Aquinas Church of England Education Trust celebrates ten years of life-transforming learning

The ten-year anniversary celebration took place at Bishop Justus Church of England School, one of the founding schools of the Trust, and the service included a rousing performance from the Aquinas Choir, made of pupils from across the Trust, who were described as being in ‘fine voice’.

The amazing atmosphere was reflected in the speeches given at the service by the Trust’s CEO, Kathy Griffiths, the Chair of the Trust, Giles Lambert, and The Rt. Revd. Simon Burton-Jones, Bishop of Tonbridge. Their speeches echoed the sentiment that the last ten years had been driven by the common goal of providing as many children and young people as possible with an education that is life-transforming. They also affirmed their desire to continue delivering the very best education to more children and young people that would instil the values of respect, wisdom, and stewardship.

The Trust also celebrated some of the standout achievements of individual schools, including the launch of a food bank, ‘The Purple Pantry’, at St George’s CE Primary School in Bromley. The Purple Pantry provides the school community with access to essential food and toiletries. Local Member of Parliament, Sir Bob Neill, came to visit the school to attend the launch and meet with staff and pupils. Additionally, the Trust highlighted the recent glowing report on St Nicholas Church of England Primary School from Ofsted. The report stated that had it been a graded inspection, it would have found the school to be ‘Outstanding’. All schools within the trust are now deemed Good or Better by Ofsted.

As the Trust celebrates these achievements, the leadership team are looking towards the next ten years and working towards building on the foundations to keep providing pupils with a life-transforming education.

Kathy Griffiths, CEO of Aquinas Church of England Education Trust, said: “It was a pleasure to celebrate ten years of our fantastic Trust alongside our students, staff, and local churches. Having a service allowed us to reflect on the achievements of the last ten years and to affirm our commitment to providing life-transforming learning and instilling our values.

“I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all the staff who have worked at our Trust over the last ten years, as well as our Trustees and local churches who continue to support us and help deliver a life-transforming education.”