Benefits of becoming a trust school

It is recognised that schools do best when they work with and learn from other schools, when they harness the enthusiasm and expertise of external partners and work closely with their local community.

Becoming a trust school is a simple way to create more sustainable relationships when collaborating with other schools or partners.

Trust schools will build on the experience of:

• Specialist schools and academies working with external partners
• Voluntary aided and voluntary controlled schools, and some foundation schools, which are already supported by a foundation
• Schools that have joined federations and experimented with new governance arrangements

At a glance

A trust school:

• Enjoys more flexibility – it can set its own admissions criteria (in accordance with the admissions code), employ its own staff and have responsibility for school land and buildings
• Is able to better support children and young people’s all-round development, helping to tackle issues of deprivation and social exclusion
• Is able to develop new and existing long-term partnerships
• Can access the experience and expertise of partners
• Benefits from strengthened governance and leadership skills
• Engages more fully with parents
• Employs its own staff