STAFF from three primary schools across Bradford gathered at a special event today as they became part of a new multi-academy trust.

Both teaching and non-teaching staff from Reevy Hill Primary School in Buttershaw, Worth Valley Primary School in Keighley, and Woodside Academy in Bradford were at the launch of the Leading Learners Multi-Academy Trust.

Held in Bradford, it marked the start of a new approach for the three schools, some of which have converted to academy status as part of the process.

Leading Learners was set up after the success of National Leader of Education Yvonne Brown, who is executive head teacher at Tyldesley Primary School in Greater Manchester.

Mrs Brown attended a deputy head teachers’ conference in Bradford last year and was invited by Bradford Council to do some school improvement work in the district. As a result, she was approached by the three schools involved, and the Multi-Academy Trust formed.

A further Bradford school, Bankfoot Primary, is in discussions to join the Trust.

Mrs Brown said: “Our philosophy is about ‘your school, your identity’, but coming together to learn together and work as a team to improve the life chances for the children.

“We will look at the strengths in each school and at the areas of improvement. There will be a bespoke package of support for those schools.”

Mrs Brown, whose background is working with schools that are challenging, said it had been a positive and exciting day.

She also made it clear that the schools’ names and uniforms would stay the same, but that there would be a lot more training opportunities for staff and support for the senior leadership team at each school.

She said they would be introducing specific training for inexperienced teachers.

As well as the more than 100 members of staff at yesterday’s event, held ahead of today’s start of the new school year, the heads of the schools and key local stakeholders were at the Cedar Court Hotel in Bradford.

The idea is that Leading Learners will use its expertise to inject new ideas into each trust school, with the aim of achieving exceptional outcomes for the children. Leading Learners MAT was established in 2015 and aims to develop all members of its trusts schools’ communities, from children to school leaders.