A fourth Plymouth school has joined Exeter’s ambitious Ted Wragg Trust. Lipson Co-operative Academy follows Marine Academy Primary, Marine Academy Plymouth, and All Saints Academy Plymouth in becoming part of the multi-academy trust (MAT).
The trust said it aims to “strengthen communities through excellent education” and has “the highest expectations for every child, every day, with social justice at its core”.
The addition of Lipson - which says it believes in “valuing young people, putting them first, insisting in the highest quality in everything they do, with an emphasis on achievement as a core purpose” - will further strengthen the growing MAT.
Lipson will be the 13th school to join the Ted Wragg Trust which also consists of Isca Academy, Cranbrook Education Campus, St James School, Exwick Heights Primary School, West Exe School, Whipton Barton Infant School and Nursery School, Whipton Barton Junior School, St Luke’s Church of England School, and Queen Elizabeth’s School, in addition to its Plymouth schools. It has more than 8,000 pupils in the compiled schools.
The trust’s most recent accounts, for the year to the end of August 2020, showed it made a surplus of £675,992, from incoming cash of £35,192,081 during the year. It had fixed assets of £46,184,425, and reserves of £2,074,355, but a pension liability deficit of £20,125,000
Academy trusts run academies, schools which receive funding directly from the Government. Although academies have to follow the same rules on admissions, special educational needs and exclusions as other state schools and students sit the same exams, they have more control over how they operate and do not have to follow the national curriculum and can set their own term times.
Some schools choose to become academies. If a school funded by the local authority is judged as “inadequate” by Ofsted it must become an academy.
Academy trusts are not-for-profit companies. They employ the staff and have trustees who are responsible for the performance of the academies in the trust.
Moira Marder, chief executive of the Ted Wragg Trust, said: “I am so incredibly excited to welcome Lipson to our ambitious and inclusive trust of schools.
“The trust continues to grow from strength to strength, we have gained real benefits from positively collaborating with our ever-growing network of schools and links to local and national organisations.”
In December 2021, Lipson was awarded a “good” rating in all categories by Ofsted after a two-day visit. The school had been told that it required improvement in an inspection in 2019, but was praised during the monitoring visit for having “made strides in improving the quality of teaching”.
Martin Brook, headteacher at Lipson, said: “Although Lipson will be joining the Ted Wragg Multi Academy Trust from January, we have been working really closely together for the past six months, during which the experience has been extremely positive. I can see only good things coming from the partnership and I think the relationship will benefit Lipson and the Trust as a whole.”
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