct impact on student progress, we aim to ensure that there is a great teacher in every classroom and invest heavily in teacher development.  One of the Trust’s objectives is for every teacher to be as effective as they can be, in what they teach and how they teach.  Line Managers are trained and developed to ensure they provide their staff with a manageable workload, realistic deadlines, reasonable hours of work that gives balance, and manages by constructive feedback and praise.

Providing high-quality professional development, in-house and externally, will result in the improved performance of our teachers.  If teachers continue to develop and improve, then our students will also improve and achieve stronger outcomes.

Inspiring Work Environment 

It is our aim to ensure all Trust staff have access to the best facilities and resources available in order to assist them in delivering outstanding lessons, and for support functions to be as efficient and effective as possible. The Trust is financially in a very strong position so we are frequently refurbishing buildings, building extensions and ensuring furniture and equipment is regularly updated or renewed. We are building a Trust where all staff are happy and comfortable in their working environment.  

For us, the learning environment is not only about physical resources, it is also about the quality of our human resources. We have a team of Trust leaders who inspire their staff, and who earn respect and trust through visibility, transparency and honesty.  

Culture 

The Trust has a strong culture, made up of our compelling narrative, vision and daily routines and actions. We remain true to our vision and values, which are clearly evident throughout every organisation within the Trust.  

It is this supportive, productive, proactive culture which has made the Trust such a popular employer.  

Strong Reputation 

The Trust is a highly respected Multi-Academy Trust and a successful recruiter. Staff who work with us know that what we say about valuing our staff is matched by the employee experience; they know that our reputation is backed up by our actions. This is further illustrated by the very strong staff survey results and high staff retention we have achieved, both of which confirm the Trust as an employer of choice.  

The Trust values of candour, challenge, collaboration, commitment and care permeate through what we say and do, day in and day out. We deliver what we say we are going to deliver. 

Appreciation and Recognition 

We recognise and appreciate how hard our staff work and never take them for granted.  

The Trust’s annual performance review ensures people feel valued and appreciated. During this process Trust leaders set individual as well as team performance goals so that each target set has potential for recognition.  

We hold various events throughout the year to show how much we appreciate staff, such as above and beyond rewards. When possible, we allow early finishes on days such as Taster Days. In general, when staff do extra hours to support whole college events, we reward them by providing additional lieu time for them to take at their convenience. Although this is not as easy to do in our 11-16 academy, the allocated golden ticket reward day for all 11-16 staff compensates for this.  

Opportunity 

We are a growing Trust, which means that we often have opportunities for promotion from within. Most members of the senior team have been promoted from middle leaders, who were in turn promoted from being classroom teachers. If you are interested in developing your career, we will encourage you by providing opportunities to shadow middle and senior leaders, and by supporting you in completing additional qualifications or broadening your professional experience, for example by examining.