John Taylor Multi-Academy Trust

SchooliP is the performance management solution used throughout all the schools in the John Taylor Multi-Academy trust (JTMAT) which is located in Staffordshire. We took the time to speak to their Strategic Network Manager, Mark Crompton and started our conversation by asking the importance of SchooliP from a MAT perspective.

It would be very difficult for us without SchooliP as we have twelve schools to monitor for performance management. SchooliP is invaluable as it allows us to collect all the required information and then review it. It is incredibly useful for interim reviews and appraisals. With the relevant information at hand, we can make informed decisions about staff development and pay increases.

Mark Crompton – Strategic Network Manager – John Taylor Multi-Academy Trust

Mark went on to describe how SchooliP is used by the different schools in the trust.

Our schools are very different and they are free to choose their own objectives and manage their own processes. SchooliP ensures that there is a clear performance management structure in place. We are able to apply a consistent review across the trust and it would be very hard to achieve this without SchooliP.

SchooliP features a MAT view for multi-academy trusts. This allows board members and trustees to enjoy an overview of performance. This feature is proving very helpful for the John Taylor Multi-Academy trust.

Our CEO, Mike Donoghue and other board members can look at individual schools and view their progress. SchooliP is incredibly helpful in board meetings as progress is reported in real-time. School development planning can quickly be linked to our action plans.

Mark was asked to determine how valuable SchooliP is from a MAT perspective.

SchooliP is certainly worth its money. The performance management alone is worthwhile. As a trust, we have 12 schools with 538 teachers and support staff. It reduces the number of site visits and the need to scan physical documents. It is a workload saver as there is no longer any need to chase documents. They are all available on SchoolIP.

It is apparent that there is individuality between the different schools in the trust. This has led to the creation of some bespoke elements.

A standard lesson observation form has been developed. However, some of our schools have requested customised elements. For instance, John Taylor High School and Kingsmead School have made requests that have been effectively completed by SchooliP’s customer care team.

SchooliP were able to easily create these bespoke elements as it understands the individual nature of schools. We were able to offer our advice to ensure that schools use the functionality to enable SchooliP to have the maximum impact in the schools. To conclude our conversation with Mark, we asked him to comment on the wider impact of SchooliP.

Performance management was something that we did three times a year. Now, our staff are engaged throughout the year. There is a commitment to update development plans and achieve objectives. Staff are clear of the goals as we will continue to use and develop SchooliP throughout our trust. Overall it is a well-rounded model and we can really see the benefits as a trust. We intend to use it more!

We are proud to support the John Taylor Multi-Academy Trust. Please take a look at our case studies for two of their members Winshill Village Primary School and the Forest Family.