From left, Secretary of State for Education – the Rt Hon Kit Malthouse MP, Chair of the Pathfinder MAT Board – John Hattam, CEO of Pathfinder MAT and Executive Headteacher of Archbishop Holgate’s School – Andrew Daly, Chair of Governors at Archbishop Holgate’s School – Jane Lewis.
Pathfinder Multi Academy Trust was delighted to welcome the new Secretary of State for Education, the Rt Hon Kit Malthouse MP, to visit two of its schools.
Formed in 2016, Pathfinder Multi Academy Trust is a partnership of eleven church and community schools serving more than 4,300 students and their families across York.
CEO of Pathfinder Multi Academy Trust and Executive Headteacher of Archbishop Holgate’s School, Andrew Daly, said: “It has been a pleasure to welcome the Secretary of State and to showcase the many ways we work together as a multi academy trust to ensure we provide the very best education possible for all the young people across our school communities.”
The Secretary of State began with a visit to New Earswick Primary School where he met with the Headteacher, school staff and students and had a tour of the school. New Earswick joined Pathfinder in 2017 after being placed into special measures following an inadequate Ofsted judgement. Today, the school is rated as good overall with outstanding for its leadership and management and early years provision.
New Earswick’s Headteacher, Angela Oswald, said: “It has been a privilege to meet the new Secretary of State and have the opportunity to share our school improvement journey over the past four years. Like most things in schools, our successes and achievements are the result of a team effort working together at both a local school level and as part of a wider community of schools.”
The Secretary of State also visited Archbishop Holgate’s School which recently celebrated being judged outstanding in all areas by Ofsted. In 2021, Archbishop Holgate’s was also designated as the Teaching School Hub for the Ryedale, Scarborough and York region, responsible for delivering teacher training and development across more than 150 schools.
During his visit, the Secretary of State spoke to a group of trainee teachers, toured the school, met with school and academy trust staff and talked to students about their favourite subjects and future aspirations.
Andrew Daly added: “Whilst important, schools are much more than external judgements and examination results and it has been gratifying to give the Secretary of State a snapshot of the teaching and learning which takes place at our schools each and every day. We are fortunate to have so many strong schools and multi academy trusts in York and we also enjoy a close partnership with the local authority which enables us to work together for the benefit of all schools and their students across the city.”
Pathfinder was formed initially between Archbishop Holgate’s School and Badger Hill, Hempland and Heworth primary schools. Along with New Earswick, Pathfinder has since welcomed Acomb, Clifton with Rawcliffe, Rufforth, St Lawrence’s and Tang Hall primary schools and is currently working with St Barnabas CE Primary School who are in the process of joining the trust.
Chair of the Pathfinder Multi Academy Trust Board, John Hattam, said: “We are delighted that the hard work and achievements of our schools and the wider trust have been recognised with this visit from the Secretary of State for Education. We believe the close working partnership that exists between our schools, other academy trusts, community schools and the local authority has been core to our success and development as a multi academy trust.”