Our Central Team at Endeavour MAT provide the expertise, infrastructure and support that enable the Trust and our schools to run effectively, ensuring schools are able to focus on delivering high quality teaching and learning.

School Improvement

Each of our schools has access to bespoke school level support on identified improvement priorities.  Our Head Teachers contribute to our Trust-wide strategy ensuring an open and collaborative approach to planning and business objectives.

Additionally, Endeavour MAT offers,

• A Trust-wide CPD programme allowing staff to collaborate across schools and phases
• Access to nationally and locally recognised professional qualifications to enhance skills and learn from best practice
• A Trust-wide approach to school improvement driven by a peer review process according to commonly understood criteria and shared support
• Annual SEND and safeguarding reviews

Finance

Managing finances can be a complex and time-consuming task, especially in our sector with the many statutory and fiduciary duties we hold for the public funds we spend as well as compliance with both company and charity law. Our team of finance professionals have a wealth of experience providing high quality, solution focused support tailored to the individual needs of each school. Our finance services include:

• Managing all aspects of accounting, including legal and tax compliance.
• Support, advice and training to ensure that you are able to manage your budgets and resources.
• All statutory and DfE reporting requirements completed for your school as part of the Trust including annual audited statutory accounts, VAT returns and ESFA returns.
• A fully managed payroll and pension service, including all annual returns and audits.

HR

Our HR Team work with Head Teachers, Senior Leaders and Managers across the Trust to provide comprehensive support tailored to meet the needs of individual schools. Providing a responsive and flexible range of HR services including administration of recruitment, onboarding, contract variation and the full range of other HR transactional work.

Our HR services include:

• Comprehensive and up-to-date knowledge of employment law and best practice, with specific reference to the education sector.
• Trust-wide policies, guidance and training specifically designed to meet the ever changing and complex people challenges faced in the workplace by schools.
• Comprehensive support on all matters relating to casework and employee relations.
• Recruitment support including the use of Trust-wide value-for-money advertising arrangements, pre-employment and onboarding processing and new starter support.
• Preparation of compliant and timely workforce census returns for each of our schools.
• A fully managed payroll and pension service, working in conjunction with the Finance Team.

Infrastructure and Operations

Strategic planning and effective management to create agile, scalable, lean and student focused infrastructure.  Operations are co-ordinated and managed through the Central Team, bringing together Business Managers and team members based in schools creating a close-knit and mutually supporting wider team. This supports each school through:

Estate Management and Capital Projects

Our centrally managed Trust-wide Premises Team manages and maintains the fabric of each of our schools, negotiating Trust-wide contracts in order to achieve best value and completing all relevant DfE returns regarding the estate. Premises Managers work with Head Teachers and Business Managers to develop the vision for your school, provide project management for local projects and support the delivery of day-to-day services. Expertise from the Central Team provides professional leadership as well as ensuring statutory, regulatory and technical standards are identified and maintained by the school-based teams as well as providing project management for larger capital projects.

Health & Safety

While health and safety is the responsibility of us all, Endeavour MAT provides support, policies and oversight to our schools based on comprehensive and up-to-date knowledge of regulations and best practice. With a co-ordinated approach supported by expert advice and regular check-ins to ensure statutory and regulatory compliance.

IT

Managing technology securely can be one of the most complex and challenging aspects of modern life. We understand the need to ensure that services run smoothly and that IT seamlessly supports the operation of our schools. Our centrally managed Trust-wide IT Team deliver in-school and remote support, with school-based IT Managers working closely with Head Teachers and Business Managers to help simplify the often-complex modern world of IT, developing and integrating IT systems and solutions to meet the ever-evolving needs of the education sector and the modern workplace.

Catering

Our Central Team has oversight of all catering services provided within our schools through a cost-effective Trust-wide catering contract, ensuring compliance with food safety and school food standards as well as best practice.

Governance & Legal

Our Governance Team is dedicated to enabling effective governance at every level, working closely with Members, Trustees and Local Governing Bodies delivering:

• Close support and meeting preparation for Chairs.
• Provision of clerking and governance professional support and guidance on procedural matters and best practice.
• Arranging and facilitating networking and other events including annual review and strategy days.
• New Member, Trustee and Governor induction and onboarding support.
• Gold Membership subscription and access to the National Governance Association resources.
• Guidance and support including workplans, reporting and monitoring templates, handbooks, role descriptions and resources to support meaningful meeting content.
• Data Protection oversight and the formal role of the Data Protection Officer for the Trust.
• A qualified company secretary, ensuring compliance with both company and charity requirements and advising at Trust Board level and providing expertise and leadership to the wider Governance Team as well as accessing legal advice on occasions when this is required by the Trust or any of our schools.

Administration

To provide leadership and expertise as well as co-ordinating a Trust-wide perspective. Endeavour MAT’s Central Team also provides guidance and resources to support Head Teachers establish and maintain high quality, highly skilled administrative functions in their school offices, making a direct contribution to improving efficiency and resilience:

• Expertise and core oversight of the common student data MIS used across the Trust.
• Process evaluation, design and development.
• Role descriptions and team design to meet needs.
• Facilitation of shared resources and best practice.
• Negotiation and management of Trust-wide contracts for relevant systems, appeals processing and other common resources needed, securing best value and compliant outcomes.
• Ensuring professional and technical standards are met in key areas such as admissions and appeals processes as well as examinations.
• Oversight of compliant and timely school census returns for each of our schools.

Marketing & Communications

Endeavour MAT embraces the opportunity to convey our relationship as a family of schools, but not at the expense of the identity of each school. As such we provide access to a number of marketing and communication services offered flexibly:

• Website design, branding guidelines and support.
• Trust-wide advertising opportunities and campaigns.
• Graphic design support.
• Social media support.
• Support to get your school activities noticed in the press.