Consultancy

Having a well established school or Trust ethos helps to frame everything that we do. It defines our values, guides our decisions and creates a shared sense of purpose.  

For students, it provides a framework to help them to grow both academically and personally ensuring that they are well placed not only to make tangible academic progress, but are also ready for successful onwards progression.  

For staff, it fosters a sense of belonging and celebration of success, as well as encouraging a reflective approach to continual improvement.  

As a Church of England Trust, the Twyford Trust takes as its motto: ‘I have come that you should have life and life in all its fullness’, from John 10:10. Our schools contain a diverse range of students from different faith backgrounds, or none at all, and so the ethic has been translated into principles that inform all Trust schools – irrespective of their different individual identities, intakes or admission criteria. 

We believe that there are three Core Values in our 10:10 Ethic: 

1. All individuals have God-given gifts which they can develop for the good of others 

2. All individuals do bad things sometimes but that it is not acceptable to believe that anyone has to stay in a ‘bad place’ 

3. All individuals can find their valued place within community 

The 10:10 Ethic is also often articulated as having the following positive disciplines: 

• Know yourself 

• Be an agent for good 

• Understand weakness 

• Accept Support 

• Engage Fully 

• Stretch 

Our ethos is much more than principles that are expressed through our assemblies and tutor programme. It runs through every aspect of our operation.  

For example, we celebrate student involvement in wider learning and encourage them to develop themselves beyond the main taught curriculum. We also prioritise teacher development through involvement with in-school and cross-Trust training opportunities, as well as engagement with national programmes such as NPQs. All of these are examples of being ready to engage fully and being prepared to stretch.  

Effective self-review (understand weakness) and readiness to accept support to make improvement is at the heart of our student’s curriculum and assessment journey through integrated approaches to formative assessment. It is also at the heart of our approach to teaching practice and continual development through sharp assessment for learning practices, adaptive teaching, engagement with coaching and focussed reflections on outcomes.  

Developing an ethos and embedding it fully takes time. Our experience of opening three of our Trust schools from the ground up has uniquely positioned us to guide this development over time, and also be proud of the achievements of our students and staff as a result of this focus around ethos.  

Consultancy services include: 

• School visits to see our ethos in action through all aspects of school life 

• Tailored whole-school training (delivered in-person or online) 

• Bespoke ethos development programmes designed around your school’s context 

Confidence in curriculum is at the core of our schools’ operation.  

We understand the complex relationship between curriculum and assessment, and also how teacher development is crucial to both understand the principles of the curriculum as designed, as well as confident and adaptive teacher delivery in the classroom.  

Our own curriculum and assessment journey has developed particularly since our expansion from the successful Twyford CE High School to opening the 3 new schools that form our Trust. Starting in 2012 with the launch of William Perkin CE High School, we have evolved our own understanding of what a coherent academic curriculum looks like and how best to capture this for effective use across our growing Trust.  

Our curriculum ensures that knowledge and skills build cumulatively over time, from Year 7 through to post-16. At the Twyford Trust, every subject defines a consistent intent and sequenced skills map, and trust-wide curriculum intent is aligned across schools. This thoughtful sequencing helps students make meaningful connections between topics, reinforces prior learning, and reduces repetition or gaps – all of which contributes to deeper understanding and better retention of learning. 

Assessment that is aligned with the curriculum is essential to monitor and support progress. The Trust integrates robust formative and summative assessments. These sometimes take the form of examinations to formally check progress. Much more impactful is the integration of regular in- lesson checks, supported by independent learning tasks. Systematic and consistent approaches to grading and moderation across Trust schools helps to give confidence in our measures of progress, as well as being able to spot where students are struggling, to diagnose misconceptions, and to be able to intervene early. This feedback also provides reliable evidence about how well the curriculum is delivering its intended outcomes to inform ongoing development. 

Close curriculum and assessment alignment strengthens student progression and their ability to successfully navigate their future pathways. This alignment underpins continuous improvement: students can see their growth, teachers can refine their delivery, and the school can ensure that all students are on a path to success. Our results speak for themselves and we are very proud of the success of our students.

Consultancy services include: 

• School visits to see our curriculum and assessment frameworks in action across a range of subjects 

• Tailored whole-school training (delivered in-person or online) 

• Bespoke leadership development programmes designed around your school’s context 

At Twyford CofE Academies Trust, we believe that literacy is the central lever for closing the disadvantage gap. Pupils who struggle to read fluently are at risk of disengaging from learning, limiting their ability to access the full curriculum and make sustained progress. 

Our Trust has developed a research-driven, whole-school approach to literacy, grounded in three seminal texts: 

• Reading Reconsidered – Doug Lemov 

• The Science of Reading – Doug Lemov 

• The Writing Revolution – Judith Hochman, Natalie Wexler and Doug Lemov 

We take a metacognitive approach, explicitly teaching pupils how they read, how they construct meaning, and how they craft sentences. These skills are central to helping every learner unlock confidence and independence in their studies. 

Our literacy work is structured around three interconnected strands – reading, writing and oracy – each explored in depth before being integrated into a cohesive annual focus. This systematic roll-out ensures every member of staff feels empowered to say: 

“We are all teachers of literacy.” 

Literacy development is more than just running an intervention programme – and it is a golden thread that runs through the very heart of all of our curriculum design, across all subjects, and teacher development.  

We were delighted to be asked to present at a DFE RISE Conference on Raising Attainment,  focussing particularly on our approach to reading development. Read more about this presentation.

Consultancy services include: 

• School visits to see our literacy strategy in action across different phases 

• Tailored whole-school training (delivered in-person or online) 

• Bespoke literacy audits and leadership development programmes designed around your school’s context 

Launching in September 2025, our new Senior Leadership Training Programme offers an in-depth exploration of Executive Leadership across the Twyford CofE Academies Trust. 

Aligned with the NPQH curriculum framework, this programme combines research, case studies and practical application to develop leaders who can confidently navigate the complexities of Trust-wide management. Each session provides actionable takeaways that participants can immediately embed in their daily leadership practice. 

Sessions are one hour in length and can be delivered as standalone modules or combined into a bespoke leadership pathway. 

Sample sessions include: 

• Developing a Trust-Wide Ethos 

• Securing a Workforce for the Future: the Recruitment–Development–Succession Planning Pipeline 

• Costing the Curriculum 

• Effective Data Handling 

• Resourcing the Curriculum: Cross-Trust Collaboration 

As Deputy Head of Teach West London, Sam leads the strategic management of the Early Career Teacher (ECT) and National Professional Qualification (NPQ) programmes across Ealing, Harrow, Hillingdon and Hounslow. Alongside this, he provides consultancy support to the Ealing Learning Partnership, facilitating borough-wide networks that share best practice and strengthen collaboration across secondary schools. He is currently leading the development of borough-level guidance on KS2–KS3 transition. 

A former Head of English and member of the founding team at William Perkin CofE High School, Sam designed an English curriculum with language development and metacognition at its core — an approach that became central to the Twyford CofE Academies Trust’s highly successful literacy strategy. This work, which has led to outstanding progress for all pupils, and particularly for disadvantaged learners, was subsequently scaled nationally when Sam worked as Senior Project and Operations Manager, overseeing the creation of the English curriculum resources, in partnership with Oak National Academy.

Sam’s wider consultancy experience includes supporting Cam Academy Trust on the national rollout of KS2–KS4 MFL resources and working as Director of Learning for a training and consultancy firm specialising in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for global organisations.

Becky leads the Trust-wide Literacy Strategy, overseeing a network of Literacy Coordinators across our four schools. She works closely with the Trust English Lead, Subject Leads in English, and curriculum leaders across all subjects to embed a coherent, research-driven approach to literacy. 

Under Becky’s leadership, the Trust’s literacy strategy has flourished—strengthening classroom practice and contributing to outstanding progress outcomes for all pupils, particularly those who are disadvantaged. 

Becky has previous shared Trust best practice at a DFE RISE Conference on Raising Attainment and is currently collaborating with a Trust of Primary Schools on an all-through curriculum which has literacy and reading fluency at its core.  

Before joining the Trust, Becky was Head of English at Hatton Academies Trust in the West Midlands and a NACE Associate and Challenge Award assessor. 

 

Debbie has worked as a senior leader in the borough of Ealing for 12 years and has extensive experience of implementing school improvement initiatives in a range of secondary school settings. Most recently, Debbie was part of a leadership team that moved a school from Inadequate to Good in their latest Ofsted inspection. Her experience as an English specialist has equipped her well to focus particularly on literacy development.

Partnering with Ambition Institute, Debbie is a Fellow in Teacher Education and has designed various professional development programmes for teachers to support them on their journey to teacher expertise. Additionally, she has designed and facilitated training for middle leaders to enable them to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of their curriculum.

As a former Vice Principal in the Ark network for eight years, Debbie has significant experience of working collaboratively with other school leaders on raising standards in reading, implementing instructional coaching, curriculum adaptation, and adaptive teaching strategies.    

Currently, Debbie is working on the government's new RISE programme supporting a school to increase GCSE attainment through more effective teaching and formative assessment practices.