School Autonomy
At the Girls' Learning Trust, we believe that strong schools are built on confident leadership, a clear sense of identity and the freedom to make decisions that reflect the needs of their students and communities.
We do not want our schools to become identical. Instead, we want each school to retain what makes it distinctive, while benefiting from the support, expertise and opportunities of a wider organisation.
Autonomy with Alignment
Our approach is based on a simple principle: schools should have substantial freedom over their educational provision and day-to-day leadership, within a shared framework of accountability, collaboration and organisational support.
Our ambition is not to make our schools the same, but to make each of them stronger through belonging to the GLT.
What Decisions Remain with Our Schools?
Headteachers and their leadership teams retain substantial responsibility for the decisions that shape students' everyday experiences, within the Trust's agreed policies and accountability arrangements.
01
Curriculum and Teaching
Schools develop their own curriculum and approaches to teaching and learning, reflecting their educational vision, student needs and staff expertise.
02
School Culture and Identity
Each school retains its individual ethos, traditions, values and relationships with its local community.
03
Educational Priorities
School leaders identify improvement priorities, develop school-level plans and determine the most effective approaches to raising standards.
04
Student Experience
Schools shape their pastoral provision, enrichment activities, behaviour approaches and wider opportunities for students.
What Do We Do Together?
There are some areas where working together is necessary or creates clear benefits for our schools.
The GLT operates as a single legal organisation, with shared responsibilities for governance, financial management and statutory compliance.
Governance and Accountability
Shared oversight, clear responsibilities and effective educational assurance.
Finance and Resources
Collective financial planning, investment and long-term sustainability.
Professional Services
Specialist HR, finance, IT, estates and governance support.
Educational Collaboration
Sharing expertise, professional learning and approaches that improve outcomes for students.
We believe that shared arrangements should be purposeful, proportionate and add value, rather than create unnecessary consistency or bureaucracy.
The Role of Headteachers
Our Headteachers lead their own schools, taking responsibility for educational standards, school culture, staff development and student outcomes.
They are also important contributors to the leadership of the wider GLT. Through our Executive Leadership Team and Trust Leaders' Network, they help shape shared priorities, contribute to Trust-wide decisions and learn from one another.
This provides an important balance: Headteachers lead their schools while collectively helping to lead the Trust.
Local Governance and Accountability
Each school has a Local Governing Body, providing an important connection between the school, its community and the wider Trust.
Local Governors contribute knowledge, expertise and scrutiny, while the Trust Board retains ultimate legal accountability for all schools. The respective responsibilities are established through our Scheme of Delegation.
School autonomy does not mean operating without accountability. Our Education Development and Assurance Framework provides appropriate support and constructive challenge to help schools maintain high standards and continuously improve.
Financial Autonomy
We operate an integrated budgeting model, rather than applying a fixed percentage top-slice to school budgets. We do not operate General Annual Grant (GAG) pooling.
Headteachers are closely involved in developing and managing their school budgets, within the Trust's overall financial framework.
Our approach seeks to maintain transparency, appropriate school-level responsibility and effective financial oversight, while enabling schools to benefit from shared expertise and collective investment.
What Does This Mean for a School Considering Joining?
We understand that autonomy is one of the most important considerations for Headteachers and Governors exploring membership of a multi-academy trust.
Our approach is to discuss openly which decisions remain at school level, which responsibilities are shared and how the school's existing identity and strengths will be protected.
We also encourage prospective schools to speak directly with our existing Headteachers and Governors to understand what autonomy with alignment means in practice.
We want every school to remain distinctive, confident and ambitious, while benefiting from the opportunities of belonging to the GLT.
Find out more about joining the GLT or explore our Operating Model .