School Improvement Offer​

School Improvement Offer

Here at Yorkshire Learning Trust, school improvement is at the heart of everything we do. 

Our vision is to create a thriving, inclusive community of schools where every young person and every member of staff has the opportunity to flourish. We are uncompromising in our belief that all children deserve the highest standards of education, regardless of context or background. 

Through a tailored, evidence-informed approach, we work in partnership with schools to raise outcomes, strengthen leadership, and enhance teaching and learning. 

Our offer is built on collaboration, shared expertise, and a deep understanding of the communities we serve. By investing in people, valuing local identity, and driving continuous improvement, we create the conditions for sustained excellence across our Trust. 

Here’s what you need to know about school improvement at Yorkshire Learning Trust! 

What does school improvement mean for YLT? 

At Yorkshire Learning Trust, school improvement is a collaborative, value-driven, and cumulative process that ensures every child receives an ambitious, inclusive, and high-quality education. 

Our model is intentionally led by the needs of our community, and never prescriptive. 

We recognise that each school has its own identity, strengths, and priorities. Our offer is designed to empower headteachers, who remain the driving force behind school improvement, while providing timely expertise, appropriate challenge, and support. 

School improvement at YLT focuses on three core principles. 

We… 

  • Enable schools by providing expert guidance, structured support, and access to specialist knowledge. 

  • Empower leaders to make decisions that best serve their school communities, based on need and never on dogma. 

  • Equip schools with the tools, networks, and professional development opportunities they need to thrive. 

Everything we do is geared towards a single aspiration, which all our schools share: to ensure all children leave Yorkshire Learning Trust ready for the next stage of their education and employment.  

How does collaboration between schools and Trust work? 

Collaboration at YLT is purposeful, respectful, and tailored to the needs of each school at any given time. 

Rather than offering a one-size-fits-all model, we follow our shared values of Aspiration, Inclusion, Collaboration, and Integrity to allow individuality and innovation to flourish. 

Primary Phase  

Our Primary support offer thrives through an established culture of working together, with regular network meetings and shared projects in key development areas such as Writing and Early Years. 

These networks are designed to build cohesion around what effective practice looks like for YLT. 

Central to our curriculum approach is to ensure the YLT curriculum is always ambitious and inclusive, with room to go beyond identical models and ensure a shared understanding of what works best for each school context. 

Secondary Phase  

Our Secondary collaboration is evolving, with growing subject-specific networks and a core focus on curriculum progression, to answer the central question: “Are students making the progress they need to make?” 

There is no fixed blueprint – by design. Instead, collaboration is intentionally built through every meeting to provide the expertise needed by individual schools. 

The YLT School Improvement Offer 

Across all phases, the YLT School Improvement Offer includes: 

  1. Leadership Development 

    Headteachers are the owners and drivers of school improvement, positioned as strategic leaders within their communities. Our model is designed to help them step into their power, build confidence, capability, and lead long-term sustainable improvement. 

    Leadership development is embedded in everything we do, from joint planning to review processes and coaching conversations. 

  2. Curriculum Support and Review 

    We help schools design and deliver an ambitious curriculum that reflects YLT’s shared values of inclusion and high expectations. Support includes: 

    • Curriculum progression support  

    • Writing and EYFS development projects 

    • Subject-specific networks for shared best practice and dialogue 

    • Peer review cycles focusing on curriculum quality and impact 

  3. Inclusion and SEND Expertise 

    Our Inclusion and SEND specialist works with schools to remove barriers, strengthen provision, and ensure all children can access learning confidently and successfully. 

  4. Needs-Led School Support 

    Support is never imposed or based on rigid timelines. Instead, we offer bespoke support that is always: 

    • Co-planned with headteachers. 

    • Responsive to changing needs. 

    • Adaptable depending on context and capacity. 

    This may include targeted interventions and reviews following joint discussion, curriculum deep dives, SEND reviews, leadership coaching, or other collaborative projects. 

    We pride ourselves on our team-led approach, which brings together phase expertise, curriculum knowledge, and specialist support to create thriving school communities, where every child is supported to achieve and flourish. 

    To learn more about school improvement at Yorkshire Learning Trust, get in touch at enquiries@ylt.org.uk.