Join our Trust
In March 2013, Tall Oaks Academy Trust was formed through the collaborative working of White’s Wood Academy and Mercer’s Wood Academy. A few years later a new-build Castle Wood Academy joined our family of schools. Through many challenges including Ofsted inspections and the COVID pandemic we have emerged as a strong Trust with all schools rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted.
Our Schools
Castle Wood Academy is a two form entry primary academy in a relatively new state of the art building with ample outdoor space. Rated ‘good’ by Ofsted in March 24.
Mercer’s Wood Academy is a one form primary academy in an area of high deprivation. Rated ‘good’ by Ofsted in September 22, it prides itself on being inclusive and offering a broad range of strategies to meet the needs of learners so that children can be the best version of themselves.
White’s Wood Academy is a two form entry junior academy with a focus on health and well-being. Rated ‘good’ by Ofsted in July 2022, it has close links with the feeder infant’s school.
What’s Important to us
Our Shared Values
Our values of resilience, aspiration, well-being and engagement are at the heart of what we do and hold dear. Developed collaboratively to meet the needs of our children, families and staff, they run through our shared curriculum, our reward system and are a part of our everyday language.
Inclusion
We have high levels of children who have pupil premium, SEND and EHCPs and as such we always strive to meet their needs through our nurture, speech and language, emotional literacy and parent support offer.
Staff workload and well-being
Our staff are our most vital asset and we are always looking for ways to make their working lives easier and to support their well-being. Through our comprehensive well-being charter we are committed to providing a fully paid well-being day for every staff member, having no meeting weeks, colleague boxes, sharing planning for teachers across the schools and providing a fully mapped out Learning Journey curriculum which decreases workload significantly. We also offer a free counselling service, free eye tests and a raft of other strategies to look after staff’s well-being.
Working together at every level
Collaboration at every level is important to us. It creates a supportive network whereby expertise is shared and there is a professional learning community.
We encourage teachers to plan together to minimise workload and share resources and teaching ideas. School and Trust leaders come together regularly for meetings to shape the direction of the schools and the Trust. Teaching Assistants have bespoke training to further develop their skills and knowledge to meet the needs of the pupils they work with. Our ‘Stronger Together’ vision means something in our Trust and we aim to live and work by that.
Local Community
The immediate and surrounding areas is very important to us. We want to put Gainsborough and West Lindsey on the map. Our curriculum details local links to enrich the children’s understanding of their place in the community. We also value helping the community when we can, be it visiting care homes or helping to litter pick.
Personal Development
Our learning journeys allow us to enrich the children’s experiences by taking them on trips and by inviting special people in to talk to them. We offer a wide range of clubs and extra-curricular activities to enhance and enrich the experiences they have at school.
Trust Wide Events
Sporting activities are just one of the ways in which we encourage the children from our three schools to come together as a Trust community. We also have poetry showcase events and Art exhibitions for children and parents to attend.
On a professional level all staff come together for shared training such as for safeguarding, health and safety as well as teachers and teaching assistants joining forces for curriculum and teaching and learning inputs.
Creating a Team around the school
Supporting schools with the Business and Finance functions so that they can focus on teaching, learning and outcomes is a top priority. We surround Heads and their leadership teams with expertise and knowledge, keeping them informed, involved and in the loop.
Our success is built on strong foundations, enabling us to welcome new schools to our Trust, whilst retaining focus on our core commitment to excellence in education. We have the experience, ambition and aspiration to bring about excellence and inspire children to succeed.
We are always mindful, as a Trust, of the importance of sustainable growth. The capacity and infrastructure of our team ensures that the right expertise are in place across the Trust, to deliver the strongest educational impact.
Whatever the challenges; our goal remains the same: to provide children with opportunities to aspire and succeed, and open their eyes to the wonderful world of possibility.
