Become a Star School

If you share our vision to nurture today’s young people and inspire tomorrow’s leaders – whether this is already ingrained in the ethos of your school or an aspiration you are striving to achieve – join our Trust to benefit from receiving first-class operational and strategic support on your journey to educational excellence, and become part of a thriving community that understands the power of collaboration and the value of sharing expertise.

Our commitment to educational excellence, operational excellence and cultivating a strong Star community contributes to a self-improving school system and, whether you are an outstanding school looking to lead by example and drive forward best practice, or a school that is searching for a reputable sponsor to help secure improvement, our goal is to work together to transform the lives of young people.

Advantages of Becoming a Star School – Our Pledge to Schools

A universal vision of nurturing today’s young people and inspiring tomorrow’s leaders

We work together to deliver outstanding outcomes for young people through our commitment to high expectations; a high-powered, knowledge-based academic curriculum; carefully focused traditional teaching, rigorous tracking and personalised intervention; highly qualified staff that are motivated, well trained and using cutting edge research and a rich and diverse leadership programme that grows character and inspires charitable and social action.

A skilled Central Team that works alongside schools to deliver educational excellence, operational excellence and a strong school community

Our friendly and approachable Central Team is dedicated to securing the long-term health of your school by providing direct access to insightful advice and informative guidance on all aspects of school development – including Finance, HR, IT, Estates, Admissions, Governance and Legal. With a team of experts who pride themselves on their up-to-date knowledge of legislation and Government policy and procedure, Star Central aims to be a one-stop-shop for all of your school’s needs.

High quality school improvement support

From the moment you join us, your school will benefit from access to outstanding leaders and practitioners. Our awareness of cutting edge educational research and practice means we are equipped to provide personalised educational support to meet the needs of your school. Our team of development leads and teaching and learning coaches will work with you to build leadership and teaching capacity and co-develop the school curriculum to ensure all pupils fulfil their potential and achieve the best possible outcomes.

A collaborative approach to policy and systems development

We work together to agree group-wide systems, corporate policies and standard operating procedures. Our collective approach ensures that everyone plays an instrumental role in shaping the infrastructure that will secure the future of our schools.

An investment in staff well-being and continuous development

At Star, we recognise the value of our staff. We are committed to capitalising on the strengths of our staff, supporting their career development and ensuring a work-life balance. Star Institute offers a range of CPD opportunities for both teaching and non-teaching staff. We provide training and support programmes for newly-qualified and recently-qualified teachers, which are designed to help build confidence and strengthen teaching practice. The Institute also has programmes for more experienced teachers who want to hone their pedagogy skills and keep themselves at the forefront of teaching practice. We have established partnership arrangements that provide access to CPD programmes for support staff, including courses and qualifications specifically designed for Teaching Assistants and Business Support Staff. We have a culture of ‘growing our own,’ and high potential individuals are fast-tracked into leadership and management as part of the Star Talent Initiative. We offer nationally-recognised qualifications and coaching programmes for those looking for pathways into leadership, including the NPQML, NPQSL, NPQH and NPQEL.

A strong and vibrant Star community

In order to achieve the aspirational standards we set ourselves, we act as one organisation – an organisation where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Trust-wide governance and management groups and professional learning communities provide opportunities for network ‘thinking’ across and between schools, phases, subject areas or specialisms and allow staff from across the Star family to work together on research and joint practice development.  We create opportunities for pupils and staff from across our schools to come together through our leadership and cultural enhancement programmes. Competitions and corporate programmes, leadership and sports academies and celebrations of the performing arts help build character, nurture confidence and independence and guarantee memorable shared experiences for our young people, staff and school communities.

An opportunity to make a social impact

Shine Charity, created by and for the Star community, empowers everyone in our organisation to make a tangible impact on society. The charity works with our schools to identify and broker opportunities for our pupils, staff and families to engage in civic and charitable projects that tackle disadvantage in their local communities, our country and across the globe.

How to Join

You can register your interest in joining our Trust by e-mailing Dr Kathryn Chorlton: kathryn.chorlton@staracademies.org. Please include the name and address of your school, details of the current Headteacher/Principal, an e-mail address and your contact number.

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