On Friday 15 February 2019 our second STEP First Conference was held at The Copthorne Hotel Effingham Gatwick. Around 700 members of staff, governors and trustees from our STEP community came together with the aim of everyone having a greater understanding of our STEP Compass, especially the first point STEP First. With videos of children,…

On Friday 1 February, we were delighted that Nusrat Ghani, MP for Wealden, visited White House Academy following the impressive results at Phoenix and White House in 2018.  Visitors were impressed with the behaviour and positive attitude of the children who are obviously thriving and enjoying their learning.   The support of colleagues from across our…

We are delighted that Applegarth Academy has been ranked 7th out of nearly 15,000 schools in England by The Real Schools Guide 2018.  Designed to offer a much fuller picture of education than standard league tables, schools are measured on 44 different areas to allow for a full and fair picture of a school’s performance.…

STEP Academy Trust, has been selected to become a National Teaching School with a focus of support in East Sussex, where STEP has six academies. This recognition has been awarded based on the fantastic educational performance of STEP’s Angel Oak Academy in Peckham, which achieved the prestigious grading of Ofsted Outstanding in October 2017. Introduced…

Staff and pupils at Phoenix Academy in Hailsham are celebrating, following the publication of important Primary School test results by the Government. With 71% of children achieving the required standard in both the English and Maths tests, Phoenix Academy is now the top performing school in Hailsham. It’s an even more amazing achievement given that…

As one of the biggest primary schools in Lewisham, Turnham Academy were asked by the local authority to provide emergency support for another local school in need of help. Horniman Primary School in Forest Hill had unfortunately experienced extreme water damage and were unable to use their building for 2 days.  Turnham agreed to welcome…

We are delighted that Tim Mills, Executive Teacher at Angel Oak Academy has received the wonderful news that Angel Oak Academy’s application to develop a STEP Teaching School has been successful. The proposal involved developing a STEP Teaching School focused on East Sussex and had the full support of the local authority and the RSC.…

On 1st September 2018, we were pleased that our two Wolsey Academies have formally amalgamated to become one and renamed Tudor Academy.    The name makes reference to the historical links in the New Addington area to the Tudor period. By working as one, our children now have the continuity of education and expectations of STEP…

Carol Fagan, STEP Senior Governance Clerk, has made the decision to retire from STEP; having been a valued member of staff for over 20 years. Previously providing excellent clerking services for Gonville, Carol has given her expert knowledge and wisdom throughout the conversion process into STEP Academy Trust. Carol has been clerking for the Board…

On 1st August 2018, we were pleased that Turnham Primary Foundation School converted to become Turnham Academy and join our STEP family of Academies. Formalising the successful partnership between Turnham and STEP which began in September 2017, John Halliwell, NLE and Head of Leadership Development, will be continuing his role as Executive Headteacher with Davina…

Sponsored by Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield   We were delighted to learn that Heathfield Academy was declared as Winner of Building Project of the Year 2018!   After spending two years in temporary accommodation, the staff and children at Heathfield are proud of their permanent home.  A brand new building, which was redesigned by Willmott Dixon, was completed…

Our 6 East Sussex academies have been part of the STEP family for nearly two years and we are really keen to understand how stakeholders feel it’s going.  Whether it’s good news or not, please share your views using the links below: Newhaven STEP Survey Hailsham STEP Survey

High Cliff, which joined STEP eighteen months ago, was visited by Ofsted in June 2018 and has been judged Outstanding in all areas.  Headteacher, Abby Kilgarriff, was recognised as providing “exceptional leadership and is unwavering in ensuring that staff and pupils achieve the highest possible standards”.   A growing school, High Cliff consists of early…

Burfield received their first Ofsted inspection last month and inspectors praised the leadership for achieving significant improvement in a short time.   Although Burfield received a judgement of ‘requires improvement’,  leadership and management was judged as Good and inspectors recognised how staff are conspicuously determined to achieve better outcomes for all pupils. In addition to…

Heathfield Academy was visited by Ofsted last half term – the school’s first inspection since opening in September 2015. We are delighted that Heathfield received a judgement of ‘Outstanding’ in all areas. The strength of Heathfield’s relationship with parents/carers was a significant factor in the overall judgement: “All of the parents who completed the Ofsted…

Hopefully you will be aware of all the work that has already gone into bringing the infant and junior schools together. During the summer, we knocked down the dividing wall that ran through the dining hall and physically separated the two schools. Then, in September, we started the academic year with a joint leadership team…

Angel Oak has been judged by Ofsted to be outstanding in all areas, following an inspection on 11th-12th October. The Peckham based academy, formerly Gloucester School, joined STEP in 2015. The academy is exceptionally well led by their Head of School, Catherine Hewitt, who, along with Tim Mills (Head of Teaching and Learning for STEP…

It was announced on Friday 16th June that Mark Ducker, CEO of STEP Academy Trust, has been awarded an OBE in The Queen’s Birthday 2017 Honours List, for services to education.  Mark is the inspiration behind STEP and it was his deep sense of moral purpose and vision which brought it into existence. This award…