South West Academic Trust

The  Southwest Academic Trust - a formalised collaborative which aims to contribute to community cohesion via associate partner schools, share ideas about teaching and learning, data, and promote quality CPD.

This shared trust opened in January 2008. Located along the south west coast it presently comprises seven specialist grammar schools, one of which is mixed. There are limited career opportunities further south west with tourism, fishing and farming as the main sources of employment, thus university access to enhance life chances are essential. There are significant pockets of social deprivation in many of these locations.

Schools: Torquay Boys' Grammar, Bournemouth, (Boys,) Poole Grammar (Boys), Colyton Grammar (mixed), Bournemouth, (Girls), Torquay Grammar, (Girls), and South Wilts Grammar, (Girls) The schools are partners with non selective associate partner schools at Primary and Secondary level

 Partner: Exeter University. The university has had a long association with the schools and has hosted several sessions for very able aspiring students.

Examples of trust impact include:

• Close collaboration across all school departments and support staff. Staff from each department identify and share their good practice in teaching Gifted and Talented pupils supporting and developing models for Deep Learning and developing procurement opportunities.
• Working with organisations such as NACE, The GSHA and Sutton Trust reviewing how academic schools can provide researched case studies and models of good practice for the very able.
• Exeter University students are actively involved with teachers and pupils in research into teaching and learning in the classroom.
• CPD is carried out across the schools. E.g. The development of new heads of department through shared leadership training and the development of techniques using video conferencing.
• Each Partner School is linked with a non selective school. Torquay Boys' Grammar is working with Torquay Community College in a Challenge Trust. This has lead to joint staffing arrangements with 10/12 TBGS staff now teaching regularly in T.C.C. developing teaching strategies and expertise. Poole Grammar School is supporting a National Challenge partner School with the secondment of a deputy head and has also supported the local PRU in coming out of Special Measures.
• Torquay Girls now host part of the Torbay Pupil Referral Unit on site and are supporting this group of KS3 school refusers with their curriculum.
• The 7 Heads are in weekly e-mail contact discussing and resolving common issues and sharing advice, data and resources

Plans for future include expanding the trust to include more school and HE partners.

"The South West Academic Trust has a corporate commitment to raise aspiration and inspire ambition to engage and motivate students thanks to high quality educational research and collaboration by outstanding teachers". (Roy Pike, Head Teacher TBGS)

TBGS SWAT Year 9 Challenge Day.

To go to the South West Academic Trust website, please click here.

To go to TBGS Gifted and Talented page please click here.