Equity Through Education - Cabot Learning Federation

While we cannot know the future, the purpose of the CLF Strategy 2030 is to ensure the CLF is prepared and focused on meeting the challenges of this decade, while also providing hope and opportunities to our learners, our people and our communities; it is against the ideals of this narrative that work of the trust is monitored and its future success judged.

Steve Taylor, CEO - Cabot Learning Federation

Our Core Strategy

Equity Through Education is underpinned by three core strategies central to all trust activity. They guide decisions around development and improvement, while adhering to our commitment to create equity of opportunity, promote inclusion, remove disadvantage and reject discrimination.

Through the Lens of Disadvantage
Strategic emphasis on delivering excellence for disadvantaged learners even over other groups.

Benchmarking our impact through the lens of disadvantaged learners.

Developing best practice among CLF People to deliver for disadvantaged learners.

Working in tandem with others via CLF Partnerships to support our most disadvantaged families.
Investing in People
Sector-leading support, learning and professional development.

A welcoming, diverse and inclusive environment.

Resilient, empowered teams, with leaders at all levels.

Meaningful commitment to wellbeing and career progression.

High standards and ambitions for learners and their families.
Investing in Partnerships
Deep and collaborative connections throughout our communities.

Clear understanding of community issues and opportunities, and enthusiasm to engage.

Strong relationships with learners, parents, carers, volunteers and alumni.

Contribute to the educational and social landscape – locally, regionally and nationally.

Partner with other civic agencies to be a force for good in our local area

Our Sub-Strategies

Designed as enablers of our core pillars, these seven sub-strategies transcend teams and departments to resonate throughout the CLF. Driven by senior members of staff and reviewed annually, these ambitions will contribute to the sustainable development of the trust.

EDI

Wellbeing

Digital

Voice

Leadership

Operating at Scale

Environment

Unwavering commitment to advancing equal opportunities for all, eliminating discrimination, and upholding CLF values of equity, equality, diversity and inclusion.
Ensure the Trust remains a place where everyone feels they belong and supported to succeed.
Support the drive to diversify the CLF workforce to reflect the diverse communities we serve.
Grow EDI Networks which create safe spaces for children and adults to be themselves.

Provide resources to help staff and students positively and proactively manage their wellbeing.
Ensure support is signposted and easily available if people are struggling.
Further evolve a wellbeing curriculum which aligns with our goal of self-agency.
Play an active role in communities which supports equitable access to mental health services for all – particularly those experiencing disadvantage.

Enable all staff and pupils to safely and effectively work and learn anytime, anywhere.
Be future-seekers, equipped and ready to adopt technology which has ‘crossed the chasm’.
Give people the right tools to support their work, and train them to excel.
Embrace technology which supports partnership ambitions within the community and across clusters and wider education system.

Be a listening organisation which puts its people at the heart of strategic choices.
Nurture cohesive and coherent systems which gather and understand stakeholder views.
Maintain strong understanding of our trust and its impact through the eyes of our communities.
Be a model for CLF students, staff, families and communities to use to enact societal change

Utilise Trust experience to develop leadership to meet the challenges of this decade.
Raise standards by investing in capacity and expertise across the Trust.
Nurture a leadership culture which sustains a high-performing Trust which improves as it grows.
Empower leaders to take ownership of improvements which raise standards

Deploy the right resource at the right time to deliver maximum impact.
Establish efficient and effective systems which add value and support core priorities.
Build a scalable model which enables both standardised and empowered future growth.
Develop a new financial operating model, shaped by the above outputs, which delivers successful outcomes.

A shared commitment to reducing environmental impact which will see all schools hold Eco Schools Green Flag status.
An annual environmental conference where green champions can showcase positive action in schools.
Deep pupil engagement in environmental matters, supported by the CLF curriculum.
Provide data to help schools understand and reduce their impact through behaviour and technical change.

Strategy In Action

Mar

City Academy Stages Broadway Smash Hit Musical Comedy

They snapped their ﬁngers! Everyone’s favourite creepy and kooky family hit the stage in a frighteningly funny and fresh production of The Addams Family starring the brilliantly talented students from City Academy.

Performed over two nights to packed houses, this magnificently macabre musical comedy was supported by a cast and crew of more than 50 students from Year 7 to Year 10. That included Jason Menhinnitt from Year 9, who successfully managed the stage management team.

Students worked extremely hard to produce this eccentric and unconventional family show, giving up hours of their own time and rehearsing since last September.

Filled with wildly funny moments, the play focuses on a bizarre, macabre, aristocratic family who dance on the graves or their ancestors in order to raise them from the dead, intertwined with the love story of Wednesday Addams and a normal boy called Lucas.

Drama Teacher Rebecca Pearce, who directed and produced the show, said: “This must be the strongest, most committed and most creative cast and crew I have ever worked with.

“Thanks go to the team of amazing teachers and support staff who supported the show and made it all possible. All the actors have certainly taken ownership of their very quirky parts and are also extremely talented singers and dancers – I feel proud of what they have achieved.”

Mar

John Cabot on ITV West Country News

Ex John Cabot Academy student, Ellis Genge captained England rugby for the first time on Saturday. So ITV West Country News went along to John Cabot to speak to two of Ellis’s teachers and students about this amazing achievement.

Mar

Broadoak Academy Stages West End musical

The inimitable Mary Poppins flew over the rooftops of Weston-super-Mare and into the auditorium of Broadoak Academy for two supercalifragilisticexpialidocious sell-out shows.

In a story based on one of the most popular Disney movies of all time and a Broadway musical that played for over 2,500 performances and received multiple Olivier and Tony Awards nominations, the Broadoak Academy cast captured the hearts of all who the watched the performances.

Mary Poppins (played by Nikki Plows, Year 7) and Bert (played by Scarlett Davidson, Year 9), headed up a cast and crew of more than 30 students, ranging from Year 7 to Year 11. Students worked extremely hard to produce a magical show, giving up hours of their own time and rehearsing since last November.

The plot is centred around Edwardian London, where yet another nanny resigns from keeping an eye on George Banks’ boisterous children, Jane and Michael. But then, as if by magic, a new nanny – the enchanting Mary Poppins – lands on their doorstep to take control of the situation. Thrilling adventures alongside her Cockney performer friend, Bert, pave the way for a wonderful transformation.

Naomi Aves, Head of Creative and Performing Arts said, “It is always an immense pleasure working with our students outside of the classroom. This was our first fully staged production since before Covid and for most of our cast and crew, the first time they have been involved in a show like this. I am incredibly proud, not only of how they have developed as individual performers but together, how they have contributed to rebuilding the performing arts community at Broadoak Academy.”

ENDS

Mar

Uphill Pupils Win CLF Big Bake

Pic left to right Tony Searle, Steve Taylor, Rhiana Ahmed, Olivia Boardman, Marianne Stewart and Claire Morris.

Primary and secondary students from across the Cabot Learning Federation came together to battle for glory in the trust’s annual CLF Big Bake competition.

Pupils from schools in Bristol and Weston took part in a fiercely competitive contest to prove their baking prowess and be crowned as champions.

The Primary winners were Olivia Boardman, Rhiana Ahmed from Uphill Primary Academy. The secondary winners were a team from Lime Hills Academy.

Held this year at Winterstoke Hundred Academy, the competition saw a team from each CLF school invited to participate in the third annual bake-off.

Showcasing the bakers’ creative flair and technical ability, each school team presented six cupcakes with the theme of the ‘environment’ to CLF CEO Steve Taylor and special guest judge and Junior Bake-Off runner-up Robbie Hedges.

The amazing selection of cupcakes were blind tasted, and points were awarded for taste and links to the main theme of the environment.

While the cake tasting took place, the oven gloves were off in a live technical challenge. Primary school pupils were asked to design and make a pizza while secondary pupils were challenged to make (and flip!) the perfect pancake. These again were marked by the judges and added to each academy’s overall score.

Before the winners were announced, judges praised the baking on display and noted the incredible effort students had put into the competition. Judging the competition were Steve Taylor CEO of the Cabot Learning Federation, Tony Searle Principal of Hans Price Academy, Marianne Stewart Pastry Chef, and Claire Morris local restaurateur and North Somerset Liberal Democrat councillor.

Kate Richardson, CLF Executive Principal, said: “The CLF Big Bake is a great opportunity to inspire our future bakers, and show pupils they are a part of something bigger; our wider CLF family of schools.

“Today has been brilliant, so big thanks to all of our wonderful pupils for taking part.”

Mar

CLF Academies in this month’s Voices Newspapers

Four CLF academies, Bristol Brunel Academy, Bristol Metropolitan Academy, the Nest and Minerva Primary Academy have all featured in the March edition of the Fishponds Voice. Scroll down to find out more.

Staff and students at Bristol Brunel Academy showed racism the red card at a whole school event. Staff and students were encouraged to wear something red in support of this initiative.

Bristol Metropolitan Academy staged its music concert since the pandemic. Around 30 students took part.

Volunteers from across the Cabot Learning Federation have joined forces to transform a tired, neglected play space at the Snowdon Village Nest site into a safe and fun space that children can use to learn and play.

Year 2 pupils from Minerva Primary Academy visited the SS Great Britain as part of their historians’ unit about the impact of the Victorian era on our lives today.