The Federation of Saltwood and Bodsham Church of England Primary Schools

Academy Conversion Consultation

On 10th September 2025, our governing body resolved to seek to convert our two schools into academies and join a Multi Academy Trust (MAT).

Read the letters from our chair of governors setting out the rationale for this change here.

Moving Forwards - A strategy for the future of Saltwood Church of England Primary School

Moving Forwards - A strategy for the future of Bodsham Church of England Primary School

What is an academy?

By converting to an academy, schools remove themselves from the control of the Local Authority and become charitable trusts. This allows greater freedoms for schools in a number of important areas such as curriculum design, financial planning, staff recruitment and school collaboration.

What is a Multi Academy Trust?

Multi Academy Trusts (MATs) are groups of schools that belong to the same charitable trust. They are governed by a single Board of Directors  who appoint trustees to oversee the strategic direction of the trust and all the schools within it Typically, a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is appointed to take responsibility for the performance of  all schools in the trust.

Read information on academy status for schools here

After an period of research and investigation, where governors and the EHT visited schools and spoke with representatives of several Multi Academy Trusts, our governing body are proposing to join Our Community Multi Academy Trust.

Read information on OCMAT and its services to schools here

Stakeholder Consultation

The governing body are now consulting with all relevant stakeholders to gather views and opinions on the proposal to join Our Community Multi Academy Trust.

Interested parties can use the online form to give their views on the conversion proposal. There is also a facility to submit questions which we will endeavor to publish answers to in our Frequently Asked Questions section at the foot of this page.

Submit A Consultation Response

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q. Currently OCMAT is a small trust. However, will there be a limit on the amount of schools that can join OCMAT?

A. OCMAT currently has 10 schools, which will rise to 12 after the conversion of Saltwood and Bodsham. The Trust has capacity to support 15 schools in its current structure.  Any further expansion of the Trust beyond that number will be carefully considered by Trustees and would require a restructure of the Trust's central team. It should be noted that OCMAT are not actively seeking to expand the Trust, but will consider requests to join if schools approach us.

Q. Please can you explain how you will take measures to improve the school, e.g., current Ofsted rating and what this means to pupils and the staff?

OCMAT Response:

At Our Community Multi Academy Trust (OCMAT), our mission is to help every school flourish through our values of Compassion, Community and Inclusion. We take a tailored and collaborative approach to school improvement, ensuring that each school retains its individuality while benefiting from the shared expertise, systems, and support of the wider Trust.

We recognise that a school’s Ofsted rating provides an important external measure of quality, but our focus goes beyond compliance — we prioritise sustained improvement that positively impacts pupils, staff and the wider community. Through our School Improvement Framework, we provide:

• Strategic Leadership & Development Support:
  Each school receives three seasonal reviews per year and bespoke progress visits focused on raising standards and enhancing leadership capacity. These visits include deep dives, external reviews, and inspection-readiness support aligned to the Ofsted framework.
• CEO and Trust Leader Engagement:
  The CEO visits every school termly to meet with pupils, staff, and governors, providing challenge and support around school priorities and celebrating successes.
• Targeted Curriculum and Subject Leadership Development:
  We coach and upskill curriculum leaders through subject network meetings, subject reviews, and curriculum audits, ensuring consistency and progression across all subjects. Reading and phonics development is a key focus to secure early literacy success.
• Leadership Development and Staff Wellbeing:
  OCMAT invests in leadership at all levels through programmes such as the Aspiring Leaders course, leadership coaching, and trust-wide networking events. We also place high priority on staff wellbeing through initiatives like our Employee Assistance Programme, mental health first aiders, and wellbeing champions in every school.
• Inclusion and Pastoral Support:
  Our Inclusion, Safeguarding  and Attendance Leads ensure every child receives the right support at the right time, including SEND Clinics, SENCo Forums, FLO networks, Attendance Champion meetings and Trust safeguarding reviews. This ensures that vulnerable pupils are supported effectively and that inclusive practices are embedded across the Trust.
• Governance and Accountability:
  Through regular Local Monitoring Committee (LMC) meetings and termly Chair meetings with the CEO and Trust Chair, we maintain clear communication, oversight, and strategic accountability for improvement priorities.

In practice, this means that where a school’s Ofsted rating identifies areas for improvement, OCMAT responds rapidly with bespoke support — from leadership coaching and curriculum review to wellbeing support and enhanced safeguarding and attendance support capacity. For schools already graded Good or Outstanding, our focus is on sustaining excellence, sharing best practice, and maintaining inspection readiness.

Ultimately, our measures ensure that pupils experience high-quality teaching, strong pastoral care, and an inclusive environment where they thrive; and that staff feel supported, valued, and professionally developed. Every action we take is aimed at ensuring that every school in OCMAT delivers the very best outcomes for its children and community. OCMAT is ‘unapologetically ambitous for every pupil’.