Guy, to start with, can you shed some light into what the SPT is? 

Of course! For background, a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) is a legal entity comprising a group of schools that collaborate to improve school performance, enrich curriculum, and enhance teaching and learning practices. Our trust, the Special Partnership Trust, was formed in 2016. It focuses on the two key words in our name: 'special' and 'partnership'.

We’re a group of special schools providing specialised education for children with special educational needs (SEN). Initially starting in Cornwall, we now cover schools in Devon as well. Currently, we have six schools within the trust, with two schools in development and four area resource bases in mainstream secondary and primary schools. These bases provide specialist education in partnership with their mainstream counterparts.

We also offer extensive outreach, working with independent schools in Cornwall and Devon, and partner schools in North Somerset. Our aim is to retain our specialism while working inclusively and collaboratively to ensure we maintain the best practices across SEN and share these practices to improve the offer for all our students.

That’s quite an extensive outreach. What does the Trust hope to achieve, particularly for the students and staff?

Our primary focus is on providing the highest quality education for every young person within our Trust. We have high expectations for our students and aim to prepare them well for their next steps in life. Equally, we need the best staff to achieve this, which means offering excellent professional development and rewards, and recruiting and retaining top talent.

We operate in a challenging financial and political climate, but our leadership team is committed to maintaining high aspirations. We want to attract individuals who are passionate about working in SEN and wish to develop their careers with us. SEN is a rich, innovative area to teach, and our trust offers diverse opportunities for professional growth and skill development.

We’re not afraid to do things differently and we never settle for ordinary. We aspire to be the best in everything that we do. We provide our young people with the highest quality education, give them access to the best opportunities available to them, and take pride in giving them a sense of self worth and purpose - built on a foundation of resilience and independence.

What approach do you take to helping your staff be the best versions of themselves at work?

Our mission is clear: to be a force for good in SEN and make a positive difference in 
people's lives. We challenge conventions, pioneer excellence, and work tirelessly to create better tomorrows for our young people and their families.

We strive to empower our educational professionals to lead and innovate within their schools. Our headteachers are the lead educators, driving improvement and innovation. They’re responsible for and held accountable for the quality of the education they provide.

The trust supports these leaders by handling various operational aspects such as logistics, funding, and compliance issues, allowing the headteachers to focus on teaching and learning. This means dealing with complaints, working with health and social care, managing admissions, and more. Our role is to ensure that the schools can operate smoothly and effectively, focusing on the quality of education.

Through collaboration, co-operation, and creativity - underpinned by an ethos built on inclusivity, empowerment, and transparency - we aim to inspire every single young person (as well as their families and our staff) to be the very best versions of themselves they possibly can. We do this through an ambitious, specialist curriculum that goes beyond school life and focusses on living as well as learning. We step outside the comfort zone when it’s needed, we care more than people think is needed or necessary, and we genuinely want to improve the lives and experiences of our learners

It sounds like your trust values autonomy within its schools. How do you balance this with the need for a cohesive overall strategy?

We believe in empowering our schools to operate autonomously while maintaining a cohesive strategy through our Quality Assurance Framework. This framework allows us to collect and analyse both qualitative and quantitative data, ensuring that our standards are met across all schools.

Schools earn their autonomy by demonstrating high-quality education through our self-evaluation processes. While each school reflects its local community's unique needs, all share our trust's core intent and impact. This model supports schools in their unique contexts while maintaining a unified vision of high-quality education.

What changes have you observed since implementing this model, and where is the trust heading?

Over the past few years, we've seen significant improvements within our trust. Professional development has increased, confidence among teaching professionals has grown, and the overall quality of education has improved. Our staff are more confident to lead and innovate, which directly benefits our students.

Moving forward, our trust aims to continue advocating for SEN, ensuring adequate funding and support from other agencies. We remain committed to our partnership approach, focusing on quality over quantity in our growth. The quality of our educational offer will always be our priority, enabling everything else to fall into place.

In your opinion, what more needs to be done for SEN education in this country?

It's a complex issue. While there have been numerous reviews and plans, actual implementation at the national level is lacking. SEN and alternative provision often feel like add-ons to mainstream education. We need to be considered as integral to the educational system, requiring adequate funding and collaboration between education, social care, and health services.

Cornwall, for instance, is one of the lowest-funded SEN areas in the country. While we achieve a lot with limited resources, proper funding would enable us to do much more. The postcode lottery of funding and services needs to be addressed to ensure all children receive the best possible education.

With all these challenges, what excites you most about the future of the trust?

What excites me most is making a tangible difference. Seeing teachers innovate and adapt curricula to meet their students' needs, witnessing the confidence and professional growth among our staff, and knowing that we are improving educational outcomes for our students is incredibly rewarding.

We are a dynamic organisation, continually adapting to new challenges and opportunities. Our focus remains on being a specialist trust that navigates and leverages the educational system to benefit our students and staff. This commitment to making a difference is what drives us forward.

I’m truly excited to be working alongside our brilliant staff, parents, and, most 
importantly, our incredible young people. Together, we will create a supportive and enriching environment where our learners feel safe, supported, and happy, as they embark on a journey to become successful, achieving, fulfilled adults.

It’s a huge privilege to be a part of this remarkable community, and I look forward to continuing to achieve great things as, together, we endeavour everyday to make a profound impact on the lives of those we serve.

You can find out more about everything the SPT does here.