A groundbreaking trading company set up to make Croydon pupils among the best in London has been launched.
The Octavo Partnership, owned and run by Croydon Council, its staff and local schools, has been created to help improve everything from teaching standards to day-to-day administration. The business is believed to be England’s first trading company to be jointly run by a council, its staff and headteachers.
The mutual partnership covers services including literacy and employment training, educational psychology and human resources.
Any school in the borough that signs up for Octavo’s support, including independent academies, pays a fee for their services. This money gets ploughed back into the partnership’s budget for meeting schools’ growing needs. Staff at the schools that sign up will have a stake in the business, which has a long-term goal of also funding a charitable trust dedicated to pioneering education research.
The mutual will also deliver school improvement and educational psychology services on behalf of the council. As well as training and supporting schools in the borough, the partnership could expand in future to help schools outside Croydon.
“We want every Croydon school to become outstanding so all our children get the best possible future prospects.
“Being a commercial venture jointly owned and run by teachers and the council working together means that Octavo has the flexibility and finances to make our schools among London’s best.”
Councillor Alisa Flemming, cabinet member for children, families and learning
Sylvia McNamara, Octavo Partnership’s chief executive, said: “Through Octavo and the cross-Croydon partnerships, we aim to be at the top of London’s performance tables in a few years’ time. That is the goal: long-term improvement that inspires.”
The partnership was approved by the council’s cabinet last year, and it will start operations from April. To find out more, visit www.octavopartnership.org
Octavo is also holding its first open day on 25 April for experienced teachers who are looking to work in Croydon. For more information, email: enquiries@octavopartnership.org
[feather_share]
