Join Us

Join Our Trust

‘A shared purpose to work together to support the young people in all of our schools to lead successful lives’

We offer schools the opportunity to work with us to meet this aim within an ambitious, supportive and collaborative Trust. The Endeavour MAT group of schools and their inspirational staff provide a network of committed individuals, experts in their field, who share your aspirations for your children.

Each of our schools, whilst sharing an ethos and ambition, provides a learning environment and experience tailored to its students and their needs and aspirations. At Endeavour we celebrate the things that make us different, as our differences are the things that bring us together Endeavour is an established hub for staff development and school improvement, and it is our firm belief that a motivated, supported and empowered school staff is at the heart of all our students’ achievements.

Our staff, are rightly, our greatest asset and are valued accordingly. We support every member of staff to develop professionally and enjoy a fulfilling and rewarding career in our Trust. Our expert workforce are supported and challenged with a range of career development programmes. Endeavour Mat is dedicated to transforming lives for both its students and staff.

Our Staff Development Programme can turn a passion for teaching into a career that you love.

Join us – For the latest Career Opportunities our vacancies can be viewed here

Join us…

For schools and trusts who would like to explore opportunities to work together.
We are particularly keen to hear from Primary schools who are considering joining a MAT. Our CEO can be contacted by clicking the button to the right.

CONTACT OUR CEO

Central Services Offer

Our Central Team at Endeavour MAT provide the expertise, infrastructure and support that enable the Trust and our schools to run effectively, ensuring schools are able to focus on delivering high quality teaching and learning.

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School Improvement

Each of our schools has access to bespoke school level support on identified improvement priorities. Our Head Teachers contribute to our Trust-wide strategy ...

Finance

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School Improvement

Each of our schools has access to bespoke school level support on identified improvement priorities. Our Head Teachers contribute to our Trust-wide strategy ensuring an open and collaborative approach to planning and business objectives.

Additionally, Endeavour MAT offers,

A Trust-wide CPD programme allowing staff to collaborate across schools and phases
Access to nationally and locally recognised professional qualifications to enhance skills and learn from best practice
A Trust-wide approach to school improvement driven by a peer review process according to commonly understood criteria and shared support
Annual SEND and safeguarding reviews

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Finance

Managing finances can be a complex and time-consuming task, especially in our sector with the many statutory and fiduciary duties we hold for the public funds we spend as well as compliance with both company and charity law. Our team of finance professionals have a wealth of experience providing high quality, solution focused support tailored to the individual needs of each school. Our finance services include:

Managing all aspects of accounting, including legal and tax compliance.
Support, advice and training to ensure that you are able to manage your budgets and resources.
All statutory and DfE reporting requirements completed for your school as part of the Trust including annual audited statutory accounts, VAT returns and ESFA returns.
A fully managed payroll and pension service, including all annual returns and audits.

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Our HR Team work with Head Teachers, Senior Leaders and Managers across the Trust to provide comprehensive support tailored to meet the needs of individual schools. Providing a responsive and flexible range of HR services including administration of recruitment, onboarding, contract variation and the full range of other HR transactional work.

Comprehensive and up-to-date knowledge of employment law and best practice, with specific reference to the education sector.
Trust-wide policies, guidance and training specifically designed to meet the ever changing and complex people challenges faced in the workplace by schools.
Comprehensive support on all matters relating to casework and employee relations.
Recruitment support including the use of Trust-wide value-for-money advertising arrangements, pre-employment and onboarding processing and new starter support.
Preparation of compliant and timely workforce census returns for each of our schools.
A fully managed payroll and pension service, working in conjunction with the Finance Team.

Infrastructure and Operations

Strategic planning and effective management to create agile, scalable, lean and student focused infrastructure. Operations are co-ordinated and managed through the Central Team, bringing together Business Managers and team members based in schools creating a close-knit and mutually supporting wider team. This supports each school through:

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Estate Management

Our centrally managed...

Managing technology securely can be one of the most complex and...

Catering

Our Central Team has oversight of all catering services provided...

Governance & Legal

Our Governance Team is ...

Administration

To provide leadership and expertise as well as...

Marketing & Communications

Endeavour MAT embraces the...

Estate Managment

Estate Management and Capital Projects

Our centrally managed Trust-wide Premises Team manages and maintains the fabric of each of our schools, negotiating Trust-wide contracts in order to achieve best value and completing all relevant DfE returns regarding the estate. Premises Managers work with Head Teachers and Business Managers to develop the vision for your school, provide project management for local projects and support the delivery of day-to-day services. Expertise from the Central Team provides professional leadership as well as ensuring statutory, regulatory and technical standards are identified and maintained by the school-based teams as well as providing project management for larger capital projects.

Health & Safety

While health and safety is the responsibility of us all, Endeavour MAT provides support, policies and oversight to our schools based on comprehensive and up-to-date knowledge of regulations and best practice. With a co-ordinated approach supported by expert advice and regular check-ins to ensure statutory and regulatory compliance.

Managing technology securely can be one of the most complex and challenging aspects of modern life. We understand the need to ensure that services run smoothly and that IT seamlessly supports the operation of our schools. Our centrally managed Trust-wide IT Team deliver in-school and remote support, with school-based IT Managers working closely with Head Teachers and Business Managers to help simplify the often-complex modern world of IT, developing and integrating IT systems and solutions to meet the ever-evolving needs of the education sector and the modern workplace.

Catering

Our Central Team has oversight of all catering services provided within our schools through a cost-effective Trust-wide catering contract, ensuring compliance with food safety and school food standards as well as best practice.

Governance & Legal

Our Governance Team is dedicated to enabling effective governance at every level, working closely with Members, Trustees and Local Governing Bodies delivering:

Close support and meeting preparation for Chairs.
Provision of clerking and governance professional support and guidance on procedural matters and best practice.
Arranging and facilitating networking and other events including annual review and strategy days.
New Member, Trustee and Governor induction and onboarding support.
Gold Membership subscription and access to the National Governance Association resources.
Guidance and support including workplans, reporting and monitoring templates, handbooks, role descriptions and resources to support meaningful meeting content.
Data Protection oversight and the formal role of the Data Protection Officer for the Trust.
A qualified company secretary, ensuring compliance with both company and charity requirements and advising at Trust Board level and providing expertise and leadership to the wider Governance Team as well as accessing legal advice on occasions when this is required by the Trust or any of our schools.

Administration

To provide leadership and expertise as well as co-ordinating a Trust-wide perspective. Endeavour MAT’s Central Team also provides guidance and resources to support Head Teachers establish and maintain high quality, highly skilled administrative functions in their school offices, making a direct contribution to improving efficiency and resilience:

Expertise and core oversight of the common student data MIS used across the Trust.
Process evaluation, design and development.
Role descriptions and team design to meet needs.
Facilitation of shared resources and best practice.
Negotiation and management of Trust-wide contracts for relevant systems, appeals processing and other common resources needed, securing best value and compliant outcomes.
Ensuring professional and technical standards are met in key areas such as admissions and appeals processes as well as examinations.
Oversight of compliant and timely school census returns for each of our schools.

Marketing & Communications

Endeavour MAT embraces the opportunity to convey our relationship as a family of schools, but not at the expense of the identity of each school. As such we provide access to a number of marketing and communication services offered flexibly:

Website design, branding guidelines and support.
Trust-wide advertising opportunities and campaigns.
Graphic design support.
Social media support.
Support to get your school activities noticed in the press.

The Joining Process

Relationships lie at the heart of our success, and we take a lot of time getting to know each other, not just through the formal stages but through the collaboration that quickly emerges.

Colleagues across our schools know and trust each other and your school and your people will quickly be part of that. Below are the stages that we work through when you join us and we are happy to explore all of this in more depth.

Making Contact

Whether introduced to each other, found via a google search, local word of mouth or through mutual contacts in the sector this stage is about exploring and building a relationship between Endeavour MAT and your school. Leaders from Endeavour MAT are available to you, your Board and your school for exploratory discussion and establish if we share common values.

Due Diligence

The decision for a school to join a Trust is a significant one on both sides and this next stage acknowledges that through the undertaking of due diligence exercises. As a Trust we use this stage of the process to further understand the position and dynamics of a school wishing to join our Trust and encourage schools to take a similar approach. The outcome of this stage will also inform an initial Onboarding Plan, setting out a timeline and key considerations for the rest of the joining process.

Agreement in Principle

Having completed the due diligence stage of the process both we as a Trust and you as a school should have all the information our Board/ your Governors need in order to confirm agreement to your school joining Endeavour MAT. At this stage it will also be important to secure approval in principle from the Regional Schools Commissioner. If your school is not already an academy then there are a number of other necessary aspects we would support you to address.

Enabling the Legal and Other Changes

It is at this stage of the process that both you as a school and we as the Trust you are joining will need to engage legal advisors and others to undertake the legal aspects of the transfer, these will include:

Deed of Transfer – which recognises the change in legal status and ownership of your school within the Trust.

Common Transfer Agreement – an agreement covering the transfer of the assets and contracts of your school to the Trust.

Land Transfers – formally recognising the transfer of ownership of land.

Funding Agreements – recognising the incorporation of your school’s funding agreement within our Trust’s Master Funding Agreement.

TUPE Transfer – recognising the protections of employees transferring to the Trust.

If your school is not already an academy then there are a number of additional considerations we would support you to address.

During this stage our Central Team will also be working with you to refine and finalise your Onboarding Plan.

Transition & Onboarding

Often overlapping with finalisation of legal arrangements this final preparation stage sees our Central Team work closely with you on the fine detail necessary to make your onboarding a success from day one, including:

Building your dedicated school area in our finance system.

Meeting with staff for a “no surprises” approach to joining our staff team and reassuring colleagues through the changes.

Background work to prepare for integration into our IT systems including our VOIP phone network; managed print services; access control infrastructure and staff & visitor management systems to name but a few.

Staff training and induction tailored to role, including a buddy/ mentoring opportunity to support and assist with the transition.

Welcome to Endeavour MAT

With all of the preparation and planning that will have gone into your joining Endeavour MAT the date of formal transfer can seem quite an anti-climax! By the time we welcome you to our family of schools we will feel like old friends.

That said, there will still be some formal elements for you to deal with relating to your school as it operated previously (final audited accounts, closing of bank accounts, final submissions to the ESFA and other agencies for example) and we will support you to address these.

Endeavour MAT is comprised of one primary school and three very different secondary schools – two single sex grammar schools and a non-selective free school. We thrive on our differences which makes for a rich and far reaching dialogue around school improvement, centred on strong shared services which allow school leaders to focus on improving the quality of education within their context. We are heavily involved in local discussions around educational provision as part of a community that extends far beyond our Trust.

Join our:

● Passionate Trust Leaders to share, plan and improve Trust-wide and school working.
● Shared framework for teaching, learning and school improvement.
● Evidence based shared framework for reading development with strong overlap between primary and secondary colleagues.
● Preparation for Ofsted Inspections.
● Specialist Trust Leads offering a range of bespoke support in line with school improvement plans.
● Curriculum sharing and collaboration opportunities for subjects and subject experts.
● Training, support and coaching programmes supporting staff development.
● Assessment & Data Team ensuring assessment and feedback is meaningful and schools learn from, and share, best practice.
● Supportive coordinated governance at school and Trust level.
● A superior Year 6 transition programme.
● Trust-wide school improvement model, co-created by our leaders.
●Inclusive Trust community.
● Connections and networks, both within Endeavour MAT, across schools and beyond the Trust.

We are now seeking to develop our primary cluster further, so if you would like to find out more,

Get in touch with Charlie Guthrie, CEO