Key Voices #94 - Launching an academy trust during a pandemic with TEAM Education Trust

This week we spoke to Sarah Baker, CEO, Leanne Noone, Chief Financial Officer, Alison Bingham, Director of Development and Rachel Watson, Director of Education and Achievement at the TEAM Education Trust about their experiences of launching in June 2020. We recorded this episode in December, 6 months into their first year as a trust. We will be returning to them at Easter and in the Summer as they share what they have been learning on their journey. We talk about:  Why they decided to set up their own trust rather than join an existing one  The values and vision of the trust  How their planning developed from the original idea in 2017 through to launch and how the leadership team kept the faith despite various challenges they faced How they have worked together and bonded as a team particularly through COVID-19 The practical ways they support schools, both in their trust and beyond the specialisms they have as a trust  How they engaged parents around the trust launch  Maintaining staff buy-in throughout the process of conversion and the launch itself, during a period of uncertainty  Their priorities and plans for the next few months and what they have learned from their experiences    You can read more about TEAM Education Trust on their website here