Seagry School, along with Somerfords’ Walter Powell School, became a member of the Diocese of Bristol Academy Trust (DBAT) when it converted to an academy on 1 September 2015. We are now part of a three school partnership with Somerford’s Walter Powell and Christian Malford, forming the Vine Schools.
DBAT’s Vision is:
DBAT shares the Church of England’s Vision for Education 2016, “Deeply Christian, Serving the Common Good”, which includes four basic elements wisdom, hope, community and dignity. We aim to deliver values-led education with the very best outcomes for children and young people.
Values
DBAT cherishes the principle of family. We believe that pupils’ needs are collectively met through collaboration, joint purpose and a strong Christian ethos which allows all children and staff to flourish. Christian values are central to all our work; generosity, compassion, courage, forgiveness, friendship, respect, thankfulness, trust, perseverance, justice, service and truthfulness.
The notion of family is intrinsic to the vision. DBAT expect all academies to be part of the family and share this common vision and work towards this. To support the vision they have some family values which we reflect in our school:
- Families ensure that all children can achieve, succeed and thrive;
- Families protect all their member schools;
- Families meet the needs of all employees;
- Families facilitate knowledge transfer;
- Families distribute innovation;
- Families save time and money;
- Families deal effectively with special educational needs;
- Families support new and existing leaders;
- Families embed the capacity to improve and manage change;
- Families build leadership capacity and succession;
- Families aid the integration of Children’s Services; and
- In the DBAT family, there are stronger and weaker members, but all are valued.
The Governance of the School is undertaken by the Directors and Trustees of DBAT, with specific duties and responsibilities being delegated to the Local Board as set out in the DBAT Scheme of Delegation. The Local Board meets six times a year and reports regularly to DBAT.
Local Board Objectives
To review the Christian and British values with the schools to build on the understanding that the school community has of the theology and meaning behind the values and their impact on school life. To be achieved through meetings with staff and Worship Councils and attendance at Worship throughout the academic year.
To identify and integrate opportunities for personal spiritual experiences in our curriculum and to develop a greater understanding of what spirituality is and its importance in our lives. To be achieved by our pupils being able to explore beliefs and experience; respect faiths, feelings and values; enjoy learning about themselves, others and the surrounding world; use imagination and creativity; reflect.
To ensure that the work that the Local Board carries out is clearly focussed on the Schools’ Development Plan priorities and that this work is documented. To be achieved by monitoring the operation of the Local Board pairings and their reports, reviewing Local Board visit forms and following up on actions and review of the School Development Plan at each Local Board meeting.
To hold DBAT to account by ensuring there are regular two-way conversations with DBAT staff and Trustees. To be achieved by attending SIO visits, attending Chair meetings, attending training sessions and meeting with the Link DBAT Trustee.
To use school data with reference to FFT (Fischer Family Trust) framework and national data to monitor progress and attainment across all years and groups. This information along with Testbase assessments will also be used to support staff to improve both progress and attainment for all pupils. To be achieved by being FFT trained, reviewing data and discussing with Senior Leadership Team and following up the impact of interventions.
Being part of the DBAT family brings many specific benefits to the School and the children, including dedicated support from our School Improvement Officer and sharing of best practice with other DBAT academies.
If you would like to find out more information about DBAT, its role, its directors and its vision please visit their website.
For the latest Annual Governance Statement, sent to parents in July 2018, please click on the link below.
