Mission statement

Aquila was created to be an effective vehicle for sustained school improvement, especially focused on supporting and developing the most vulnerable.

Our mission is to provide high quality education in a safe, respectful and inclusive environment where all can flourish.

To achieve our mission we put schools, and therefore children, staff and governors at the centre of our work. We have created an environment in which all our schools can flourish. Aquila Schools are committed to working together to achieve the best possible outcomes for all our pupils. We also work effectively with other organisations including local and national government to create the very best opportunities for the children in our care.

"Links with local schools and schools within the trust provide further support for everyone within the school community" (SIAMS report 2022)

Our Vision

Through inclusive and innovative practice, we nurture the Aquila family to provide exceptional learning experiences, enriching the lives of all in our unique communities.

So, we celebrate the uniqueness of each school in their individual community, but hold to our central vision of a high quality inclusive education.

 

Our Values

Our values: Collaborate, Enrich, Trust, Innovate, Aspire, and Nurture shape our relationships, guide every decision and inform our actions.

 

Who are we?

Aquila, The Diocese of Canterbury Academies Trust, is a Multi Academy Trust of 16 primary schools within East and Central Kent, including areas of rural and coastal deprivation.

Fifteen schools have Church of England designation and one is a community school which values our inclusive and supportive approach.

Nine schools are sponsored, having previously been graded inadequate at an Ofsted inspection and another three schools converted having been schools classified as causing concern by the local authority. Aquila ensures the Cof E schools enhance and develop their Christian ethos and links with the Diocese.

There is a strong network for support and development which have enabled each unique academy to move forward with strength in its development.

"The Aquila trust and Diocese of Canterbury provide high quality professional development

for all staff inspiring them to improve their skills and knowledge of working in a church school." (SIAMS 2023)

 

We serve just over 4,000 pupils.

Aquila relationships with the Canterbury Diocesan Board of Education.

All our Members have direct links with the Church of England. They are either appointed by DCACL (The Diocese of Canterbury Academies Company Ltd) or sit on the Canterbury Diocese Board of Education or represent Canterbury Christ Church University, which also has a Christian foundation.

At Trust Board level all trustees are appointed by the Members and have been appointed for their skills and their responses at interview to questions designed to show their understanding of the uniqueness of Church of England schools.

The Aquila CEO attends and reports to the following Diocesan meetings – Diocesan Board of Education, Diocesan Schools Committee, Diocesan Education Team Strategy Day, Diocesan School System Enabling Group.

National links

The Aquila CEO is part of the Church of England Flourishing Schools network and sits on the steering group. She co-authored the booklet “Ethos Enhancing Outcomes 18 MAT leadership issues” with Andy Wolfe – Executive Director of Education at the Church of England.

Aquila is a delivery partner for NPQs with the Church of England Foundation for Educational Leadership and is part of the CEFEL Trauma-Informed network of schools.

How does the vision of Aquila resonate with each school’s theologically rooted Christian vision in a way that enhances the work of the school and its Christian foundation?

Our Trust communities are inclusive and open to all, just as Jesus is welcoming and open to all.

By being aspirational and nurturing we want all our children to have the confidence to take on new challenges and feel supported in being able to achieve things that they may not have thought were possible before; to achieve this we must be mindful that we are the role models of these expectations. 

This does not stop with the children, but is shared with all the stakeholders in our communities, so they also feel they can achieve things that may not have been possible previously. Our schools are outward facing, every school supports and encourages every other Aquila school as well as working in collaboration with local schools.

"Governors and Aquila ensure that the school is monitored and reviewed through the lens of its Christian vision." (SIAMS report 2023)

How does being part of Aquila enhance the school’s curriculum?

We are fortunate that our partnerships across the Trust enhances each school’s curriculum and provides opportunities for unique use of specific local environment features.

Our subject leaders meet regularly and review areas of curriculum development and focus on best practice, for example; having English Hub and Behaviour Hub Lead schools supports both outcomes and pupil welfare across the taught curriculum. Subject Leaders have also had influence on the Aquila Curriculum Overview statements, with subject experts across the trust leading on curriculum development within these hubs.

Early Years staff meet to work on developing areas such as shared GLD outcomes and for moderation meetings and have access to the research- based Trust Early project to develop oracy and vocabulary.

The annual Trust conference events allow staff to focus on the needs of the Trust and for subject leaders to have a better understanding of Trust issues. Themes have included great teaching, great learning, mindfulness and well-being with workshops on RE teaching and spirituality. Bishop Rose has been our keynote speaker and supports our schools through visits.

The Trust supports curriculum development through the school improvement team who assist leadership teams with the evaluation of whole school strategies with a focus on wider school improvements.

The curriculum is adapted in each school to meet the unique needs of cohorts of children to ensure that children are highly engaged and motivated. The curriculum is carefully devised to be relevant and relatable to schools’ cohorts and context.

We support our schools to consider how all areas of  the curriculum develop spirituality through providing space  and focus for awe and wonder. We are attentive to the development of people’s mind, body and soul. Spiritual development relates to fundamental questions about the meaning and purpose of life which affect everyone, and is not dependent on a religious affiliation.

Our schools consider...

Windows: Giving opportunities to become aware of the world in new ways. Learning about life in all it’s fullness. This includes both the things that amaze us and challenge us.

Mirrors: Giving opportunities to reflect upon our experiences. To meditate on life's big questions and consider some possible answers. Learning from life by exploring our own insights and perspectives and those of others.

Doors: Giving opportunities to respond, to do something creative in order to express, apply and further develop our thoughts and convictions. Learning to live by putting into action our beliefs and values.

How does Aquila contribute to and enhance the school’s worship and spiritual life?

Aquila contributes to the school’s worship and spiritual life by ensuring all schools have access to an Academy Improvement Advisor for Worship and areas of Christian Distinctiveness to ensure we are living out the mission of the schools Vision statement.

In termly Headteacher meetings children are given opportunities to share and lead Worship with Trust Headteachers and explain their role as worship leaders in each Trust school. This allows leaders to reflect on what is taking place in each school. There are shared practices on workshops such as Spirituality and what this should look like across the Trust, using the Covenant overviews of what this means in each of our schools.

Collective worship leaders meet regularly to share best practice and learn from each other.

Pupil worship leaders are well-established across all Aquila C of E schools and lead class, key stage and church worship. Children plan and deliver worship with the support of adults if needed. The schools’ worship plans are based on Diocesan planning and this is amended to meet the needs of the children, and sometimes reflect events that are happening in the world or local community.

Prayer is embedded in the routines of our schools. We start governance meetings with prayer at Local Governing Body and Trust Board levels. Worship is part of our regular Headteacher meetings, led by pupils from our host school.

"Both staff and pupils speak positively of collective worship being a spiritual time, giving them moments of reflection. They recognise that this positively impacts their actions in daily life. Support for the school from the trust including training and networking opportunities for leaders is valued. This is also reciprocated with the school sharing aspects of their best practice with other schools within the MAT." (SIAMS report 2023)

Image: Bishop Rose answering questions from pupils at Charing CE Primary

How does Aquila contribute to and enhance the inclusion and wellbeing of pupils and adults, ensuring that all are treated well?

The Trust supports and contributes to the enhancement of outcomes by having its own team of Educational Psychologists. All Aquila schools have at least one Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA), and usually a team of ELSAs, trained by our Educational Psychologist.

Apart from looking after and supporting staff to secure the best outcomes for the children, our Ed Psych team provide supervision for all our ELSA trained staff on a termly basis, SEN assessments and support as well as nurture provision. They provide focussed mental health support for pupils, staff and families during emergencies. Our DSLs have access to external supervision every 6 weeks.

An Aquila Speech and Language Therapist supports schools in enabling children to meet targets or secure further LA / and or Health support via intervention support.

The Trust has supported all its schools with Trauma Informed Network sessions. As a result, the Trust is also supporting other schools where excellent practice has been identified across the MAT. Our schools have developed nurture provision, specifically designed to meet the needs of pupils who are struggling to engage in learning.

All our schools have undertaken an externally validated well-being award. Aquila provides access for all staff to confidential counselling services through Staff care services. We undertake regular staff well-being surveys through an external provider so results are confidential but can be benchmarked against schools within Aquila so we can learn from our internal best practice as well as national benchmarks so we can measure the impact of our well-being work.

One of our school improvement team is a senior Mental Health practitioner who has developed audit tools and associated training for all our staff.  

Our schools support their families by providing a range of services including food banks, fuel banks, toy banks and uniform banks.

"Professional development from the trust, the diocese and directly in school, along with a supportive culture, empowers staff in all roles. This is particularly meaningful for those who speak of negative prior experiences before joining St Nicholas" (SIAMS report 2023)

How does Aquila make a positive impact on the culture of the school?

Our schools have links with the Diocese, with termly HT and RE and Worship leader’s meetings which also enhance the school’s curriculum and Christian Distinctiveness practices. The Trust supports curriculum leads via Trust curriculum lead meetings, ensuring the vision and values are central to the culture of the school.

There is training for all staff new to the Trust on what it means to work and teach in a church school. Leaders have the opportunities to share ideas and good practice in inclusion and flourishing for all.  Trust Improvement Advisors work closely with schools on the strategic direction of schools while considering the aspiration and high standards across the curriculum are also clearly visible in the  teaching of RE.

The Trust makes a positive impact on the culture of its schools through community events such as; athletics, football and art competitions. It hosts annual conferences with shared expectations in outcomes for pupils such as in reading, behaviour, thinking. Trust schools have a shared coaching into appraisal model which allows all staff to have an opportunity for self-development.

"Following a period of considerable change and re-adjustment, this school has become a place where everyone values themselves and others. A challenging journey of school improvement and enrichment has been well supported by Aquila (the academy trust to which the school belongs) and by the Diocese." (SIAMS report 2023)

The Maidstone Compassionate Community Award - Winner - Archbishop Courtenay Primary School

How do school and trust leaders ensure that the religious education curriculum is challenging, accurate, well sequenced, well-balanced, relevant, and diverse?

RE teaching within Aquila is not denominational, but is informed by two different teaching schemes: Understanding Christianity and The Kent Agreed Syllabus which incorporates materials produced by RE Today.  By using these schemes alongside each other, we are ensuring that children are given the opportunity to become religiously literate.

Understanding Christianity is based on seven core Christian concepts. Children will explore the different concepts using a range of inspiring activities as they move through the schools, starting in Foundation Stage and developing a greater depth of understanding and knowledge by the time they reach Year 6.

RE lessons all start with a key / big question which is explored through a range of activities including: texts, drama, art, discussion, use of artefacts, pictures, visits, visitors, periods of stillness and reflection. Children are provided with ‘I wonder…’ questions to challenge their thinking further. Understanding Christianity ensures that children show an understanding of religious text and teachings but they should also demonstrate a deepened more thoughtful approach to their learning and how beliefs can influence day to day life.

How do school and trust leaders ensure that religious education is well resourced, and that continuing professional development for staff has an impact on the effectiveness of the curriculum?

The RE LTP is also changing slightly this year to reflect the needs of the cohort and to include a wider range of world beliefs. The curriculum will now also include global topics such as racism and climate change, using planning from RE Today.  Training will be provided for these new units. The plan will also include Humanism and staff will all receive Diocesan training and will use their plans.

"RE is well led and managed. Over the course of the past year, the new subject leader has established high expectations for teaching and learning. Her professional development has been well supported by the Diocese and by the Trust." (SIAMS report 2022)