Please note: Academies Enterprise Trust (AET) is now Lift Schools, this post may reference the name of the trust at time of posting.
Sport has always held a certain magic for me. As a youngster, playing on the youth national teams for both football and basketball, sport shaped me as a person. I was blessed with talent, but more importantly than that, I had parents who drove me to every practice and every game - often to several practices or games in one day. However, as a young athlete, I noticed a disparity.
Some teammates and opponents didn't have this support, and they had to spend significantly longer on public transport to find their way to matches. I can remember winning a semi-final fixture against a school that practised in a sports hall without a roof - it was clear that victory didn't just come from skill; it also came from circumstance.
Early exposure to inequalities like these lit a fire within me, and so my path led me back into the education system, starting as a PE teacher in London. I wanted to especially teach those who did not have the support I received outside of school to achieve excellence.
Early in my career, I saw a common trend. Students who showcased remarkable passion during my lessons would sometimes display limiting behaviour in classroom-based subjects - affecting their learning and that of their classmates. From the early days of my career to more recently being principal of Dixons City Academy in Bradford, I have been determined to make sure that all students worked hard in all of their lessons - all of the time.
Now, as the newly appointed Secondary Regional Education Director (RED) for London and South region at AET, the organisation’s vision aligns with my drive throughout my career - to ensure that every child receives an excellent education in every classroom, every day.
There is exceptional practice already taking place in our region, from one classroom to another, one school to the next, but the goal isn't to have pockets of excellence. Our ambition, the call we rally behind, is AET 490. By 2028, at the secondary level, 90% of our students will score a 4+ in English and maths and will be secure readers.
It’s a significant ambition, given that just last year, only 61% touched this mark, but it is an uncompromising stand for universal achievement. It’s a fundamental belief that every student deserves a standard in education that sets them up for success.
Yes, it's a number, but it's also a promise to deliver a network-wide entitlement to end the type of disparity I have seen throughout my career.
Regrettably, in education, we sometimes set barriers for our students, anchoring them to expectations that we, as educators, set based on their previous success. Such limitations can stifle their growth potential.
In making AET490 a reality, the principle of collective teacher efficacy is key. This concept refers to the collective belief of teachers that they have the expertise to impact students' learning positively. It's the deeply held belief among teachers that they have the power to change life chances.
It’s a concept grounded in evidence. John Hattie, states that collective teacher efficacy has an effect size of 1.57 (2023, Visible Learning). If all of our schools at AET could achieve a Progress 8 Score of 1.57 we would almost certainly achieve, if not exceed, AET 490.
As the Regional Education Director, it’s my responsibility to guide leaders of our schools toward our shared vision. It's not merely my task but my duty to sow the seeds of belief that AET490 isn't just an aspiration - it's within reach. And to realise this vision, I'm prepared to cast our aspirations far and wide.
Our CEO, Becks Boomer-Clark, often emphasises the need for 'system generosity.'
As no secondary school at AET has ever achieved the secondary goals in AET490, I will lean on the generosity of other schools in our region and beyond who have similar demographics and are already achieving AET 490. If students in similar schools can achieve 490, there's no reason why our students shouldn't ascend similarly.
Embodying the principle of 'collective teacher efficacy' - if we believe, as a united front, that we can reach those heights, then it’s not a matter of if, but when.
By looking outwardly to understand what other schools are doing that share our context and are hitting the marks of AET 490, we provide tangible evidence to leaders and teachers in our region to show that AET 490 isn't just a lofty ideal—it's attainable.
But while 490 is at the heart of our mission, it’s crucial that our vision isn’t myopic, as each school has its character, challenges, and community. The disparities in my region, London and South, are certainly glaring. In SW14, where Richmond Park Academy is located, the average home is valued at a staggering £1,076,245; a mere six miles away, in TW3, where Kingsley Academy can be found, that average drops to £469,374.
For all the things that differentiate our schools, these variations are not mere challenges; they are chances — chances to work together, to understand, and to design education that resonates with the heartbeat of each of our schools.
Context is crucial. The children we teach, the families that support them, and the communities we serve — they're not spectators, they are central to what we do. The changes we make in the journey have to be crafted alongside the people we serve, not imposed upon them.
As a region, we can’t be in the business of rubber-stamping solutions. In looking at the practice of schools within our network and outside, it is not just about borrowing what they are doing but about truly understanding why it works and how to adapt to context.
Achieving AET 490 - something not done before across a large academy trust - might seem impossible or unachievable to some. However, by searching for and sharing our expertise both locally and nationally, we will be able to achieve it. As Nelson Mandela famously once said, “it always seems impossible until it is done.”
This is part of a series that takes an honest look at the priorities of each of the five regions at AET.
To find out more about the London & South region, read David Atter's blog about his transition from a London headteacher to the newly appointed Regional Education Director.
As an introduction for this series, Rebecca Boomer-Clark, AET CEO, explains why we have revised our operating model and established five distinct regions.
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