I am extremely proud to be C.E.O of Wigston Academies Trust.

We are formed of Wigston Academy, which concentrates on Key Stages 3 and 4 Wigston College, which delivers Key Stage 5.

We are based at the heart of the vibrant, hardworking and confident community that is the Leicestershire town of Wigston. The whole point of our existence is to make sure that our children are safe, successful and happy. Our motto is ‘Learn, Aspire and Achieve’ and we believe that bringing this about for every young person in our care will lead to them having happier and more successful adult lives.

We are very proud of our young people and we love having them here. Sometimes we might not get this right and that is why we place such a premium on the feedback we receive from our children; our parents and our community. Each young person in our Trust is part of a tutor group and the tutor is at the heart of everything we do so, whenever you need to talk about your child, whether it is to voice concerns or share good news, please contact this person.

We believe that not only will we provide the very highest standards of academic experience and learning but that we also have an exciting and enriching extra curriculum, which greatly contributes towards academic success but much more vitally helps form and develop admirable and decent citizens of the future through the sporting, creative and expressive experiences we provide.

As a growing Trust we welcome other schools to join with us so that we can safeguard education in Wigston from 11 to 19 for generations to come. If you are a parent who is considering sending your child to a trust school, then please come and visit us. We have nothing to hide and lots we’d love to show you.

Yours faithfully,

Christine Stansfield

C.E.O

OUR STORY

Wigston Academies Trust is formed of two schools serving one community: an 11-16 Academy and a 16-18 College. Located on the border of Leicester City and Leicestershire County, our schools serve a community we are proud to be part of and deeply committed to serving. Our community is our greatest strength. 

More than 80% of our students come from White Working-Class backgrounds. Many face barriers to educational success, including material deprivation, cultural poverty and a range of social and economic challenges that extend far beyond the classroom. Like many schools across the country, we also continue to respond to increasing challenges surrounding attendance, additional needs, and educational disadvantage. These are realities that we recognise. They are also the reason we remain relentlessly ambitious for every young person we serve. 

A QUESTION WORTH ASKING

For many years, schools across the country have grappled with a difficult question:

Why do some groups of students continue to achieve significantly less than they are capable of?

National reports, educational research and government publications have repeatedly explores the challenges surrounding educational disadvantage, attendance, aspiration, engagement and outcomes. Despite considerable attention, many of these challenges remain stubbornly persistent.

As leaders, teachers and support staff, we recognise many of these issues within our own context. 

The publication of the Public First Inquiry into White Working-Class Educational Outcomes in 2025 brought renewed focus to challenges that many schools had long recognised. Its findings reflected much of what we already knew through our own experiences and observations, providing a powerful reminder that educational disadvantage remains one of the most significant challenges facing our profession. 

For us, however, the report did something else. It prompted a different question. "What can we do differently?" 

That question became the catalyst for a renewed sense of purpose across the Trust. Rather than waiting for national solutions, we chose to act. 

CHOOSING TO ACT

We began to examine our systems, our culture and our practices with fresh eyes. We simplified the way we discussed progress and attainment. We strengthened our focus on outcomes. We developed new approaches to communication with students and families. We invested in raising attainment strategies, attendance aspirations literacy and curriculum access.We created opportunities for staff to engage in Action Research and collaborative improvement.

Most importantly, we committed ourselves to learning continuously from what worked, and what did not. 

This work remains ongoing. 

We do not claim to have all the answers. What we do have is a commitment to asking the right questions, testing new ideas and remaining relentlessly focused on improving the life chances of the young people we serve. 

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Encouragingly, we are already seeing the impact of this approach.

• Outcomes have improved
• Our culture has strengthened 
• Expectations have risen
• Staff are increasingly engaged in Trust-wide improvement
• More students are experiencing success and beginning to see a wider range of possibilities for their future.

More recently, many of the themes that have shaped our work have begun to emerge within the national policy discussions, including attendance, belonging, inclusion, SEND, collaboration and the educational experience of White Working-Class students. 

For us, this has not been a validation of a finished journey.

It has been confirmation that the work matters.

OUR MISSION

Today, our mission remains unchanged:

• To create schools where every student is known, challenged and supported.
• To ensure that background does not determine destiny
• To work together in pursuit of better outcomes, greater opportunities, and brighter futures.

THE CULTURE THAT SHAPES EVERYTHING

Warm - Gripping - Seen is more than a teaching and learning framework.

It is a shared commitment to the experience we want every student to have and the professional culture we want every member of staff to contribute towards.

Across out trust, Warm - Gripping - Seen influences how we design curriculum, plan lessons, support students, develop staff and evaluate our effectiveness. 

Whilst the principles remain simple, their impact is significant. 

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR OUR STUDENTS 

Every student should experience:

WARM

• Positive relationships with staff
• Consistent routines and high expectations
• Classrooms where they feel safe, respected and valued
• A genuine sense of belonging

GRIPPING

• An ambitious curriculum
• Lessons that engage curiosity and thinking
• High-quality explanation, modelling and questioning
• Regular opportunities to experience challenge and success

SEEN

• Support that removes barriers to learning
• Staff who understand their individual needs
• High expectations regardless of background or circumstance
• A belief that they can succeed 

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR STAFF

Warm - Gripping - Seen also shapes the way we work together as professionals. We believe exceptional teaching is built through collaboration, reflection and professional curiosity.

Our colleagues are trusted to exercise professional judgement whilst working within a shared culture of continual improvement.

Staff are encouraged to:

• Collaborate across departments and schools
• Share expertise and learn from one another
• Engage with educational research
• Contribute to Action Research and Trust-Wide improvment
• Continually develop their practice

A SHARED RESPONSIBILITY

Warm - Gripping - Seen is not solely the responsibility of teachers. Every member of staff contributes to the culture experienced by our students.

Whether working in a classroom, pastoral teams, offices, support services or leadership roles, we all play a part in ensuring that every young person feels welcome, experiences success and is given every opportunity to thrive. 

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WITH PURPOSE

At Wigston Academies Trust, we believe the people closest to the challenge are often closet to the solution. 

That is why we are committed to creating a culture where professional development is not something that is done to staff, but something that is driven by staff.

Alongside coaching, collaborative planning and leadership development, colleagues across the Trust are actively engaged in Action Research projects focused on some of the most significant challenges facing education today. 

These projects are rooted in our local context, informed by national research and designed to have a direct impact on the experiences and outcomes of the students we serve. 

Rather than simply discussing challenges, we encourage colleagues to investigate them

Rather than assuming solutions, we test them

Rather than waiting for change, we help create it 

CHOOSING TO ACT

Current areas of enquiry include:

• improving outcomes for White Working-Class students
• Strengthening parental engagement and communication
• Developing student aspiration, culture and belonging
• Improving attendance through proactive intervention
• Raising attainment through evidence-informed strategies
• Literacy and reading across the curriculum
• Curriculum access and relevance
• Effective support for students with SEND
• Communication and engagement strategies
• Improving outcomes through curriculum and assessment design

GROWING TOGETHER

Colleagues are encouraged to engage with educational research, investigate the challenges they encounter in practice and develop, trial and evaluate new approaches. 

They share their learning with colleagues across the Trust, contributing not only to their own professional growth but also to our collective improvement journey. 

This reflects our belief that professional growth and school improvement should go hand in hand. We are not interested in improvement that happens to staff; we are interested in improvement that happens because of staff. By creating opportunities for colleagues to lead change, share expertise and influence Trust-wide priorities, we ensure that professional development is purposeful, collaborative and rooted in the realities of classroom practice,.

For colleagues who are curious, reflective and motivated by impact, this provides an opportunity to contribute to work that extends beyond their own classroom, department or role. Together, we are building a culture where professional learning is collaborative, purposeful and driven by a shared commitment to improving outcomes for young people.

We know that the challenges facing education will not be solved by a single policy, programme or initiative. They will be addressed by talented professionals working together, asking thoughtful questions, learning from one another and relentlessly pursuing better answers. 

COURAGEOUS LEADERSHIP

SUPPORTING OUR PEOPLE TO THRIVE

We know that working in education is both rewarding and demanding. Teaching, supporting and leading young people brings enormous privilege, but it also brings responsibility. We believe that courageous leadership means recognising those realities and creating the conditions in which great people can do their very best work. 

We cannot remove every challenge that comes with working in education. We can remove the unnecessary barriers. 

LISTENING, LEARNING AND ACTING

 We believe that the people closet to the work are often best placed to tell us how it can be improved. 

Through our Trust-wide Workload Challenge, colleagues have helped us review the way we work, challenge established practices and identify opportunities to simplify systems. Staff feedback has informed genuine changes, reducing unnecessary workload, improving clarity and allowing colleagues to focus their time and energy where it matters most: supporting young people.

A CULTURE OF TRUST

We trust our colleagues to exercise professional judgment, take ownership of their development and contribute to the ongoing improvement of our schools. 

Leadership is not about creating more processes. It is about creating the right conditions for people to succeed. 

That means being prepared to review systems, remove duplication and continually ask whether what we are asking colleagues to do genuinely adds value for students. Sometimes courageous leadership means deciding what we should stop doing, as well as what we should do next. 

Wigston Academies Trust is made up a single large campus consiting of:

• 2 main school buildings
• a specialist autism centre
• a seperate alternative provsion facility
• multiple smaller outbuildings
• an All Weather Pitch
• large Tennis courts
• 3 sports halls
• a large sports field.
• 2 dance studios
• multipurpose theatre
• lecture theatre
• 2 large halls
• 2 catering facilities

Local amenities include a swimming pool and gym, two large chain supermarkets with a number of smaller local shops.

Wigston College

Wigston Academy

Staff Member:

"I came to Wigston on a maternity cover contract and quickly realised it was somewhere I wanted to stay. Nearly 10 years later, itʼs the longest Iʼve ever worked at one school. From the start, I felt like I belonged, and Iʼve grown in confidence and really developed as a teacher. Iʼve had opportunities to mentor ECTs and ITT trainees, as well as take part in a trial of instructional coaching, all of which have helped me continue to improve my practice. One of the things Iʼve valued most is feeling listened to and appreciated. Iʼve always felt that my ideas and contributions matter, and Iʼve been supported to take on new opportunities and progress in my career. Itʼs a warm, welcoming place to work and I am so happy I made the move here."

Wigston Academies Trust Student:

"Wigston Academy as well as the College always put their all into ensuring that their students succeed, making the school's community great for everyone."

Wigston Academies Trust Student:

"Wigston College has been the perfect place for me and has supported me fully throughout my lessons, particularly with teacher knowledge of individuals and the time taken to help me daily, enabling me to achieve my absolute best."

Wigston Academies Trust Student:

"Wigston College has been one of the best decisions i have made. Attending this college has made the transition from secondary school to college seem easier and more comfortable. The smaller class sizes give lessons a more targeted and enriching feel, a closeness not experienced in larger educational institutions. Each member of staff is kind, supportive and, in my opinion, one of the best in their field and the facilities have been so helpful in my courses so far. If you want to experience a productive and nurturing atmosphere in a college, one that is sympathetic to your studies in every way, then Wigston College is the right choice for you!"

Ofsted - Wigston College:

"Staff have high expectations of every student. Staff know about studentsʼ aspirations for the future. They know their strengths and the things that might get in their way. Staff work with students and their families to make sure that students aim high. They provide high levels of support for every student. Staff help students to find solutions for themselves. "

Ofsted - Wigston College:

"Students benefit from a wide variety of experiences that develop their confidence and resilience. The college prepares them to make a meaningful contribution to society, now and in the future. Students vote for their student presidents. They join committees and organise charity events to support the college and the wider community."

Ofsted - Wigston Academy:

There are positive relationships between staff and pupils. Staff care about their pupilsʼ education and well-being. Pupils feel safe and say that they are happy at school. Leaders model the high expectations they have of pupils. There is a calm and positive atmosphere around the school site. Pupils concentrate well in their lessons.

Ofsted - Wigston Academy:

Pupils value the wide range of activities available to them. They can pursue interests or develop talents in sport, music, dance, yoga and STEM club. Pupils appreciate that the school is open early to allow pupils to attend a free breakfast club. Pupils value the range of leadership responsibilities available to them, including being on the school council, being ambassadors and being sports leaders. Pupils spoke about how these opportunities have given them confidence, resilience and a sense of responsibility. 

Our commitment to staff wellbeing extends beyond individual initiatives. A dedicated Wellbeing Team works alongside colleagues throughout the year, providing practical support, promoting positive wellbeing and helping to foster a culture where people feel valued, connected and supported.

We know that when colleagues feel trusted, respected and supported, they are better able to make the greatest difference to the young people they serve.

Creating that culture is not separate from school improvement, it is fundamental to it.