On 1 September 2022, Essendine and Hallfield Primary Schools formed the North Westminster Federation

What is a Federation?

A federation is formed when two or more schools remain separate in law but are managed together by a single Governing Board. The adopted model maintains Essendine Primary and Hallfield Primary as separate organisations, but with the management of both schools are brought together under the supervision of a single Governing Board. The arrangement builds on the strengths of both schools.

We believe that Federation will benefit our schools in the following ways:

1. Driving forward sustainable school improvement.
2. Motivating and retaining outstanding leadership that will significantly raise standards and progress for all of our children.
3. Recruiting, training and the retention of the very best teachers through continued patronisation of the School Direct Programme and career development.
4. Developing outstanding teaching for all our learners, embedding rigorous standards, in curriculum and assessment.
5. Enriching the curriculum by providing innovative opportunities to develop pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the world, raising self-esteem and promoting pupil wellbeing.
6. Increasing the level of aspiration and opportunities for our communities.
7. Reviewing opportunities to increase financial benefits and efficiencies across the two schools.
8. Providing resilience in the ever-changing landscape of education
9. Governance across the Federation will draw on specialist expertise within each organisation (for example, SEND, pre-school and primary education) to ensure the needs of children and families are being met regardless of the particular school the child is attending.

We will build stronger and long-lasting partnership between our schools, work with education partners and maintain the strong and beneficial relationship we have with the Local Authority. In so doing, we believe we will establish a system of self-sustaining, continuing school improvement with outstanding and innovative approaches to teaching and learning.

Becoming a Federation does NOT mean:

• We become one school.
• We become amalgamated.
• We have one admissions policy.
• That we would become an Academy; we will continue to be accountable to Westminster Council.
• Becoming privatised; parents will not have to pay for their children to attend our schools.
• That we are going to close or move any of our schools.
• That we are going to lose jobs across any of our schools.
• That we are going to change our educational ethos.

What would be different after Federation?

The immediate day-to-day experience for parents and children would change very little. Schools in federations continue to be individual schools with their own character. The names of the schools, school uniform arrangements and identities of Essendine Primary and Hallfield Primary would continue as before. Each school would retain its own budget.