bourne education trust enterprises
Bourne Education Trust (‘BET’) was established in 2011 and has grown steadily
since then. It is largely Surrey based with 20 of its 26 schools there, but has
also expanded into Hampshire and Richmond. It is made up of 20 academies, 5
associate schools and one free school due to open in September 2024. Of its 26
schools, 13 are primaries, 9 are secondaries, 2 are alternative provision and,
with the new free school, 2 are specialist schools. It is responsible for the
education of approximately 12,500 pupils and employs just over 1,300 staff. The
Trust is organised into both phases and clusters to support specialist and
cross-phase collaboration. Pupils working independently The size of BET's
schools range from a one-form entry primary to an 8-form entry secondary school
with a sixth form. Schools are equally important and carry the same influence in
terms of decision-making within the Trust. Each school has its own Head and
Local Governing Committee. The Trust is led by a core team of Alex Russell,
Chief Executive Officer ('CEO'), Kate Sanders, Chief Operating Officer ('COO'),
and Penny Alford, Chief Education Officer ('CEdO'). Since 2012 it has taken 9
schools from special measures or requiring improvement to good or outstanding.
The rest have maintained their good status whilst in the Trust. BET has
transformed the finances in 12 of its schools so that no school in the Trust is
in deficit. BET’s values are summarised by our strapline: ‘Transforming schools;
changing lives’. We absolutely believe that all children regardless of context
or background deserve a great education, hence our involvement in schools and
communities that have not always experienced this. Whilst we want our schools to
retain their own identity, all BET schools share environments that are extremely
warm and welcoming, professional, relentlessly positive, highly aspirational and
characterised by happy and safe pupils with excellent relationships between them
and the staff. In all classrooms and beyond pupils enjoy creative and effective
teaching and learning that fosters belief and confidence. Auriolbet 113 Our
philosophy is to have schools working as effectively as possible and serving
their community. We err towards independence but never forget we are one
organisation working together. Our schools welcome the support of the Trust and
its collective ethos but relish their remit as local schools and the
responsibility that brings. We are highly focussed on our work on equality,
diversity and inclusion ('EDI') and environment, social and governance ('ESG')
to ensure our organisation is highly sustainable and a driver for social
justice. This permeates through our Trust-wide think tank, BET Futures, our CPD
offer and our quality assurance approach.
