SEND Consultant Project at The Goldfinch Trust

Strengthening Trust Wide Leadership and Improvement

The Goldfinch Trust has commissioned a short, focused consultancy project to explore how we continue to strengthen our Trust wide approach to SEND leadership and school improvement.

As a specialist multi academy trust supporting children and young people with special educational needs and complex health needs, we know the importance of having clear, consistent systems that enable schools to deliver high quality provision, maintain strong standards and respond effectively to complex pupil needs. This project is designed to support that ongoing work in a structured and evidence informed way.

Why the Trust has commissioned this work

Across education, specialist trusts are under increasing pressure to demonstrate strong governance, clear accountability and high impact improvement planning. In a Trust like Goldfinch, where provision is delivered across different specialist settings, it is essential that Trust wide systems are strong enough to support leaders and staff while remaining flexible to each school’s context.

This consultancy project will help us take a careful look at what is already working well across the Trust, where there are opportunities to strengthen consistency, and what practical next steps would add the most value for our schools and pupils.

What the project will involve

Over the coming weeks, the work will include a combination of:

• Reviewing key Trust documentation and priorities
• Visiting each of our three schools
• Speaking with colleagues across the Trust to understand current practice and challenges
• Considering how other specialist and small trusts structure SEND leadership and improvement support

The aim is to build a clear picture of strengths, risks and opportunities, grounded in real day to day experience across our settings.

What this means for schools, staff and pupils

While this project is focused on Trust wide leadership and systems, its purpose is simple: to ensure that our schools are supported to do their best work for pupils.

By strengthening clarity, consistency and improvement planning across the Trust, we can support:

• High quality provision that is reliable and sustainable
• Clearer approaches to SEND leadership across our schools
• Strong oversight and assurance across complex specialist contexts
• Ongoing improvement that is shaped by evidence and lived experience

This is not about changing what makes each school unique. It is about ensuring the Trust has the right structures in place to strengthen practice, reduce risk and support long term improvement across all settings.

Next steps

The project will conclude with a report that brings together key findings and practical recommendations for the Trust. This will help inform future planning and support the next phase of our Trust wide development work.

We look forward to sharing the outcomes as the work progresses and continuing to build on our collective commitment to delivering provision that is robust, evidence informed and centred on the needs of children and young people with special educational needs and complex health needs.

About The Goldfinch Trust

The Goldfinch Trust is a multi academy trust committed to providing high quality, personalised education for children and young people with medical and mental health needs. Our schools work closely with families, clinical teams, local authorities and partners to help pupils stay connected to learning, rebuild confidence and progress with purpose.

We welcome schools, professionals and partners who share our vision to explore how we can work together to deliver ambitious outcomes for learners whose needs fall outside of the mainstream model.