Join Our Trust

We provide our schools with the support they need so that they can thrive independently while also benefiting from group strength, economies of scale and the sense of community that comes from being part of a supportive family.

Benefits of joining Ivy Learning Trust:

Meaningful collaboration opportunities between a group of like-minded schools.
Guarantee of autonomy for teaching and learning for all good and outstanding schools.
Being part of an open culture, constantly reflecting on practices and procedures in light of new legislation and local issues.
Being part of a robust governance framework, with constant access to experienced and proactive staff.
A clear and focused role for local governing bodies with regard to safeguarding and school improvement.
Limited time spent away from teaching and learning, managing operational functions (e.g. finance, HR, governance, health and safety, premises, IT). The services provided centrally ensure that each school in the Trust is able to benefit from high levels of expertise at a reduced rate compared to being a stand-alone school.
Readily available expertise in all areas of school improvement, including from a lead Ofsted inspector and an NLE.
A focus on offering outstanding CPD opportunities, including Trust-wide Good Practice groups led by senior and middle leaders, to recruit and retain the best staff.
Access to additional sources of funding, including capital funding.

Joining the Trust has not only freed up my time to focus on teaching and learning, but it has also enabled myself and my staff to benefit from working with like-minded colleagues. I genuinely feel part of a close family of schools.

Caroline Ginty

Headteacher, Woodside Primary School

Enquire about joining

If you are interested in joining our Trust, we encourage you to visit one of our schools and attend our heads / good practice meetings so that you can find out a bit more about us and how we work, and we can get to know you.

For more information about joining Ivy Learning Trust or to arrange a visit, please contact Matthew Kleiner-Mann, Trust Leader, on 020 3972 4600 or at matthew@ivylearningtrust.org.

FAQs

What is a multi-academy trust?

A multi-academy trust (MAT) is a group of schools working in partnership with each other to improve and maintain high educational standards across the group. Being part of a trust enables them to share provision and learn directly from each other. MATs are funded directly by the central government and run independently of the Local Authority. They can vary in size and geographical area. Ivy is a primary-only trust, made up of ten schools which are all based in Enfield and Hertfordshire.

We are a registered charity and are regulated by the Department for Education. We have a single legal and moral purpose: to advance education for the public benefit. You can find out more about our governance here.

What is Ivy’s role at a school?

Ivy’s role is to help the schools in our Trust to deliver the best education for children. This includes providing school improvement and operational support, opportunities for collaboration between staff and pupils across the Trust and continuing professional development pathways for staff. Our Central Team ensures that resources are maximised, allowing our schools to benefit from services and expertise at a reduced rate and enabling them to focus more on teaching and learning and less on admin.

How much autonomy do Ivy schools enjoy?

We firmly believe that local leaders know their schools best and each Ivy school has its own unique personality. All good and outstanding schools within Ivy enjoy complete autonomy over teaching and learning. The leadership team retains its own strategic and operational decision-making and each school has its own local governance.

What will change when a school joins the Trust?

If your school is good or outstanding, parents and children probably won’t notice any changes day to day. The name of your school won’t change, nor will the uniform or the curriculum. The admissions policy will also stay the same. However, children will have the opportunity to take part in wider Trust events, projects and competitions and will have access to additional resources which are shared across all of our schools.

If your school is rated inadequate or needs improvement by Ofsted, it will receive additional support by experienced leaders within the Trust and benefit from collaboration with other good and outstanding schools in our family to help improve processes, leadership, teaching and outcomes for children.

What are the main benefits to a school from joining your Trust?

The school will benefit from ‘group power’, giving it access to a greater range of funding sources and expertise – for example in procuring services, bid writing and capital funding. This allows leaders to focus more on teaching and learning. Teachers will have access to additional training to ensure school improvement and schools can benefit from professional development groups to share expertise. They will have access to the Trust’s Specialist Leaders of Education who have a strong track record of leadership and skills to help promote best practice.

At Ivy, we know that one size doesn’t fit all and we love the individuality and unique personality of each of our schools. This doesn’t change when they join us. We are a small, primary only Trust and all of our schools are within an hour’s drive of each other, allowing for strong partnerships and meaningful collaboration between them. We want our staff, parents and children to feel proud to be part of the Ivy family.