River Academy provides high-quality, aspirational and inclusive education within a community where every student can find their place, feel safe and happy, and aim high, based on their own merits and aspirations.

Each member of staff is supported, developed and has opportunities to grow and contribute their strengths to the organisation.

The curriculum is an integrated matrix of taught and enrichment elements, aimed at developing academic and course learning, cultural capital, personal development, student leadership and preparation for the world of work and life in modern Britain. As a result, each element is carefully designed to support and challenge and to ensure as many doors remain open to our students, whatever their starting points, needs or potential barriers to learning or achieving their academic and personal potential.

One of the most important elements is that every child is known to their teachers as a person in their own right and their aspirations and learning journey are as important as anyone else’s. Teachers and other staff have a responsibility to know their starting points, aspirations and, where necessary, to meet their individual needs, never to ‘cap’ them, but also to develop their independence and resilience.

SCHOOLS FOR THE COMMUNITY, SCHOOLS AS A COMMUNITY

Maiden Erlegh Trust aims to build a community of schools in which a community ethos prevails in order to nurture, challenge and celebrate young people.  Through our Trust, communities will be sure to have access to distinctive, inclusive and excellent schools for the youngsters, and venues which offer learning and other opportunities to the wider community.

We consider each school to be a working community, led by strong, positive and ethical leaders and enriched by staff, parents and pupils/students from diverse backgrounds, each one contributing an array of different interests and talents. In this context we actively promote mutual respect, equality, an understanding of other cultures, empathy with the wider world and a strong and collaborative work ethic.

Our priorities for each school in our Trust are the education, well-being, happiness and personal development of every pupil/student in our community. Equally important is the professional development, support and encouragement of our talented teaching and support staff and our Local Advisory Board members and Trustees.

Each school which comes into the Trust takes on the goal to aim high, be inclusive and work together. This means that learners of all abilities and from all backgrounds make the most progress possible, gain the best possible qualifications/results and enjoy the challenges of learning at the highest level.

Each school will ensure its pupils/students develop socially and thrive personally as well as academically.  We want them to become confident and articulate children and young adults, motivated by a strong sense of personal worth, respect for others and commitment to service to others and hard work. In this way, they will be ready to move positively into the next phase of their education/lives. In order to do that, we provide a calm, well-ordered, secure and caring community; one which values as much the effort, participation and contribution to the community during their studies, as the end results.

We understand that education does not only happen in classrooms and so the curriculum in each school is designed to provide opportunities to extend learning and personal development. We therefore nurture strong local partnerships to support this aim (eg: with businesses, agencies, parents). In return, we expect students to participate positively in the life and wider work of the school and the community. In this way, they develop the skills they need to become highly effective and positive citizens, employees and employers in an ever-changing and complex world.
 

VISION STATEMENT

Maiden Erlegh Trust schools will continue to excel at bringing out the best in students of all abilities. To do this we will place students at the heart of what we do and work closely in partnership with parents. We will provide:

• A safe, calm, respectful and happy place to work and learn
• Stimulating and challenging learning for all
• High quality and inspiring teaching
• A rich and relevant curriculum
• Varied and exciting extra-curricular opportunities which allow students to flourish outside the classroom
• High quality and personalised pastoral care
• Strong leaders and staff who serve their schools and communities with courage, wisdom and optimism, and who adhere to the principles of ethical leadership.

We will not be complacent – we will compare our work with that of the best schools in the country and continue to improve.