In this article, Rachael Gacs speaks to Dr. Sam Parrett CBE, CEO of London and South East Education Group, about how the trust has taken forward the concept of pure accountability – through their inclusive accountability model. It’s a model that harnesses accountability to engage all stakeholders in informing ongoing improvement and identifying areas of progress and success, whilst – at the same time – reinforcing the collective vision and values across the colleges, schools and wider communities.
FURTHER READING FROM FORUM STRATEGY: ‘Separating the wheat from the chaff’ in the new Schools White Paper | Forum Strategy
How would you describe your vision for your trust and its place at the heart of the communities it serves?
Our trust sits within the Elevare Civic Education Group, which brings together schools and colleges operating as genuinely place-based organisations. For many years, my vision for London South East Academies Trust has been to act as a trusted civic anchor within the communities we serve – not simply as a collection of organisations, but as a rooted presence that people recognise as part of the fabric of local life.
That means thinking deliberately about the role we play beyond the school gate; how our buildings, our staff, our partnerships and our decisions contribute to the wider life of the community. Evidence consistently shows that when education providers align their mission closely with local context, outcomes improve not only academically, but in terms of wellbeing, engagement and longer-term life chances.
“ It means thinking deliberately about the role we play beyond the school gate; how our buildings, our staff, our partnerships and our decisions contribute to the wider life of the community.”
This matters particularly for us because a significant proportion of our provision is in special schools and alternative settings. In the context of a national SEND place crisis, we hold a strong belief in a ‘local school or local college first’ approach, enabling children and young people to learn, belong, and transition successfully into adult life within their own communities.
