Lane End Primary School

Lane End Primary School (LEPS) is looking to academise with Chiltern Way Academy Trust (CWAT) and is seeking the views of all stakeholders as part of the consultaion period from 4th February 2025 to 19th March 2025. 

Joining a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) is not simply replacing the local authority; it is more than just a provider of services. A MAT is a community, an organisation that collaborates to support both children and staff across schools. A MAT facilitates collaboration between schools by bringing them together under a single governing body, allowing them to share resources, best practices, and expertise, which can lead to improved educational outcomes across all member schools. Staff are TUPE’d over, meaning their working conditions, contracts, and pensions remain unchanged.

We are a small inclusive school with high levels of children with SEND. We are proud of our inclusivity and the things we do well. We have an excellent EYFS provision, great reading results and we are ahead of the game with our oracy curriculum – positively impacting in all areas of the curriculum.

We know that the government and local agenda is for further inclusion in mainstream primary schools.  But the support from the Local Authority is no longer what it once was. We want the best for our children and we know, from working with CWAT over a number of years, that they have the resources, facilities and expertise that we need.  

CWAT are an Outstanding MAT with a proven track record in working with schools, ensuring their success. They have a huge amount of experience of primary education and they see what we do well.

There is a crisis in the number of special school places available in the local authority. Academisation allows for the potential for CWAT to utilise surplus space on the site of Lane End Primary School to open a small specialist provision for children with complex needs which would be separate to the mainstream primary school, This broadens the reach of CWAT into the local area meaning children who require these places are able to attend a school that is able to cater for their needs without travelling long distances. The rest of the school will very much remain a mainstream primary school – except with the added expertise from CWAT. However, any future proposal will be subject to the outcome of the academisation process and would be subject to a separate consultation process.

By being part of CWAT, we will be able to collaborate on matters such as staff training, sharing expertise and driving up standards. By being part of a bigger organisation, there will be increased leadership capacity, strengthened governance, high quality staff CPD as well as career pathways, meaning better staff retention. There would be opportunities for children from LEPS and other schools in the trust to take part in events and activities together. All this leads to better educational experiences for the children of Lane End Primary School, growth in numbers and sustainability of a much-needed village school, embedded in its community.

As a school, we don’t want to just survive, we want to thrive.