A Primary Trust
for Primary Schools

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Lumen Learning Trust

About Us

We believe education is the 'engine room' to a strong economy.  Schools are therefore duty-bound to do all they can to enable their pupils to acquire a relevant and rounded repertoire of skills which enables them to grow into happy, fulfilled adults who can enjoy real choice regarding how they live their lives and who understand their responsibility in terms of supporting the wider community.  

We understand primary schools are the beginning of this journey and so we have a particular part to play in securing these positive outcomes. 

The Lumen Learning Trust was established in Autumn 2013 as a natural development of the school-to-school support carried out by the leadership team at Saxon Primary.  It currently consists of five member schools: Saxon Primary in Shepperton, The Echelford Primary in Ashford, Riverbridge Primary in Staines-upon-Thames - all in the Surrey borough of Spelthorne, Walton Oak School in Walton-upon-Thames in the Surrey borough of Elmbridge, as well as Darley Dene Primary in Addlestone in the Surrey borough of Runnymede.

In February 2010 Saxon’s leadership and management achieved an Outstanding judgement at Ofsted and began to support vulnerable schools both locally and further afield.  In doing so, Saxon’s team were drawing on their own experience of taking Saxon from a school in Special Measures (2007) to a school in such a position of strength that it gained sponsorship status from the DfE in June 2013 and was designated a National Support School by the National College for Teaching & Leadership in September 2013.   Our support for other schools is enhanced by the experience and skills of a number of our team; we have 9 accredited Specialist Leaders of Education on the teaching team and our Executive Principal, Mrs. Mary Ellen McCarthy is a National Leader of Education and a school inspector. 

Our Founding Principles

  • Education is emancipatory; it enables opportunities and choices about how to live your life
  • Provision must be driven by children's needs - the provision supports and enables them to become happy, successful adults who can treat everyone in their community with respect, regardless of differences
  • Every community school should be at least Good.  No family should feel they have to travel or move house to be able to go to the 'good' local school.  All local schools should be good.
  • Every community is unique and the school serving it should respect and reflect that individuality; one size does not fit all
  • Every teacher is a future school leader

Our Overarching Strategy

  • Talent spotting in staff at all levels, supported by a wide range of development opportunities
  • Identifying capacity in all aspects of the community; where are the community's strengths? How can we use them to achieve our goals for our children?
  • Clear lines of accountability
  • Clear and candid communication; credit where it is due and holding to account where necessary
  • Relentless focus on the best possible outcomes for the children

Our Vision

Our trust's name gives an insight into our vision for our schools. Education, we believe, is the basis for a secure future, a brighter future. By providing a firm foundation through primary education, we are enabling our children to achieve the qualifications they need to gain the employment they want so they can live the lives they want to live.

Lumen Learning Trust