PRESS RELEASE - Change of name for IPAT to ASSET Education

P R E S S R E L E A S E

New name for successful academy trust

as it prepares to grow

Ipswich Primary Academies Trust is set to grow from three to eight schools in May 2017 and, as a result, is changing its name to ASSET Education.  ASSET stands for A Suffolk Schools Education Trust and has been chosen to represent the fact that the Trust will be operating across Suffolk in the future.

The Trust has successfully run St Helen’s, The Oaks and Whitton primaries in Ipswich and is now expanding in north-east Suffolk to work with Bungay Primary, Edgar Sewter Primary in Halesworth, Holton, Ilketshall and Wenhaston primaries.  These five schools have been working in the “Waveney and Blyth Schools Partnership” for some time and are all rated ‘good’ schools in Ofsted terms.    

Clare Flintoff, who leads the Trust, said, “We are delighted to be expanding our successful Trust outside of Ipswich and sharing excellent practice between the two areas.  The name change reflects this expansion and gives us all a name and reputation to be proud of.”   

The five new schools approached the Trust last summer to find out more about working in a multi-academy trust.  Mrs Flintoff explained, “We have had many meetings since, getting to know each other and checking that we all have the same passion and vision for providing an excellent education for the young people of Suffolk.  It soon became clear that we not only have a lot in common we also have a lot to share and learn from each other.  We really believe that working closely together will directly benefit the educational experience for children in all of our schools.   

Ipswich Primary Academies Trust was originally started up in 2015 as a local response to the national academies agenda.  Mrs Flintoff said, “We were determined to show that Suffolk schools could be the best in the country and we have worked tirelessly to that aim.  We not only share best practice between our schools, we also look at outstanding schools across the country and bring ideas back to Suffolk in order to transform learning for our children.  Our teachers have had some of the best training available nationwide and our children’s curriculum is exciting and engaging.  We like to use the word “irresistible” - they can’t help but want to be involved and can’t wait to get to school!”

“Our trust and each school within it aspire to be excellent.   We talk about ‘excellence’ with children and want them to be the best that they can be.  It is very important to us that we involve people in decision making and sharing ideas as our aim is to empower our staff so that they can also be providing the very best learning and teaching opportunities.  We believe that parents should be highly involved in their child’s experience of school and we are very much looking forward to working with parents, staff, governors and children in north east Suffolk.”

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For more information please call Mrs Clare Flintoff, Executive Principal, ASSET Education (01473) 251333