Our Schools

Context and history of Trust

September 2023

The Stephenson Trust MK is a trust supporting Milton Keynes children and schools to ensure every child can strive for success.

Within our trust we have three academies on three geographically dispersed sites encompassing five different areas of need, these split by age and need, all of which support both male and female students.

Stephenson Academy, based in the north of Milton Keynes, was the first sponsored Special School Academy in the country, opening its doors on 1st April 2012. Its sponsors are St Paul’s Catholic School, a local secondary school in Milton Keynes and SERCO a national provider of educational services. The vast majority of our students come from Milton Keynes, but we do have a small number of students from neighbouring Local Authorities.

Stephenson has specialist teaching staff in all core areas of the curriculum plus vocational subjects. We have put in place a bespoke motor vehicle facility and a hair and beauty salon with treatment rooms, which model real workplaces showing our commitment to vocational learning and the development of real-life experiences preparing our pupils for future work and life. More recent additions include a two classroom foundation teaching block for year 7 and we are expanding further with a four classroom teaching block for Primary Year 5 and 6 that will also house our cross Trust therapeutic team. This completed June 2023.

Our learning ethos, pedagogy and adaptive personalised curriculum is supported by strong therapeutic inputs and understanding around how SEMH learners learn. This staff group include a range of Psychological Therapists and Family Support Staff. The priority for our students is that they are happy, successful, and independent learners that can contribute to society positively. Our therapeutic team works across all our settings, and we believe it is important that therapists are on hand at our sites to support where needed and within a planned and supported way. At its most recent inspection in late 2018, Stephenson Academy was judged to be good in all areas by Ofsted.

Stephenson Academy supports young people aged 9-16 with Education, Health, and Care Plans (EHCP) where their principal need is Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH). As part of the trust, SA endeavours to build a strong successful route to success in their future life and goals.

In October 2013 the Trust welcomed Bridge Academy. Bridge Academy is a secondary Alternative Provision Academy.

This academy consists of two sites across Milton Keynes. One site, based in Coffee Hall, caters for students in Key Stage 3 and 4. Our second site is on Manor Road in Fenny Stratford. We have two provisions at this site, Bridge Academy West and Stephenson Trust Post 16 Centre. All 3 provisions under the school of Bridge Academy work closely together to ensure the needs of students are met and that the curriculum and education we provide is child centred. We work in partnership with external agencies to ensure that the outcomes for students are accurate and supportive in their development. All students have access to the trust therapeutic team. Bridge Academy West supports children in secondary education, children that attend here have a range of medical needs.

Bridge Academy Post 16 provision is our third provision. Our Post 16 centre supports young people with EHCPs for SEMH and children who have previously attended Alternative Provision. The focus of our centre is to continue to build on previous success striving for future success in employment and society. The Post 16 provision supports up to 40 young people aged 16-19 and it is very much

focused on supporting our young people to be successful in the next stages in their lives, be that further study or the world of work.

Bridge Academy has developed and grown through the support by Milton Keynes Secondary Inclusion Partnership, comprising of all mainstream secondary schools and the Local Authority. The Inclusion Partnership meets monthly during school term time.

At its last inspection in early 2019 Bridge Academy was judged to be good in all areas by Ofsted.

On 1 November 2022 Milton Keynes Primary PRU, MKPPRU, joined the Trust as a separate Academy and this Academy supports up to 40 primary aged pupils.

Milton Keynes Primary PRU offers opportunities to understand a child’s needs and build relationships whilst also supporting them to develop strategies and skills to become lifelong learners. Our vision is to bring learning alive for our learners.

We have an experienced, dedicated staff team who have expertise in working with children who experience special educational needs and social, emotional, and mental health difficulties. We understand the importance of your child having a successful experience. We work in close partnership with other professionals and agencies to provide solution focused support, such as Stephenson Trust Therapeutic Service, CAMHS, Children’s Social Care, Family Support team and Speech and Language Team. We believe children thrive when adults work in partnership, this allows children to be at their happiest and learn more effectively.

MKPPRU, also judged to be good in all areas at its last inspection, is also based at Manor Road and has been central to the development of the Milton Keynes Primary Partnership, a mirror of the earlier development in the secondary sector.

Stephenson MK trust appointed a new CEO this academic year Ms Kathie Hughes who now continues the work of the Trust into their next phase. This post builds on the success of the previous years and will continue to support the trust to strive to achieve our strategic aims capitalising on ensuring that we as a group of schools and trust-

· Set high aspirations and expectations

· Prepare children for their next steps in life

· Make progress individualised

· Provide ambitious and exciting opportunities through a well-designed curriculum

· Always promote independence and confidence from its young people who then make a positive contribution to the community

· Develop positive relationships with All

· Give children the best chance to succeed

· Strive for happy, successful, and independent young people who can make a positive contribution to society

If you would like to find out more about our trust and schools, please contact

Ms Kathie Hughes

CEO/Executive Principal and Partnership officer for Milton Keynes Inclusion Partnership

kathie.hughes@stephensonacademy.org.uk Telephone: 01908 889400