Our Trust

A very warm welcome to Cambrian Learning Trust

The name ‘Cambrian’ refers to one of the oldest bedrocks spanning the globe, formed during the influential geologic Cambrian era. Its most notable features align perfectly with our Trust’s ethos and approach:

• A strong and solid foundation for building lifelong learning and success

• A catalyst for the advancement of innovation and creativity in schools

• An ideal environment in which diversity is cultivated, embraced and celebrated

In keeping with these attributes, our strapline ‘Nurturing Growth – Inspiring Minds’ perfectly encapsulates what the Cambrian Learning Trust stands for. We are driven to nurture all learners - the children and young people in our care, our staff, and the adults in our school communities so that they can achieve their very best, whilst providing inspiration, motivation and challenge.

All our schools (one secondary school and eight primaries) are based in and around Faringdon in South Oxfordshire; 50% of our schools are church schools, and all but one of our primaries has a pre-school setting. 

A significant strength and benefit is that all our schools are situated within a small area, with the majority being just a short 10 or 15 minute drive from each other. The proximity of our schools enables extensive collaboration, sharing of expertise and creative solutions.

The Trust promotes school autonomy and independent thinking. All our Headteachers have the responsibility and authority to lead their schools, driven by local context and need. Each school has its own Local Governing Committee whose remit is to challenge and support school leaders in achieving the best possible outcomes.

Schools interview and select their own staff, supported by an experienced central HR team. They also design their own curriculum, whilst working collaboratively with one another and benefiting from being part of a larger Trust that supports them to operate as successfully as possible.

The Cambrian Learning Trust is proud to have a united and successful team working across schools in a mutually supportive way to ensure that every child or young person, no matter what their circumstances, will succeed in every aspect of school life and beyond. Our schools balance academic achievement with an extensive enrichment offer, ensuring a wealth of opportunity and experience for all children as part of their education.

Our schools can access a pool of resources provided by the Cambrian Learning Trust. Our talented and experienced central team offers wide-ranging School Improvement expertise, as well as assistance with all aspects of operations. This ensures our schools are supported, effective and forward-looking whilst being compliant in all aspects.

Looking ahead, we are strengthening and extending our ‘hub model’, whilst facilitating all our primary schools to feed into a Cambrian Trust secondary school wherever possible. We are exploring and looking to create Beacons of Excellence in the areas of Inclusion and SEND, whilst continuously improving outcomes for all our learners and enlarging our curriculum enrichment offer.

For our employees, the Trust’s development and training programme also continues to expand, offering both internal and external CPD opportunities so that we can attract and retain the best possible workforce, and ensure we have the most talented team of people working with our children.

Richard Evans - CEO