The Dorcan Academy is committed to serving its local community and places great importance on partnerships with parents, local schools and local businesses. We work closely with our partner primary schools, known as the Dorcan Learning Cluster, to ensure a smooth transition to secondary school. Our transition programme, which is both academic and pastoral, ensures that there is a seamless transition between the primary and secondary phases to enable continuity of learning and progress. Good communication with parents is essential for the ongoing support of students. Tutors provide the main point of contact through the Link Books and via email or telephone. We know that the home-school link is vital for students to make the most of opportunities offered, enabling them to grow into successful young people ready to become confident citizens and contribute to society in the future.
The Dorcan Academy has formed various partnerships, both formal and informal, with other organisations in order to continuously improve the services we offer.
For the past three years we have been members of the Greenshaw Learning Trust (GLT) School Improvement Community which has now become known as We are in Beta. Initially, the community was an opportunity to learn from best practice within the Greenshaw Learning Trust, via live webinars led by successful school leaders and sharing of resources. However, the partnership has now developed and expanded into a national community known as ‘Curriculum Thinkers’ where participating schools across the country are able to share the strategies of the most successful schools, facilitated by the GLT. More recently a new branch known as ‘Pastoral Thinkers’ has been added. Through this forum we have been able to benefit by having access to a wide range of tried and tested school improvement strategies from some of the most successful leaders, schools and Multi-Academy Trusts, and we are delighted that some of our own outstanding practitioners have also had the opportunity to contribute to the community. It is important that as a Single Academy Trust we have access to the best professional development and being part of this community enables us to do this. Our subject leaders are able to meet virtually with their counterparts in other schools across the country, ensuring that they are continually challenged and supported. Joining the GLT community has been one of the best forms of CPD we have ever experienced.
