Our Values and Principles

Excellence is to be expected in all that KET does

This will be realised by: 

• insisting that every aspect of the trust’s work – however small or far removed from the frontline of education – should be of the highest possible standard, continuously seeking improvement and welcoming the challenge to do so; 
• remembering that high quality outcomes arise most sustainably from constructive professional discourse; 
• drawing on the very best practice that exists elsewhere, identifying it through having a culture of research and investigation. 

High aspiration is the driving force behind all success

This will be realised by:  

• being ambitious in identifying goals for our children and young people, our schools, our employees and the trust itself; 
• ensuring that all who work within the trust welcome the pursuit of challenging targets both for themselves but, more importantly, for the children and young people that we serve; 
• maintain an expectation that there should be no arbitrary limits to what can be achieved, in particular through challenging the relative underperformance of any identifiable groups within its school populations. 

The development of an appetite and preparedness for lifelong learning is essential

This will be realised by: 

• remembering that intelligence is not fixed and can be developed and grown as learning is itself a skill and children and young people can be helped to develop it; 
• challenging children and young people to learn more effectively through stimulating their curiosity and encouraging them to risk failure, to collaborate, to reflect on their experiences and to persevere to overcome adversity and difficulty;  
• ensuring that their children and young people will leave with a range of experiences and qualifications that are of genuine value to them and which will enable them to progress to their next stage of learning or work.

Children have an entitlement to teaching that is exemplary

This will be realised by:  

• ensuring our schools are led by headteachers who themselves are outstanding teachers, clear in their own understanding of what successful teaching looks like and how to encourage and develop it in others; 
• insisting that all teaching leads to outstanding progress for all learners, regardless of their individual challenges; 
• leading learning through inspiring, enthusing and raising the aspirations of all learners. 

High quality pastoral care must underpin all that we seek to achieve with our children and young people

This will be realised by: 

• recognising that children and young people respond positively when they feel that they are well-known and understood; 
• developing pastoral systems that promote the sense of belonging within the school; 
• supporting and encouraging children and young people to make choices that contribute positively to the adoption of healthy lifestyles.

KET has a responsibility to do all that it can to foster the well-being of members of its community

This will be realised by: 

• supporting our schools to embed well-being, and the factors known to enhance well-being through their culture, ethos and the curriculum;  
• reviewing how our schools use the evidence base which supports well-being, including government guidance; 
• always considering the well-being of staff and volunteers in their contribution to the delivery of high-quality education.

All schools are unique

This will be realised by: 

• recognising that every school has its own unique context and that approaches adopted with them need to be tailored to each setting individually; 
• seeking to balance the desire to allow all of our schools to be as autonomous as possible with our requirement to remain ultimately accountable for their individual performance; 
• granting as much freedom to each of our constituent schools as possible while recognising that this freedom must be earned through performance. 

Schools should serve their local community

This will be realised by:  

• striving to become the first-choice destination for children and young people who live close by; 
• being familiar with and responsive to the educational needs and aspirations of local families; 
• making our facilities and resources available to our local communities as extensively as is possible.

Schools should listen to the local communities from which they are made

This will be realised by:  

• adopting practices that allow their children and young people to contribute meaningfully to the development of our schools; 
• seeking the views of parents to ensure they have a genuine voice in shaping our schools; 
• creating opportunities for the wider community to share its views about our schools.

KET should at all times remain mindful of its civic origins and local responsibility

This will be realised by: 

• ensuring that our schools are active participants in local networks and partnerships; 
• maintaining a positive relationship with our local authorities and striving to be seen as a significant partner in meeting the needs of children and young people and families; 
• always exploring ways of supporting others within the educational community if called upon and welcoming the opportunity to do so. 

Schools are enriched through the diversity of their populations

This will be realised by: 

• being fully inclusive places of learning in which no children or young people will be denied entry on the grounds of faith, ethnic origin, prior attainment, special educational needs or any other such categorisations; 
• welcoming all children and young people upon entry and giving them access to any additional programmes and support that they are individually identified as needing; 
• celebrating their diversity through assemblies, enrichment programmes, display and focus events at every possible opportunity.

The development of an appreciation of what constitutes good citizenship is a fundamental goal

This will be realised by: 

• pursuing the goal of aiding all of our children and young people to become well-rounded citizens with aspirations to make a difference in the local, national and global community; 
• developing programmes to provide children and young people with opportunities to experience active citizenship within the school context; 
• promoting respect and care for others regardless of difference.

The promotion of British values is an important responsibility for all who work and study in schools

This will be realised by: 

• being intolerant of prejudice and discrimination and always acting swiftly to tackle it in the most appropriate way; 
• adopting programmes designed to ensure that all of our children and young people develop an understanding of what constitutes British values; 
• helping children and young people to incorporate British values into their view of the world and in their role as global citizens.

Schools should take a lead in promoting environmental responsibility

This will be realised by: 

• promoting positive attitudes to sustainability in our children and young people; 
• being mindful of the need to protect the environment and doing all that we can to support efforts to conserve it; 
• minimising our consumption of energy and other non-renewable resources. 

Schools benefit from strong leadership and governance

This will be realised by: 

• appointing as senior leaders only professionals who welcome challenge as well as support; 
• expecting that all leaders understand the importance of empowering others and are committed to a distributed model of leadership; 
• ensuring that KET’s governance membership and structures are able to effectively meet its ethical, moral and statutory obligations.

Financial resources for education are not unlimited

This will be realised by: 

• adopting the highest possible standards of financial budgeting and monitoring; 
• maximising financial efficiency across the Trust and ensuring that our public finances are used ethically at all times; 
• ensuring that the highest possible proportion of its income is dedicated to front line education. 

Technology should be harnessed to support all that the Trust does

This will be realised by: 

• expecting that all staff and children and young people are encouraged and supported to embrace mobile working and study; 
• making extensive use of the opportunities provided by technology to enhance effective communication throughout the organisation and with all stakeholders; 
• harnessing smart technology in pursuit of maximum organisational efficiency.