For HEARTS Academy Trust, engaging with local communities goes beyond being a core value – it is the foundation of everything the trust seeks to achieve.
Serving schools across Basildon, Wickford and Rochford in Essex, the trust has grown around a mission of “doing more, for more families” – a phrase that guides strategic decisions and everyday practice alike.
CEO Don Wry explains that the trust’s direction stems from its roots in service:
“We see ourselves as part of the public service landscape. Our job is to be anchors in our communities, not just providers of education.”
HEARTS was originally founded around The Wickford Church of England School and now comprises six primary schools as well as an enhanced SEMH (social, emotional, mental health) ‘partnership’ provision, many in areas of high deprivation. Several schools fall within the top 20% nationally for disadvantage, with significant indicators around parental anxiety, mental health challenges, limited access to cultural capital and lack of diversity.
Despite these complexities, the trust’s outcomes place it in the top 10% of MATs nationally for Key Stage 2 results, but it is clear that impact goes far beyond data:
“Our communities shape who we are. Every improvement, every initiative, must start with what families and children need.”
