Co-operative Foundation Trust
Aylesbury Learning Partnership is a Co-operative Education Trust , currently including The Grange School, Turnfurlong Infant School and Turnfurlong Junior School. ALPS was formed in September 2013 and over the interim period an effective working relationship has been developed. We have an established structure, have seen the benefit from a number of joint initiatives and are now considering the future development of the partnership.
What is a Co-operative Trust School?
Trust Schools are a type of school that have the opportunity to be supported by a Charitable Trust, whilst still being part of the Local Authority family of schools. The Co-operative Trust strengthens our drive for continuous improvement, in particular through engaging more closely with the local community.
Our schools have become Trust Schools based on the values of the Co-operative Movement and have created a long term partnership. Our current partners are The Co-operative College (a national training organisation) and Buckinghamshire County Council.
The Governing Body of each school continues to be responsible for employing staff, for admissions and for the school premises.
Our Vision for the Aylesbury Learning Partnership - Taking learning to new heights
Our three schools are committed to working together in partnership with each other and with our pupils, parents, and the wider community we seek to serve, and it is that which drives us now to seek new partnerships and opportunities.
The key aims of our Trust are to use the expertise of our schools and our partners:
To ensure consistently high expectations and continuing high school performance and pupil outcomes
To raise pupil aspirations
To continue to improve the quality of teaching and learning drawing on local expertise and national best practice
To continue to develop the current and future leadership skills within our schools to ensure sustainable success over the longer term
To support effective key stage transition by working together and with our other partner primary schools and education providers in the town
To collaborate in order to develop and enrich our curriculum offer
To use collective buying power to secure best value from our resources
Learning together to enhance our community
Providing positive futures for our children and families
Securing success through co-operation
What does the Co-operative Movement bring to the Trust?
By becoming a Co-operative Trust, Aylesbury Learning Partnership schools have become part of the global cooperative family. We are members of the Schools Co-operative Society, the national network of co-operative trusts, and work with the Co-operative College. The Co-operative College has extensive experience in both the general school sector and the co-operative trust sector. They organise the network of co-operative schools, of which The Aylesbury Learning Partnership is a part. They also help bring a global dimension to the schools and assist in establishing national and international links with other co-operative organisations.
What does this mean for parents, carers and pupils?
Our schools continue to be distinctive and autonomous, led by their individual head teachers and governing bodies. Their responsibilities for standards, including objectives relating to behaviour and performance are unchanged. The Trust builds on the unique qualities of each school and therefore, through collaboration, significantly improve the educational opportunities for young people and their families. We believe that these stronger
partnership arrangements between schools and extended services professionals, contribute significantly to a further improvement in each school’s performance and a better educational experience and enhanced outcomes for young people and their families.