Design note 4 - what do we mean?
In addition to the similarities between our new icon and the real Northern Lights, we particularly liked some of the themes the Northern Lights icon represented, namely:
About the Beckfoot Trust
Creating Remarkable Schools in our District
Welcome to Beckfoot Trust. We are a medium-sized family of 10 Bradford District schools, secondary, primary and special. We are determined to be remarkable because the communities that we serve deserve it. Remarkable to us is an important word, it is a mindset, it is our aspirational ideal, it is beyond the fixed state of outstanding. We strive to be remarkable in all that we do because our students deserve nothing less. We want no child to be left behind. As a trust, we are evidence-informed and outward focused. We are keenly interested in ‘the best that is thought, said and done’ nationally and internationally, however, we are locally serving. Our people: colleagues, students, families and their context matters.
Our story
Formed in 2013, on strong moral and inclusive principles, we currently educate over 7000 students and employ over 1000 adults. We are proud to serve our local community. Our schools are all at different stages of their journey, yet all have made significant improvement in the past few years, regardless of post Covid challenges. Our Heads have the agency to craft the culture in the organisation that they lead, yet they all share the same mission and values and are all committed to our guiding principles of alignment which they have shaped with the Chief Executive and their team. Although much has changed about our trust since its founding years, we are proud of our story and our unique values and inclusive principles that are constant.
Our remarkable story
A commitment to inclusion, a family of mainstream and special schools
Investing in people and developing leadership
Creating remarkable Schools in our district
Introduction of the One Trust Contract defining with clarity the why, what, and how of remarkable
1997
David Horn becomes Headteacher at Beckfoot School
1997
2011
Beckfoot School and Hazelbeck School move into new building
2011
2013
Beckfoot Trust is formed with Beckfoot School and Hazelbeck
School
2013
2014
Beckfoot School judged Outstanding in all areas
2014
2015
Hazelbeck Special School judged Oustanding in all areas
2015
2015
Beckfoot Trust supports Belle Vue Boys School converting to become Beckfoot Upper Heaton
2015
2016 Beckfoot Oakbank joins the Beckfoot Trust
2016
2016 Beckfoot Allerton joins the Beckfoot Trust
2016
2016 Beckfoot School becomes a Teaching School
2016
2016 Beckfoot Thornton joins the Beckfoot Trust
2016
2016 Beckfoot Heaton joins the Beckfoot Trust
2016
2017 Beckfoot Priestthorpe joins the Beckfoot Trust
2017
2017 Beckfoot Phoenix joins the Beckfoot Trust
2017
2018 Beckfoot Upper Heaton judged Good by Ofsted
2018
2018 Beckfoot Trust supports Nessfield Primary School converting to become Beckfoot Nessfield
2018
2019 Beckfoot Thornton judged Good
2019
2019 Beckfoot Heaton judged Good with Outstanding leadership
2019
2021 Shirley Watson becomes CEO of Beckfoot Trust
2021
2021 Introduction of One Trust Contract defining with clarity the why, what, and how of remarkable
2021
2023 Beckfoot Phoenix judged Outstanding in all areas
2023
2023 Beckfoot Priestthorpe judged Good by Ofsted.
2023
2023 Beckfoot Trust partners with Two Counties Trust to launch national CPD programme, ConnectEd
2023
2023 Beckfoot Trust introduces Universal Offer across all schools
2023
2024 Beckfoot Hazelbeck continues to be judged Outstanding by Ofsted.
2024
2024 Beckfoot Allerton judged Outstanding for their Early Years provision, Personal Development and Behaviour and Attitudes.
2024
2024 Beckfoot Trust is recognised a Disability Confident Committed Employer
2024
2024 Beckfoot Trust is recognised as a Mindful Employer
2024
2025 Beckfoot School continues to be judged Outstanding in all areas by Ofsted.
2025
2025 Beckfoot Nessfield judged Good in all areas by Ofsted.
2025
2025 Ofsted recognise that Beckfoot Heaton have made strong improvements since previous Good rating
2025
2025 Beckfoot Heaton becomes the first ever recipient of the Dandelion Organisation’s Gold Standard Award for Leadership, Social Mobility & Opportunity
2025
2025
Ofsted recognise that Beckfoot Oakbank have made “significant improvements”
2025
2025
Launch of Beckfoot Trust MY PGP professional growth dashboard
2025
2026
Beckfoot Phoenix expands with a new annex on the Beckfoot Nessfield site
2026
No Child Left Behind and our Universal Offer
We are ambitious for all our children and we seek to remove any barrier that will hinder their achievement. Our Universal Offer seeks to ensure a school environment where all pupils can be successful.
Meeting individual Needs
Safeguarding and family Support
Ensuring that pupils’ basic needs are met
Attendance and Transition
Ensuring pupils arrive calm and settled, on time every day
Inclusive Classroom and Quality of Education
Ensure all pupils have access to high quality teaching (especially SEND and high needs)
Behaviour and Personal development
Ensuring a consistent Behaviour Policy and Sanctions
Identification, Assessment, Action
Everyone Striving for Remarkable
We know that culture is hugely important, and this must be purposefully crafted daily by all adults. As a trust, we have a defined school improvement model, and this is built on ‘purpose not power’. We work with our schools as a team around the school and we see school improvement as a dialogical approach that happens ‘from the inside out, not the outside in.’ Our size and geographical closeness gives us a great advantage in how we work together as ‘One Trust where all Belong.’
We have codified all our guiding principles and active ingredients in a document named the One Trust Contract. We work with leaders in defining with clarity the why, what, and how of remarkable.