Our vision is simple:

Our children thrive, our colleagues thrive, our community thrives

Children are at the heart of everything we do. Our schools are safe, caring and happy places, where pupils are supported to achieve excellent outcomes and develop into confident, curious learners. We value education that nurtures the whole child and recognises every individual’s potential.

We believe that our children can only thrive when the adults who work with them are supported to do the same. We are committed to being a great place to work, where staff feel valued, trusted and developed. Through professional learning, clear career pathways and a culture of collaboration, we invest in our colleagues so they can give their best to the children in our care.

As a Trust rooted in Derby, we have a strong sense of civic responsibility. We work in partnership with families, communities and other organisations to respond to local needs and make a positive difference beyond the school gates.

We have a clear and effective approach to school improvement, focused on raising standards, strengthening leadership and securing a broad and balanced curriculum which prepares children to thrive in the next stages of their education and beyond

We share expertise across the Trust and beyond, deploy best practice where it is needed most, and address issues promptly and sensitively.

Collaboration sits at the core of our work. From the beginning, our schools came together as a partnership, committed to learning from one another and working collectively. We believe in working together to shape the strategic direction of the Trust, drawing on the expertise of leaders across our schools. Our headteachers and local governors retain high levels of responsibility and autonomy, because we trust those closest to the children and communities to make the best decisions.

We believe in distributed leadership, equity and openness. Change is welcomed where it improves outcomes, governance is clear and effective at every level, and success is defined by how well all schools succeed together.