Bridgwater and Taunton College: Multi-Academy Trust
This is one of a series of case studies to accompany our Insight brief on schools, attainment and the role of higher education. It highlights an example of a successful partnership between schools, higher education providers and other organisations.
Bridgwater and Taunton College is based in Somerset with three campus sites: Bridgwater, Taunton and Cannington. The college has in excess of 20,000 students, of whom approximately 1,000 study at Level 4 and above on HNC, HND, foundation degree, BA, BSc, BEng, Cert Ed and PGCE courses. These range from nuclear engineering (in support of the local Hinkley Point C nuclear power development) to the new nursing degrees that support Somerset NHS Foundation Trust. They also include agricultural management (on the college’s own farm) and digital, as well as creative arts and a wide range of other sectors and disciplines. In addition, there are professional courses and apprenticeships at Level 4 and above.
The college works in partnership with four universities that validate higher education provision at University Centre Somerset, which is part of Bridgwater and Taunton College. These are the Open University, the University of the West of England Bristol, the University of Plymouth and Oxford Brookes University, in addition to Pearson.
The college’s vision, mission and values explain why it became involved in setting up what has become a multi-academy trust. These include transforming the lives of its students and inspiring its communities to achieve success by creating exciting partnerships with its students, staff, community and employers, while being responsive to student, employer and community needs.
In line with these principles, the Bridgwater and Taunton College Trust was founded in 2012 as a venture sponsored by the college to improve the attainment level and life chances of local children in deprived catchment areas, including one that is currently designated an Opportunity Area.
The trust has grown since its inception and now includes nursery provision as well as three primary schools, three secondary schools and one joint primary and secondary school.
The challenge
The challenge in 2012 was that three local schools were struggling, two of them having been designated as ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted. One of these was the closest feeder school to the college, in one of the most deprived wards in Somerset.
The issue was therefore to find a way to improve the children’s attainment level and aspirations. A decision was taken to establish an academy, bringing the original three schools together in 2012.
Thereafter the challenge remained to raise standards, achievement, confidence and aspirations, with a focus on inspiring children from these deprived wards and making them aware of what opportunities are available to them, in order to provide greater life chances and assist social mobility.
The approach
Given its mission and values, the principal and governors of the college could not stand by with inadequate school provision locally and not do something to help. The college has always been rooted in its community with its aim to transform people’s lives, and in 2012 the moment came to act.
The trust started with three schools, which merged to become one academy and has since grown to become a multi-academy trust made up of seven schools.
Bridgwater and Taunton College (BTC) sponsors the trust and is involved in it at a strategic and governance level. However, the trust has its own chief executive and runs independently from the college. Each school has its own identity, while subscribing to the principles and values of the trust. As stated on its website, the Bridgwater and Taunton College Trust:
‘exists with the single legal and moral purpose – to advance education for public benefit. As such we are a group of likeminded schools working in collaboration as one entity to improve and maintain high educational standards within and beyond our own schools. Our core purpose is to ensure that Every Child Achieves.1
This objective fits extremely well with college’s mission and there is therefore a clear synergy between the college and the trust.
In practical terms, the chief executive and principal of Bridgwater and Taunton College is the chair of governors of the trust. Two other senior managers from the college are chairs of governors of two of the schools in the trust. Their role as governors is one of critical challenge, holding to account for quality and supporting the development of strategy while taking account of the culture, aspirations and ethos of an independent trust. This is done by strong governance to support the leadership of the trust, in the context of understanding the local community in Somerset.
The chief executive of the trust is able to call on the college, as and when appropriate, to assist with raising the aspirations of the trust’s young people, by giving real life examples of how it is possible to achieve the careers of their choice through high level attainment at school. An example of this is staff from the college going into schools to explain about what is on offer in post-16 education, as this is such a fast-moving sector and it is difficult for teachers in schools to keep up to date with what is happening beyond their own remit.
Talks have covered topics such as the development and running of T-levels and apprenticeships. Apprenticeships and degree apprenticeships are a particularly important offer for those from low-income backgrounds. They provide a salary and the development of skills, knowledge and behaviour as well as employment, and a qualification that can lead to a career in their sector of choice.
The links between the schools at each level mean that there is a strong understanding among school staff of the environment from which pupils are arriving and the institutions to which they progress. This joined-up approach is very helpful for smooth transition from nursery to primary and on to secondary level. The importance is recognised of fluid transition, which removes barriers so that students can make effective progress. The approach in place develops the knowledge of teachers in the schools to understand more about each phase, from nursery to primary and secondary, so they are not working in silos.
The trust leadership team and schools work effectively to raise standards and provide opportunities for children to be in a position to progress on to further study once they leave school after the age of 16. This is often at the college, on A-level and other further education courses including T-levels, and on again into higher education, both nationally and at University Centre Somerset within the college. The fact that it is possible for children to progress from aged two at nursery, to primary, secondary, further education and higher education all within two linked institutions leads to smooth transitions, which are important for some and support social mobility. With the assistance of outreach work from universities with A-level and further education students at the college, there was a 6 per cent increase (now 15 per cent) in students who secured a place at a Russell Group university in 2021-22, and one student who secured a place at the University of Oxford to study English.
The Somerset Uni Connect Team, Next Steps South West, which has a base at University Centre Somerset, works both within the individual schools making up the trust and with target students at Bridgwater and Taunton College to raise awareness, understanding and confidence to progress into higher education. Staff delivering degree programmes at University Centre Somerset have run masterclasses and taster sessions to pupils at the schools, facilitated and co-ordinated by Next Steps South West alongside a number of other interventions. These have been very well received and evaluated through the Uni Connect project.
There is considerable strength in the collaboration between multiple partners including Bridgwater and Taunton College, University Centre Somerset, the trust, individual schools within the trust, Next Steps South West and Somerset County Council.
The trust itself, as an independent body, has undertaken many initiatives to support the children in its care, in line with its declared aims. A recent example is developing the Get Ahead programme, to provide live evening classes for missed lessons from Key Stage 1 through primary and secondary levels. The culture that has been developed is a culture for the greater good and this initiative fits in that ethos. The Get Ahead programme is open to any student anywhere, being publicly available and free for anyone to engage in.
‘Every Child Achieves’ is the focus of the trust.3 An example of this is that the trust has a clearly articulated approach to permanent exclusion – no pupil is permanently excluded. Instead, there is a focus on finding ways to support those pupils who need intervention and support in a setting that is right for them. This is linked to Apex West, a centre in West Somerset for those who find it hard to thrive and achieve in mainstream education. This centre supports young people and works with centres in other schools, creating a culture to genuinely help young people in Somerset to achieve.
Evaluation activity
Evaluation is carried out in a number of different ways. These range from external audits of governance, which take place as part of the standard audit cycle, to evaluation activities by Next Steps South West, in line with the requirements of the Office for Students for Uni Connect funded projects.
The Director of Education for the trust reports to each school’s governing body, providing an overview of the school and its progress at regular intervals. This is robustly questioned and challenged as appropriate at governor level.
Any evaluation is able to use the evidence of the GCSE outcomes over time in the trust, as well as the progression of students from given postcodes in deprived wards. The type of evaluation possible is therefore in line with Type 1 (Narrative) and Type 2 (Empirical Enquiry).
The result
Having started with schools designated as inadequate by Ofsted in 2012, all secondary schools in the trust have been in the top 10 highest performing schools in Somerset since 2019. The original ‘inadequate’ schools in 2012 are now rated by Ofsted as being ‘good’ providers.
The milestones and targets for GCSE results within the multi-academy trust (included in previous University Centre Somerset access agreements and the first access and participation plan) were met.
There is great strength in the collaboration between Bridgwater and Taunton College, University Centre Somerset and the Bridgwater and Taunton Academy Trust. The strength of the governance supports the independent nature of the Trust to make its own decisions for the young people in its care. This has led to significantly improved attainment at school level and successful progression to further and higher education over time.
Notes
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