Martin Hill, Chair of Trustees

I was elected as the new Chair of Trustees in July 2019 following a decade where, under the stewardship of the previous Chair of Trustees, the school made significant progress. As we look forward to new opportunities and challenges, I believe now is possibly one of the very best of times to be involved in The Blue Coat School.

• We are fortunate to have a consistently talented workforce at all levels, comprising senior leaders, teachers and support staff. Indeed, at this time we are also seeing a record number of applications from individuals seeking to join the workforce as and when vacancies arise or new opportunities created.
• We are proud of our ethos and of the standards we expect from everyone.
• We have, over recent years, put in place a detailed and successful financial plan.
• With the help and support of our Development Team and the Foundation we have been able to invest in new facilities, whilst also providing financial support for many of the initiatives that our students and staff promote.
• Our examination results have over recent years been amongst the highest level ever achieved in our history and again this is a direct consequence of the leadership of staff and the application of our students.
• We are an Outstanding School (Ofsted 2012) and we will strive to retain that position.
• We have both the highest attendance and punctuality levels ever coupled with significant improvements in behaviour across all parts of the school.
• Our safeguarding provision is excellent and ensures that the school is both a safe environment in which to study as well as providing the necessary support to those in need.

This list is not exhaustive but illustrates the many positive elements of the work being delivered by leaders, staff and students working positively together.
We will also be looking to progress our application to become an Academy Sponsor, thereby allowing The Blue Coat School to be at the forefront of the design of the Multi Academy Trust and in turn support the wider delivery of education.

We have an experienced, skilled and strategically focused Board of Trustees who are committed to The Blue Coat community. The Board’s purpose is to provide confident and strong strategic leadership which leads to robust accountability, oversight and assurance of the school’s educational and financial performance. In order to do this, Trustees meet on at least a monthly basis in order to carry out its three core functions.

• Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction
• Holding leaders to account for the educational performance of the school and its students, and the effective and efficient performance management of staff
• Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure its money is well spent.

I would like to invite you to explore the following documents to learn more about our work.