Co-operative Trusts

• Details of the next, Phase 10, of the Supported Schools Programme are now available. You will need to contact The Trust and Foundation Schools Partnership via their web page. Click here for the page. For support with Co-opertaive Trusts contact the Co-operative College.  
• The Co-operative Schools Network has been launched at a conference in manchester. In a statement Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Children Schools and Families said:

"I would like to send my congratulations to the Co-operative Trusts who will be the founding members of the Network – leading a major new initiative in mainstream education in this country.  The founding members of the consumer co-operative movement started with a tiny shop in Rochdale – and look where that is now! You are the new Pioneers, and I wish you the same success with the Co-operative Schools Network."

• To watch excepts from the key speakers at the 2009 Co-operative Schools Network conference, and read the full statement by Ed Balls and the conference report, follow the link on the left of this screen. You will need to register, a free process, to gain access to this section of the site.

• Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Children Schools and Families, launched the booklet 'Co-operative Schools - making a difference' on the 31 March 2009. Click the link below to download a copy or order copies.
• Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Children Schools and Families, has set a target for 200 Co-operative Trust Schools over the next year. Speaking at the launch of West Oldham Co-operative Trust he said 'We will also look at helping co-operative schools to set up a network so they can work together to share ideas and learning.' Click here to read the DCSF press release. Co-operative Trusts are multi-stakeholder models, in which parents, teachers and communities together with organisational partners have direct power over the running of local schools.
• The following documents provide a valuable introduction to Co-operative Trusts:
  • Click here to download to download a pdf of the booklet 'Co-operative Values Make a Difference - In the Curriculum and Governance of Schools'. Click here to order copies, ref: DCSF-00416-2009
  • Click here for an article from 'Co-operative News' that explores the co-operative trust model
  • Click here to contact The Co-operative College if you would like someone to visit you and discuss what to do next.
• You will need to register to access information in this section.