Pupils, staff, Governors and Trustees of four local academies, Bedford Academy, Shortstown, Cauldwell and Shackleton Primaries, came together to celebrate the launch of the HEART Academies Trust which is sponsored by The Harpur Trust. The event, which was also attended by Deputy Lord Lieutenant Judith Howard, included a performance by the pupils of the schools, a tree planting ceremony and a balloon launch at Bedford Academy.  Meanwhile, each of the three primaries held a simultaneous tree planting and balloon launch at their own sites.

The schools, which between them educate around 2400 pupils aged between 2 and 18 years, have joined together to ensure continued development and improvement across all academies within the Trust.  The Acronym of HEART stands for “high expectations, achievement, respect and trust.”  Chief Executive of HEART Claire Smith explained that “The Trust is committed to ensuring that all children and young people receive high quality teaching every lesson, every day”.

Hanif Patel, Chair of Trustees for HEART added that within the MAT “Each school will retain its existing name and identity and will remain focused on providing the best possible education for their community, but by adopting a ‘stronger together’ approach and a commitment to positive collaboration, pupils and staff across the Trust will benefit hugely from all kinds of new opportunities for learning and development.”

“We’ve got a strong leadership team in place and we are committed to a learning focus across the Trust – not just for our students, but also for the excellent teaching staff. I’m extremely grateful to The Harpur Trust (whose educational values align strongly with ours) for sponsoring us.”