Work for Us

Our staff are part of a Multi-Academy Trust, which employs over 350 staff with a broad range of skills and expertise in a wide range of roles. We recognise our employees are our most important asset and are aware that the quality and commitment of our employees is critical to our success. In return for their commitment, we offer our staff:

• A ‘values-driven ethos’. Our values act as our cultural cornerstones. They frame how we work to together, how we behave and act as a base for our all our decisions;
• A welcoming and inspiring working environment in which colleagues look out for and support one another;
• Opportunities to share best practice and ideas with colleagues across the Trust;
• An outward facing Trust, which looks for opportunities for all our staff, at all levels, to contribute to the wider community;
• Regular opportunities to diversify your career and/or gain promotions across the Trust’s schools and wider education services.

To support their career aspirations and wellbeing, we also offer our staff:

A wide-ranging and high-quality CPD programme
Our professional development programme can be tailored around each team member’s unique skills and career aspirations, including the opportunity to study Level 3 qualifications, foundation degrees, Initial Teacher Training (ITT), postgraduate and Masters degrees, National Professional Qualifications (NPQ), as well as a comprehensive induction programme for Early Career teachers (ECTs). We also offer specific SEND training, including braille and Makaton and QTVI training for staff at Joseph Clarke School.

Generous local government or teachers’ pension scheme
The Local Government Pension Scheme is one of the largest public sector pension schemes in the UK. It is a nationwide pension scheme of 3.5 million members working in local government or working for other types of employer participating in the scheme. The LGPS is a defined benefit scheme which means that your pension will continue to be worked out using a set formula and it is guaranteed by Government. On starting employment, staff will be automatically entered into the pension scheme.

Generous annual leave allowances
On joining Flourish Learning Trust as a support staff member on a 52-week contract, staff receive 26 days’ annual leave in the first instance, plus 8 bank holidays. This then rises to 28 days after 2 years of service and 31 days after 5 years’ service plus the 8 bank holidays.

Well-being support
Sometimes, meeting the demands of work and personal life can be a real challenge. As an employer, we recognise this and provide well-being support mechanisms including practical and emotional support. We provide an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to help take the strain when staff need some extra support. The EAP can save time, and help reduce stress and anxiety, improving well-being and freeing staff up to focus on other things. Through the scheme, staff can access 24/7 advice and counselling. In addition, we offer debriefs and clinical supervision where relevant and appropriate to support our staff’s welfare.

Cycle to work scheme
Our staff can make huge savings on a bike and permitted accessories when they sign up to the Cycle to Work scheme through Flourish Learning Trust. The Cycle to Work scheme is implemented via a salary sacrifice arrangement whereby staff agree contractually to a regular reduction from their gross salary to cover the cost of the bike and accessories, therefore making tax and National Insurance savings.

Annual travel season ticket scheme
Annual travel season tickets can often be a cheaper alternative to buying daily or weekly tickets but the initial outlay can be cost prohibitive. The travel season ticket scheme enables you to purchase an annual travel ticket via an interest free loan.

Free eye tests
Flourish Learning Trust is committed to fulfilling responsibilities for the health, safety and welfare of its employees. Eye tests are provided to ensure users can comfortably see the screen and work effectively without visual fatigue. If a DSE user requests an eye test, the Trust will provide vouchers for a free test. If the test shows that the user requires glasses specifically for DSE work, the Trust may contribute to the cost of these glasses in certain circumstances.

Discounted gym membership
As an employee of Flourish Learning Trust, staff can benefit from corporate discounts at Better Health gyms and leisure centres across the UK.

Staff recognition awards
As an employer, we want to recognise and celebrate the successes and commitment of our staff and one way we do this is through our annual staff celebration awards and long service awards.

Free vaccinations
We offer our staff free flu and other vaccinations relevant to their role, such as Hepatitis B.

Flexible working opportunities
Where possible, we offer flexible working opportunities to support our staff to balance their work and life commitments. Our flexible working policy outlines which roles can be considered for flexible working opportunities and the process to follow to have the request considered.

Refer a friend scheme
We hope our staff enjoy working at Flourish Learning Trust and that they will recommend us as an employer to their friends and associates. Our refer a friend scheme recognises and rewards those who recommend the Trust as an employer. Under the scheme, any colleague who successfully refers someone to a Flourish Learning Trust vacancy is eligible to receive a payment of £300.

But, above all, working at Flourish Learning Trust is a highly rewarding and satisfying experience. Thanks to the commitment, energy and determination of our staff, all of our children and young people make fantastic progress during their time with us. Watching their progress and working alongside families is immensely satisfying and, as a Trust, we take every opportunity to recognise and celebrate the important role our staff play in transforming the lives of our children and young people.

What people say about working at our Trust:
• ‘I like working for the Trust because we have lots of different professionals with decades of experience to draw from’ (staff member)
• ‘There is diversity within the Trust, including at leadership level, meaning staff and pupils have positive role models they can identify with and relate to’ (staff member)
• ‘Positive relationships between pupils and staff throughout the school contribute to pupils’ well-being’ (Ofsted)
• ‘You are doing a good job. Everyone is doing a good job. We all are’ (secondary pupil)

Please contact Flourish Learning Trust’s HR department via hr@flourishlearningtrust.org.uk for further information about these benefits.

Benefits of working at Flourish Learning Trust

We value the contribution of every single member of the Flourish Learning Trust team and are committed to providing them with the same breadth of engaging and enjoyable learning opportunities that they deliver so brilliantly to our pupils.

All staff wherever they work within our Trust participate in our two-year rolling Continuous Professional Development programme designed to equip them with the skills and knowledge needed to carry out their roles and to progress their careers.  Beginning with a comprehensive induction, the programme gives all members of our team a thorough understanding of our ethos, values and approach as well as the practical tools and techniques needed for teaching and supporting our pupils.  The training is tailored for different teams depending on their role but, as an organisation that puts our pupils at the heart of everything we do, it is important that every single member of staff, including those working in the Admin, Finance, Site and Tech teams, receives training in safeguarding, behaviour and communicating with pupils with SEND.

Through a combination of compulsory and optional sessions run in-house and by external training providers, we aim to give our staff highly useful, interesting and, importantly, relevant training that will enable them to uphold the high standards we have set at Flourish Learning Trust.  Our training is popular with staff who value our investment in their careers and our flexibility in responding to current needs and priorities.  For example, we now have a greater focus on training staff on issues such as pupil wellbeing and mental health.  This is a particularly important area for our schools and we continually seek to educate our teams so they can recognise the signs of trauma and other mental health issues and provide appropriate support as early as possible.

At Flourish Learning Trust, training goes well beyond formal sessions and INSET days; we seek to support staff throughout their time here and, as such, every member of staff benefits from coaching and mentoring which enables them to progress at their own speed and work towards their own goals.