Principles and Values

At the heart of our work lie the six core principles of The Cam Academy Trust. These drive everything that we do:

The excellence principle -  Educational provision must be excellent.  Reasonable or even 'Good' is not good enough.  We seek the very best education for all pupils in our schools.  This implies that academic progress will be very high for all of our pupils however it is measured.  Very specifically, we aspire towards pupil progress measures that would suggest our schools have pupil progress measures in the top 5% nationally.

The comprehensive principle - We hold to the comprehensive ideal for our schools.  This implies that our schools accommodate pupils of all types, including all types of academic starting points and abilities.  We are clear that all pupils of all abilities can thrive and make excellent progress in the same school.  It is for us to ensure that this is a reality.  As well as all individual pupils of all types excelling in our schools, we believe that pupils benefit from sharing their education with pupils of all types from all backgrounds. This is seen as part of the educative process.

The broad education principle - Education in our schools should be broadly based and incorporate a broad educational experience for all pupils.  This includes strong provision of the Arts, Sport and Physical Education and Technological Education as well as academic subjects.  It sees personal development, well-being, leadership, creativity and citizenship for every pupil as core to educational provision.  Wider education, often achieved through enrichment and extra curricular activities, is also vital.  It is often through this that key skills and attributes are developed in young people that we see as fundamental to their development as young citizens.  It means that programmes such as the Duke of Edinburgh scheme are common in our schools.

The community principle - We are clear that our schools should be at the heart of their communities.  This outlook might reasonably be characterised as the 'Henry Morris' vision for schools.  We want our schools to be more than 'just schools'.  Our schools provide significant value added to their local communities and they provide facilities and services that are available to all in their communities throughout the day, week and year.  It is common for there to be thriving adult education programmes run from our schools as well as many other community activities and groups.  Safeguarding the young people in our schools is our foremost priority.  This can readily identify where pupils need help, and provide it quickly. We will also prioritise support for the wellbeing of members of our community, including our staff.

The partnership principle - We expect our schools to work in partnership with others for mutual benefit.  It is not acceptable for our schools to be islands and seek to plough their own furrows.  It is right to work with and support others and we know that schools do better by seeking to behave in this way.  Most obviously this applies to other schools in the Trust.  At the heart of our Trust is the educational value added that can benefit our schools through the sharing of ideas and resources.  However, the partnership principle goes beyond the Trust and implies that our schools will work with other schools (rather than separately from or in competition to them) as there is benefit to all in doing this.  Further, we seek to partner other organisations where there can be mutual benefit in so doing.

The international principle - All our schools should have a clear international emphasis in their educational provision both within and beyond the formal curriculum.  A strong international aspect to all young people's education is seen as crucial both in its own right as a proper part of any meaningful education and because it is crucial for the positive functioning of all societies.  This clearly means a firm commitment to the quality teaching and learning of foreign languages in all our schools.  However, it means more than that in terms of international themes running through the curriculum in our schools and rich extra-curricular international opportunities including trips and exchanges.  Our schools work towards achieving the British Council International Award.

These fundamental principles guide the aims and values of all of the Academies in our Trust.

We want to ensure that every individual pupil achieves his or her full, positive potential through a broad and high-quality education.

All students in our Academies will be helped to become:

• Capable. Through skills developed, attributes nurtured and qualifications gained, our students will be able to take a full, positive role in society.
• Confident. Having had their abilities confirmed and seen them flourish, our students are confident to be able to make the most of their talents and contribute to their communities.
• Caring. An emphasis on working with each other and recognising the position of other people throughout the world helps our students to develop a proper caring attitude.

Excellence For All