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Laidlaw Schools Trust
Excelsior Academy is a member of the Laidlaw Schools Trust - a growing family of schools in the North East that aims to transform the lives of children and communities through extraordinary education.
Laidlaw Schools Trust currently has nine nursery, primary and secondary academies in Newcastle, Sunderland and Sedgefield, and are set to grow further. But education is about so much more than academic excellence. It matters that our pupils are taught character skills, given welfare support if needed, and offered extraordinary experiences so that they leave their LST education as a well rounded, global citizen.
Governance at Laidlaw Schools Trust:
Laidlaw Schools Trust is governed by a board of trustees which is responsible for the work of the Trust, including the running of our academies. To support the effective operation of the Trust and our academies, the board has established a number of committees:
- Audit Committee
- Estates Committee
- Operations Committee`
- People Committee
- Standards Committee
Details of LST Members and Trustees can be found here.
Laidlaw X
Generously funded by the Laidlaw Foundation, Laidlaw X is an innovative strategy that aims to transform lives by extending the reach of education and enhancing whole-child development and life trajectories.
1. CHARACTER SKILLS
We are linked with Skills Builder Partnership, the product of five years’ cutting-edge research and design, the Skills Builder Universal Framework makes it possible for everyone to teach, learn, and measure essential skills.
The Framework breaks each of the eight skills down into a sequence of steps, taking individuals from being an absolute beginner through to mastery. It takes soft skills and puts rigour behind them.
Essential skills unlock learning in the classroom, boosting academic outcomes, perseverance and self belief. They halve the likelihood of being out of work, and increase earnings across a lifetime. They even boost wellbeing and life satisfaction.
But access to these skills isn’t fair. And where they are missed, it undermines social mobility, productivity and wellbeing.
2. WELFARE SUPPORT
Strong Attendance, Engaged Families and Removed Barriers to Learning are key parts to the welfare support we offer all of our pupils and communities as part of Laidlaw X.
The extent of what Laidlaw Schools Trust can offer is not something that most other schools have the resource to offer without such a generous financial backer as the Laidlaw Foundation.
3. EXTRAORDINARY EXPERIENCES
Extraordinary experiences beyond the classroom allow students to apply their character skills in self-directed ways, adapt to various situations, and develop essential social and cultural competencies. Students broaden their horizons by venturing beyond traditional educational boundaries, and hidden talents are ignited whilst gaining a holistic understanding of the world.
Types of extraordinary experience have been categories into:
