School Improvement

Supporting schools to excel

Our approach helps schools grow sustainably, strengthen practice and build capacity for long-term improvement.

Our School Improvement Pillars
A teacher and a student in a classroom engage in a fabric craft activity, with the teacher guiding the student holding a purple cloth. Both are smiling, and other students and craft materials are partially visible nearby.
Teacher helping a young boy with schoolwork at a green table in a classroom, while other children are in the background.
Young woman with short brown hair painting on a canvas set on an easel in a colorful art studio, with a blurred person painting in the foreground.
Three boys playing basketball indoors, with one boy in a black vest dribbling the ball while a boy in a white vest closely follows him.
Four girls wearing light blue shirts and dark skirts or shorts playing frisbee on a green soccer field with a goal and fence in the background.
Young woman in a pink and red striped sweater and denim overalls smiling while painting in an art studio, holding a paint palette and brush near an easel with a partially visible portrait painting.
A young girl with a blue headband and green shirt intently looks at an illuminated display table in a museum or gallery setting with framed pictures on the wall behind her.

A shared model for

sustainable school improvement

At Charter, we believe the best improvement comes from developing confident leaders, collaborative practice and excellent business services that free up educational leaders to focus on delivering the best outcomes for children, young people and their families.

Our model meets the needs of schools at every stage of their journey, helping them improve and sustain high-quality learning environments over time.

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School leaders working collaboratively to improve our shared outcomes

346

Teachers involved in our training and development programmes

Our school improvement pillars

Our approach is organised around four key pillars. Each reflects our belief that school improvement combines strong leadership, purposeful collaboration, well-supported teachers and effective foundations.

A diverse group of adults engaged in animated conversation while seated on pink chairs in a brightly lit room, with one woman in a blue shirt gesturing as she speaks.
Smiling woman in a white T-shirt and orange skirt gestures with raised hands while talking to a man in a blue shirt with headphones around his neck in a bright room with bookshelves behind them.
A diverse group of five schoolchildren in green uniforms and a smiling adult woman in a red blazer sit around a white table with books, engaged in conversation inside a library.
A female student in school uniform smiling while standing behind a podium with a microphone, addressing an audience against a black curtain background; the podium displays The Charter School Bermondsey logo and the words Aspiration Integrity Resilience Exploration.

Empowering schools

Empowering leaders

Great schools are led by confident, reflective leaders. We provide coaching, structured review cycles and regular opportunities for leaders to learn together and refine their practice.

Included activity examples:

  • Leadership coaching and review cycles
  • Termly evaluation meetings for education and business outcomes
  • Peer support through headteacher groups
  • Challenge Partner annual reviews
  • OFSTED preparation

Working together

Purposeful collaboration

Improvement is stronger when schools work together. Through communities of practice, subject networks and peer review, teachers and leaders explore shared priorities and learn from one another.

Included activity examples:

  • Trust-wide teacher and leader groups
  • Peer review
  • Subject networks focused on curriculum and pedagogy
  • Creative, music and cultural education collaboration
  • Shared improvement projects e.g. attendance, handwriting, writing, reading, sixth form and much more

Evidence informed practice

Developing teachers

Teachers are at the heart of school improvement. We support professional growth at every stage of a career with evidence-informed development, coaching, mentoring and opportunities to lead within and beyond schools.

Included activity examples:

  • Continuous professional development
  • Coaching and mentoring support
  • Career and leadership pathways
  • Flexible working and leadership opportunities

Better Futures come from

Strong foundations

Leaders need the space to focus on teaching and learning. By centralising complex operational services and standardising core systems, we reduce unnecessary workload and help schools direct their energy where it matters most.

Services include

  • Finance and accounting
  • Marketing and Commununications
  • HR
  • Estates and Capital Development
  • Governance & Compliance
  • Risk Management
  • Complaints Handling
  • Health & Safety
  • IT and Digital
  • Educational Product Development
  • Curriculum Development
  • Website Development

Guided by our schools

Because school context matters

A shared approach to school improvement: our Charter for Excellence sets out how we work together across the Trust to support improvement, strengthen practice and create better futures for children and young people.

Our charter for excellence
A female teacher in a yellow sleeveless top is helping a smiling young boy with glasses, seated at a desk with his writing materials in a classroom.

Are you considering

a new approach to school improvement in your school?

Start a conversation with us
Where to find us
The Charter Schools Educational Trust
Red Post Hill, London SE24 9JH
Get in touch
info@tcset.org.uk020 7346 6600
The Charter Schools Educational Trust is a company limited by guarantee and registered in England and Wales.
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