REAch2 captures the views of both children and adults across all 60 academies and staff

REAch2 captures the views of both children and adults across all 60 academies and staff

During the months of February – April, REAch2 carried out its first annual survey in order to gather the views of children, parents, carers and staff across all 60 academies.

Cathie Paine, CEO, explains, “We believe that REAch2 is a family connected by a common desire to learn from each other, share experiences and be mutually supportive across the entire academy community. Every school and every individual, be it child, parent or staff, is included in this vision.

These surveys are pivotal, and I want to thank everyone who gave us their views. The responses mean we are able to get the unique perspective of parents and children as well as providing an insight into multiple areas of Trust life. It’s important to know how our children, parents and carers and staff feel about a range of topics including the environment, wellbeing and what it means to be part of REAch2. It was brilliant to see so many positive results but there is definitely lots still to do!

We want to build on the surveys, learning from them year on year and the findings will inform our strategic planning and help us improve”.

REAch2 accredited to provide Initial Teacher Training

REAch2 accredited to provide Initial Teacher Training

The largest primary-only family of schools in the country, REAch2 Academy Trust, has been accredited to provide Initial Teacher Training (ITT) following a rigorous government process. As a result of the accreditation, REAch2 will be running its ITT programme nationwide from 2024 across its 60 schools and beyond.

The accreditation process was designed to ensure that all accredited ITT providers are able to deliver high-quality ITT against the new Quality Requirements which will become part of the ITT criteria 2024/2025, and come into effect in September 2024. Recent reforms to ITT required all existing providers to re-apply for accreditation, as well as offering new providers the opportunity to apply for accreditation. 80 providers were accredited in the first wave, only one out of every three applying, highlighting the strength of the REAch2 application and the quality of the programme they will be providing.

Copperfield Academy Classroom Teacher with Children

As primary specialists, the REAch2 ITT programme will ensure trainees receive extensive training in learning how to work expertly with the youngest children, ensuring they develop a strong foundation for future learning and easing their transition to secondary school.

The REAch2 ITT programme will give trainees the opportunity to train in well-established local networks of schools at the heart of their communities while benefiting from all the advantages of being part of a national network of primary practitioners.

Andrea Wright, Head of Early Career Teacher Development at REAch2 Academy Trust, said:

“This is an exciting new chapter for REAch2, building on the success of the REAch Teach Primary Partnership’s current ITT provision. REAch2 represents one of the largest networks of primary education professionals and is committed to creating expert primary practitioners and future school leaders who provide exceptional opportunities for learning for all children.

“We want trainees to: ‘Train locally, grow nationally’ benefiting from a broad and strong national network of schools who share our vision and values. We know that great teachers shape children’s lives, and we can’t wait to get started in training the next generation of expert primary teachers to do just this.”

Andrea Wright
Head of Early Career Teacher Development

Cathie Paine, CEO at REAch2 Academy Trust, said:
“We are all delighted to be accredited as an Initial Teacher Training provider and are looking forward to helping develop new teachers. My vision for REAch2 is for every one of our schools to be great, and that will only happen with great teachers in the classroom. This is wonderful news that we can start to train the next generation of expert primary teachers to do just this.”