Why Zest Academy Trust?

Zest is a small Multi Academy Trust (MAT) based in Blackpool with the approval to sponsor other academies. As a result of our partnerships, we will make a positive difference to the lives of children, particularly those in areas of deprivation, helping them to be as successful as they can be.

The freedoms of a MAT allow academy staff the potential to move between schools to meet the needs and to aid progression of pupils, with quality CPD for all staff. The founding academy, Waterloo Primary Academy has a structured and proven approach to teaching core subjects exceptionally well and teaching the foundation subjects within an innovative, international curriculum based on communication, conservation, culture and conflict. The Trust has a team of outstanding leaders in a model of distributed leadership.

We have supported national and local leadership programmes over a number of years and are working with a number of schools in other local authorities. What could a partnership with Zest bring to your school or academy?

What is a Multi Academy Trust (MAT)?

A group of academies who are working together to achieve the best outcomes for children.  The schools are linked formally through governance and legal status.

What are the key benefits of being a Zest academy?

• Sharing of expertise and joint staff professional development
• Greater capacity to grow and develop our own leaders
• Freeing up heads of school to focus on the bits that really matter – teaching & learning and curriculum development
• Improved career progression for talented staff, allowing us to recruit and retain high quality people
• Financial savings around procurement due to bulk purchasing of goods and services
• Shared business and financial support, saving money and providing financial security

How much support will be given through the academy conversion process?

The process will be handled through the MAT together with our professional partners such as our HR and legal teams.

Would an academy in the MAT lose control of its own budget?

Zest has a Chief Finance Officer who has the strategic overview of all Trust financial matters and manages savings through procurement, income generation and efficiency. At local level, each academy will still make decisions about how they spend their own budget.

What will becoming an academy mean for the staff, pupils and families?

Life continues as usual with the ethos, values, uniform and culture of the school remaining independent and unchanged.  Staff should notice the benefits of working in a MAT such as Zest’s wellbeing package.  Children and their parents should feel confident they are being supported by a MAT whose priority is to improve outcomes for all young people in its care.