Lift Academy Consultation

Community Feedback 
As part of our consultation on becoming an academy with Lift School, we are seeking your views as a valued member of our school community. This short questionnaire is designed to help us understand whether the information shared has been clear, whether you have any concerns, and whether you support the proposal. Your feedback is important and will help inform the governing body’s final decision. Thank you for taking a few moments to share your thoughts with us. Please click on the image below to complete the questionnaire. 

East Wichel Primary School is a thriving, inclusive, and high-performing school at the heart of our local community. In 2022, we were delighted to be judged “Outstanding” in all areas by Ofsted, and more recently, we’ve been shortlisted for Primary School of the Year and EYFS Setting of the Year at this year’s prestigious TES Awards — recognition of our commitment to excellence in education. We are delighted to share that we were successful and won ‘Primary School of the Year’ which is a huge achievement for the school and recognition of the fantastic hard work of our staff, pupils and parents. 

We are proud of all we’ve achieved and remain fully committed to ensuring East Wichel continues to go from strength to strength. To build on our success and ensure we have the long-term support and capacity needed for continued growth, governors and school leaders have been carefully considering the best future direction for the school. 

Over the past year, we have been reviewing whether remaining as a standalone local authority-maintained school is the best model for long-term success. Like many local authorities, Swindon Borough Council now oversees fewer maintained schools and, as a result, has reduced school improvement services available. In this context, governors have been exploring whether joining an academy trust could offer further opportunities for improvement and sustainability. 

From the beginning, this has never been about becoming an academy for its own sake. Our aim has always been to find the right trust — one that shares our values, puts inclusion first, and supports our ambition for all pupils. 

After visiting schools and speaking with a number of trusts, governors are now focusing on a proposal for East Wichel Primary School to join Lift Schools — a values-led national trust that closely aligns with our ethos. 

Lift Schools currently oversees 57 schools across England — primary, secondary and special — working through regional hubs. The trust is committed to inclusive practice and school-level decision-making. Every Lift school retains its own unique identity while benefiting from wider collaboration and strategic support. 

Locally, Lift already oversees Hazelwood Academy in Toothill, a school we know well and work closely with. Hazelwood shares our outward-facing approach, high standards, and inclusive ethos. We’ve also been impressed by Lift’s strong performance. In 2024: 

• 89% of pupils in Lift’s primary schools passed the Phonics Screening Check (well above national average) 
   

• 77% achieved the expected standard in Reading, Writing and Maths at the end of KS2 (well above national average) 
   

• 12% achieved the higher standard (above national average) 
   

We’ve been reassured by the trust’s commitment to partnership working with local authorities and to keeping schools rooted in their communities. 

We are now formally consulting on the proposal for East Wichel Primary School to join Lift Schools. The consultation will run from Tuesday 24 June to Wednesday 16 July 2025. During this period, we want to hear from parents, carers, and members of our wider school community. 

We will soon share details of a Public Stakeholder Event, which will be held at East Wichel. This will be an opportunity to meet with governors and school leaders, as well as hear directly from representatives from Lift Schools. We are currently confirming a date and will write to you with full details shortly. 

We are also offering parents and carers the opportunity to book a 30-minute appointment with a member of Lift Schools and a member of East Wichel’s leadership team to discuss the proposal in more detail. 

The available dates for these appointments are: 

• Wednesday 25 June (between 10:00 and 17:00) 
   

• Wednesday 09 July (between 10:00 and 17:00) 
   

• Monday 14 July (between 09:00 and 14:00) 
   

These appointments are strictly by request. To book click on the dates below

When booking please state your name and your connection to the school. For example: 

My name is Jane Smith and I am a parent of a Year 3 pupil, Tom Smith

We believe this proposal represents a positive and exciting new chapter for East Wichel, and we look forward to welcoming you to one of our upcoming events. 

Yours Sincerely

Laura Parnham and Matthew Corps 
Co-Chairs of Governors 

Paula Phillips 
Headteacher