Our experienced and knowledgeable operations team is headed up centrally, with operations managers and site teams supporting locally in schools with the day to day running and maintenance of sites. They provide quality assurance and risk management to ensure that buildings and the estate are compliant with legislation, whether it’s organising planned annual testing, addressing urgent measures to keep students safe or long-term strategic planning of the estate.

We undertake regular reviews of building condition, and address any identified works, keep records, plan and manage capital projects, review utility contracts, resolve land, lease and legal disputes, identify any additional funding opportunities, plan for sufficiency needs and drive sustainability strategy. This takes the pressure off headteachers and their teams, freeing them up to ensure education is at the forefront of what they do.

Our education partners also benefit from trust-wide contracts, such as catering, to be more cost-effective and help relieve the burden of the procurement process, and ensure value for money.

We also provide access to a central capital maintenance fund and support the settings to submit funding bids for condition improvement projects to ensure they benefit from any available monies to improve their facilities.

Finance

We work in partnership with our schools to ensure they have sustainable budgets and to plan for the future. We build into our central charges a small contribution to reserves which can be called upon when additional investment is needed. Whilst schools benefit financially from our centralised procurement contracts, they have a large amount of autonomy over their budgets, allowing them to effectively meet the individual needs of their unique cohorts.

Our team is also expert is working with local authorities to ensure that we receive the appropriate level of funding for all our students. We establish additional funding where a student’s high needs funding is inadequate to meet their need, as we believe every student deserves the best available chance to thrive.

Payroll, statutory and internal auditing, purchasing systems and accurate record keeping are provided centrally to ensure legal compliance, which relieves pressure on school staff. We are proactive with our schools in financial planning and sustainability, supporting curriculum-led financial planning and hands on advice.

People are at the very heart of schools and college and are key to our success. Whilst we have a full range of policies to support our education partners, we take a compassionate approach, recognising that our staff are individual people with unique lives, which helps foster goodwill and loyalty.

Our centralised HR function supports the schools and college on a day-to-day basis, managing everything from recruitment and induction processes to legal casework and policy support. Always at the end of the phone or email, the team provides advice and support, working in collaboration with schools as a critical friend to help meet objectives whilst minimising budget implications. 

The HR team also holds the single central record (SCR) for each school centrally, reducing the compliance burden on setting teams.

When an organisation joins us, our HR team rolls out an onboarding plan, supports with the TUPE process, union liaison and any other support needed to ensure staff transfer successfully to Creating Tomorrow and feel welcomed into our family of schools and colleges. We understand that there are bound to be some quite complex individual HR issues that arise, but we’ll be there to support you all the way.

ICT

Our aim is to work towards meeting the DfE digital and technology standards for schools and colleges to ensure that staff and students have access to the latest technology to help them develop and learn effectively whilst safeguarding our data, users and systems.

Larger scale projects are planned ahead to be completed over holidays wherever possible to mitigate any impact on teaching and the running of the school.

All schools and colleges within the trust have access to IT support, which is part of our shared services team. We operate a helpdesk ticketing system and whilst the IT support team is based in our Kettering HQ, they go to site as required to address any issues that can’t be supported remotely.

When a school or college joins our family, our experienced IT team will undertake a comprehensive technology review and then create a development plan to gradually bring the new organisation in-line with our core systems, which include Arbor(MIS), MyConcern (safeguarding), SAM People (HR), Smoothwall (filtering and monitoring) and Microsoft 365 (Office, email, Intune, OneDrive, SharePoint etc).

Keeping stakeholders engaged and helping build awareness of what you do in the community is fully supported by our experienced team. We assist with everything from liaising with the press about your latest fundraising activity to MP visits. Crisis communication support is on hand, whether it’s an issue blowing up on social media or handling an incident sensitively.

The lead meets regularly with school/college leaders and relevant staff members to discuss individual school communication needs, as well as host a range of best practice and training sessions, to ensure you are celebrating your success and communicating effectively.

During the course of onboarding, our communications and marketing lead will help manage the process to ensure the academisation/transition to Creating Tomorrow is appropriately communicated to parents, staff, school communities and the press.

If you become a member of our family, we don’t insist on any branding changes, such as a change in name, unless they are specifically required. If any branding needs are identified as part of the onboarding process, we’ll support you every step of the way, working closely with school leaders. We do have a Creating Tomorrow Education Partner logo, which we would expect you to add to relevant signage and communications.

We’ll also review your website and over time, look to move the school to the same platform as Creating Tomorrow and provide you with a new website template. Our marketing team will guide you through the process and ensure your site is user-friendly for your visitors as well as meeting compliance requirements.

Data Protection & GDPR

We offer data protection support and advice to all of our education partners, taking the burden off local leaders. We ensure that schools have regular compliance audits, and we assist them to manage changing legislation as well as changing local requirements and help with any compliance issues, minimising security risks and the possibility of fines.

Should there be a subject access request or a data breach, it’s handled centrally, again, removing the administrative burden for the schools and college.

If you join Creating Tomorrow, our onboarding process will highlight any immediate data protection issues, and we’ll support you to meet legal requirements, and you’ll be covered by our trust-level data protection and privacy policies.   

Our Community and Employer Engagement Lead connects the schools and college with a powerful network of partners to create meaningful opportunities for young people with SEND. Through strong relationships with local and national employers, we help bring careers experiences, funding, volunteering, and innovative projects directly into your setting enriching the curriculum and widening future pathways. 

We pride ourselves on thinking creatively about how to bring communities together. One example is the Daventry Partnership Pioneers, a collaborative initiative uniting local businesses to come together to tackle community needs and share industry best practice and support.   

Our partnerships span a range of impactful projects. For example, With Barclays, we co-deliver conferences exploring neurodiversity in the workplace, supporting their social value priorities while equipping employers with inclusive practices. With Amazon, we’ve created Amazon’s Got Music — a flagship event bringing together SEND schools, colleges, and adult social care providers for an unforgettable performance experience at the Royal & Derngate theatre. Recently you would have found us presenting at the national IMHX conference, giving a platform for our learners to share their stories, develop their skills and raise awareness. With, Iron Mountain has collaborated with us to embed college campuses into their operations, while GXO has offered supported internships, opening doors to real employment opportunities.

By connecting education with industry, we build bridges between learning and life, empowering every young person to explore their potential and preparing them for a future where they can thrive. We think beyond just what our learners need in the classroom, but what they are going to need in adulthood and beyond.

Governance

Joining our trust means you’ll have access to a dedicated Governance Professional who will take some of the administrative burden by tracking policies, coordinating local governing board meetings, as well as carrying out thorough compliance audits.

They manage governor recruitment and induction, provide high-quality training and ongoing support, and ensure your local governing board (LGB) is fully equipped to challenge and support school leaders effectively. You’ll also benefit from structured reporting cycles and streamlined processes that help keep governance focused, transparent, and impactful.

Importantly, our Governance Professional acts as a bridge between your school, the local governing board, and the Creating Tomorrow Board of Trustees. They provide clear advice, guidance, and assurance, and support the transition of your governance structure to align with the trust’s scheme of delegation.