It is my pleasure to welcome you to Pickwick Academy Trust. We are a primary-only Schools Trust with 15 church and non-church schools organised into three geographically proximate hubs in Wiltshire and North Dorset. Pickwick was established in 2017 by four schools seeking to build on and formalise the benefits they saw through collaborative working as part of our Teaching School Alliance. It is this foundation that underpins our developmental school improvement work and commitment to strong professional development. We believe in mutually beneficial partnerships with our schools and ensure they retain and celebrate their unique identities, ethos and values – we do not want a set of clone schools!
Why - Our Vision
Our vision is to work together to provide the best schools and outcomes for our children.
How - Our Strategy
What - Our Mission
Team
We work together as an inclusive family so that each school is supported and held to account for the attainment and progress of every child to enable them to meet their full potential and to ensure the highest quality teaching and leadership for our children.
Approach
We provide robust support and challenge for each school on its individual journey of improvement, seeking common-sense solutions from within and outside our Trust.
Celebrate
We celebrate the successes and unique characteristics of each school, valuing all children and encouraging aspiration and innovation for all, providing systems that support opportunities for those working and learning in our schools.
Together
We share responsibility and harness our collective expertise, experience and spirituality to drive school improvement and achieve the best possible outcomes for all by sharing ideas and best practice to ensure all schools within our Trust are successful.
Future
We are committed to sustainable growth, to provide the best outcomes for the communities we serve now and in the future by aligning and resourcing central services and succession planning to ensure investment remains in quality teaching, learning and leadership.
--------------
Our Values
Our vision, strategy and mission is underpinned by our moral purpose to provide the best education and curriculum for the children we serve, and is based on the values of: aspiration; collaboration; inclusion; enjoyment; and nurturing relationships, with the intention of empowering children to become life-long learners, global citizens and deep thinkers.
We provide a strong ethical framework that enables children to make thoughtful, positive choices, and are committed to providing a high quality and educationally stimulating learning environment, led by exceptional and dedicated staff.
Pickwick Academy Trust and its schools are working together to ensure all pupils attend a UNICEF Rights Respecting School. We believe that by understanding their own rights, which are embedded in the United Nation's Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), our pupils will learn to respect and value the rights of others. The Convention recognises that all children and young people have the right to be treated with dignity and fairness, to be protected, to develop to their full potential and to participate - principles the Trust fully endorses.
Julia Fountain has enjoyed over 34 years in the teaching profession and has taught the whole of the primary age range, in a variety of settings, ranging from a small village school to larger town schools. She has over 26 years of school leadership and improvement experience and has been a Headteacher for 9 years. Her qualifications include the National Professional Qualification for Headship and Local Leader of Education. Her particular areas of expertise include teaching and learning, curriculum and assessment, including data analysis. She has had the role of Executive Headteacher since the Trust formed in September 2017, and became Director of Education for the North Wiltshire Hub in January 2024.
James has over 25 years education experience and 20 as a leader. He is the Chief Executive Officer of Pickwick Academy Trust, previously the Director of Pickwick Learning Teaching School Alliance and the sub-regional lead for the Teaching School Council for Swindon, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire. He is passionate about teaching and learning, and bringing people together effectively to improve outcomes for pupils.
Emma is the Chief Finance and Operating Officer (CFOO) for Pickwick Academy Trust. Having had a successful career in Finance, holding various roles including Management Accountant for a large commercial organisation, Emma moved to a role in Education in 2007 and now has 18 years of experience in the sector, including several years as an Academy School Business Manager. Her role oversees the work of the following areas of the organisation - Finance, HR, Premises, Health and Safety, IT and GDPR. She is passionate about supporting our school leaders, through the work of the Trust's Business team and alongside other members of the Executive Team, to ensure that all schools are safe and compliant and that all available funding is obtained and utilised in the best way to provide well-resourced places to work, teach and learn, both now and in the future, in order to provide all pupils with the education they deserve.
Amy Tapscott has particular responsibility for oversight of professional development and learning across the trust, supporting schools with curriculum development, trainee teachers and early career teachers as well as leadership development. She has been working in education for over 25 years, teaching in classes across KS1 and KS2 and more recently training SCITT trainee teachers.
Ray has been in the teaching profession for over 35 years. He has been a Nursery, FS2, KS1 and KS2 teacher, deputy headteacher, head teacher and now the Director of Education for Pickwick's North Dorset Hub. Ray also taught in a Special School for two years with an ASD focus. He has also been an early years adviser for Wiltshire for two years. Ray believes a collaborative approach to education is the only way to achieve lasting change in schools. He also believes that having an international dimension to the curriculum is vital in this globally connected world. He has taught in America and Japan and has also built lasting partnerships with schools in France, Belgium, China and Zambia.
Rebecca Bone is the Director of Education for our South Wiltshire Hub of schools, and has overall responsibility for church school flourishing and our partnership with the Salisbury Diocesan Board of Education. Rebecca has enjoyed over 22 years in the teaching profession and has taught, and been part of the senior leadership team, in a variety of settings, ranging from small village schools to a large town school. Rebecca is passionate about teaching, learning and leadership.
Rebecca has three children and enjoys spending her summer holidays backpacking and travelling together as a family.
Frances has worked for over 25 years in education, firstly in Service Children’s Education in Germany and then in South Gloucestershire Council’s 0-25 Service before she joined Pickwick Academy Trust in February 2019 as Admin Officer for the Executive Team. It was a new role for Frances and also for the Trust but one which has developed considerably since then. Frances is also the Clerk to the Board of Trustees which adds a different aspect to her role.
Mike spent 32 years as a Police Officer with Wiltshire Police before retiring in 2012. Upon leaving the Police Service he started work with a maintenance company working in primary schools within North and West Wiltshire. This work involved all aspects of property maintenance and health and safety compliance. In 2017 he joined Queen's Crescent Primary School, supporting the Business Manager with premises and Health and Safety management. As Pickwick Academy Trust grew, Mike took on the role of Trust Facilities Manager working with the Business Director building a premises management and health and safety regime to ensure our schools are safe and secure for the delivery of education. He was appointed Head of Facilities in September 2023.
Victoria is a qualified chartered accountant, with over 20 years of finance experience. She has worked as an auditor in practice and in various finance roles in the retail and telecommunications sectors. In 2020 she joined Pickwick Academy Trust as Finance Manager for Corsham Primary School and was subsequently appointed as the Trust's Head of Finance in September 2022. Victoria leads the schools finance teams in the work to provide financial stability and ensure best use of funds to improve outcomes for pupils.
Alii is the Head of HR at Pickwick Academy Trust, with 15 years' experience working in the public and education sector. Alii is responsible for developing, and overseeing, the delivery of a compliant and efficient HR service across Pickwick schools. She supports the Trust by working in partnership with leadership, managers and staff to embed best practice through HR policies and procedures.
Sylwia's full bio will appear here
Sam joined the Pickwick Academy Trust team in November 2022 and has over 14 years administrative and project management experience, having worked as a Senior Account Manager at a trade, retail and brand communication design agency.
Sam works with our Professional Development Director, Amy, across all aspects of the Early Career Professional Development Programme and supports with other professional development learning opportunities. Sam also supports our Head of Facilities, Mike, across all schools with health and safety compliance.
Pickwick Academy Trust is made up of 15 community and church primary schools across North and South Wiltshire, and North Dorset and is organised into three 'hubs'. Our schools include: Alderbury & West Grimstead Primary School, Aloeric Primary School, Corsham Primary School, Gillingham Primary School, Ivy Lane Primary School, Longford CofE Primary School, Ludwell Primary School, Queen’s Crescent Primary School, Winterslow CofE Primary School, Greentrees Primary School, Pitton CofE Primary School, Milton on Stour CE Primary School, St George's CE Primary School, Bourton, St Gregory's CE Primary School, Marnhull and Wyke Primary School.
Pickwick Multi-Academy Trust was formed in August 2017 because the four founding schools recognised the huge value of working together to drive school improvement and education innovation. Since then we have been delighted to welcome eleven more like-minded schools into the Pickwick family. The schools provide support and challenge to each other through developmental peer review, the sharing of best practice and having a common vision to improve outcomes and life chances for all the pupils across the Trust. We are an outward-facing and inclusive Trust, which is committed to safeguarding the ethos, uniqueness and identity of each of our schools, and the Christian distinctiveness of our church schools.