The Park Academies Trust was formed in 2016 with the vision to make a significant contribution to improving education in Swindon and surrounds. Red Oaks Primary School became part of the Trust in 2019, joining Lydiard Park Academy (LPA) and Abbey Park School, our two secondary schools. As a result, we are able to offer an all through provision from nursery right up to our Sixth Form based at LPA, enabling staff and pupils alike to benefit from being part of a thriving multi-phase educational Trust.

Our aim:

• To create centres of educational excellence that inspire all pupils to turn their potential into performance

To achieve this our schools will:

• Provide a broad and balanced curriculum that allows pupils to develop their talents and ambitions
• Deliver the highest quality learning opportunities facilitated by excellent teachers
• Inspire our pupils to become confident, motivated and respectful individuals ready to make a positive contribution to society

The Trust will support our schools by:

• Maximising the resources and expertise available to individual schools
• Providing a platform for the sharing of excellent practice
• Challenging and developing staff to turn their potential into performance

Working with The Park Academies Trust offers teachers and support staff an opportunity to develop in a dynamic Trust environment.

We aim to offer our teachers the chance to develop and hone their skills in varied and different environments. Our Trust CPD programmes will allow us to identify and grow the talent within our staff and successful teachers can expect opportunities for rapid promotion either through direct placement or via secondments from their home school.

We believe that this chance to build teaching knowledge in new schools, whilst retaining the security that a well established Trust has to offer, is one of the unique factors that make working for TPAT such an enticing prospect.

Employee Benefits

The Trust believes that treating our employees well, with a mix of professional and personal benefits, motivates the excellent staff who work across our schools as well as attracting new colleagues to our team.

Employee Discount Portal and Cycle to Work

We have teamed up with Sodexo to offer a comprehensive benefits platform for employees. A key feature of this is our own employee portal - TPAT Benefits - which gives access to a great range of discounts on holiday bookings, high street vouchers, gift cards, cinema tickets, days out, leisure activities and day to day spending. There is something for everyone and ways to save through the scheme both in store and online.

Benenden Health Scheme

Speedy, professional access to healthcare is essential to recovery and wellbeing. Whilst the NHS offers excellent care, staff may sometimes find they face a long wait for tests or treatment. We are pleased to offer access to Benenden Health, an affordable alternative to private health insurance which complements the NHS by offering quicker access to treatment where staff face a lengthy delay.

Employee Assistance Helpline

All Trust employees and their families have access to our confidential counselling and advice line, provided by DAS.

Excellent Pensions

All staff are entitled to join the Local Government Pension Scheme or Teachers Pension scheme. These are very competitive and compare well to other pension schemes, with a particularly generous employer contribution. Both schemes also offer life assurance for additional peace of mind.

Continuous Personal Development

At TPAT we are consistently striving to consolidate, improve and embed our professional knowledge. As well as day to day opportunities to learn from colleagues, we offer TEEP Level 1 and further chances to develop through additional training on areas such as safeguarding, behaviour for learning and marking strategies.

As the Trust grows, we believe there will be a greater scope for staff to share and develop best practice through working with and visiting other schools.

Abbey Park School

Bridlewood Primary School

Lydiard Park Academy

Orchid Vale Primary School

Red Oaks Primary School

Abbey Park School (APS) was launched in September 2017 and quickly established itself as a high achieving and popular school. Located in Redhouse, North Swindon it has a modern, purpose-built campus and provides education to over 1000 pupils aged 11-16.

Rapidly rising results have led to the school being oversubscribed for Year 7 entry in each of the last two years. Abbey Park School is due its first Ofsted inspection during the academic year 2020-2021.

Pupil numbers: Over 1000 pupils aged 11-16 with a strong local reputation as a rapidly improving school with a bright future

To view our Career Site and vacancies, please click here.

A warm welcome to Bridlewood Primary School where Ofsted (Nov 2021) recognised our pupils as happy, polite and well behaved. They also noted that pupils at our school love of learning! We are a popular school, with a committed team of staff, working hard for the children in our care. We are proud of our happy, caring and supportive environment and we encourage children to develop a love of learning whilst also upholding our strong core values of respect, responsibility and honesty.

As a school we aim to engage the interest of all our children and provide opportunities for them to thrive and develop their independence and confidence through a topic based curriculum. We also actively encourage the involvement of parents and the local community within the school.

To view our Career Site and vacancies, please click here.

Lydiard Park Academy (LPA) is a thriving 11-18 mixed comprehensive academy serving West Swindon and surrounds. It is consistently one of the highest achieving schools in the area for the amount of progress made by pupils of all abilities and backgrounds.

It has held an Ofsted rating of ‘Good’ for over twelve years and is consistently oversubscribed for entry into Year 7. As an inclusive school, LPA also includes a Special Resource Provision for 15 pupils with mild autism.

Pupil numbers: 1200 pupils aged 11-18 with a strong reputation for both academic and sporting success

To view our Career Site and vacancies, please click here.

Red Oaks Primary School (ROPS) is a thriving primary school serving the Redhouse area of North Swindon. It has modern, purpose-built facilities and educates over 500 pupils from nursery through to Year 6.

As a fully inclusive school, Red Oaks also includes two Special Resource Provisions, one for pupils with complex learning difficulties and the other for pupils who have a hearing impairment.

Pupils at ROPS make consistently strong progress across all subjects and the school has held a ‘Good’ Ofsted rating for a number of years.

Pupil numbers: Over 500 pupils from nursery to Year 6 with an excellent reputation for providing a varied, stimulating and high quality primary experience.

To view our Career Site and vacancies, please click here.

I would like to extend an extremely warm welcome to Orchid Vale Primary School. I feel privileged to be part of a community that is committed to providing the very best learning opportunities for the children in our care. We have a responsibility to prepare our children for their future and open many doors for them. Central to everything that we do is the aim that children leave Orchid Vale as effective and confident communicators with a breadth of knowledge and range of skills that enable them to be successful at whatever they choose to do in the future.

Ruth Lee - Head Teacher