Join our Trust

A long-term partnership for your school

Haberdashers' Academies Trust South brings together the strength and expertise of a collaborative Trust with the reach, relationships and opportunities of a wider educational family.

Schools remain deeply rooted in their communities while gaining the people, partnerships and support to thrive in an increasingly complex world.

A welcome from our CEO

Together, stronger

Choosing to join a trust is one of the most important decisions a school will make. It is about trust, values and the future you want for your pupils, staff and community.

At Haberdashers’, we believe the strongest partnerships combine shared ambition and collective strength with a deep respect for each school’s identity and community.

Jan Shadick
CEO, Haberdashers' Academies Trust South

Read Jan's full welcome

Choosing to join a trust is one of the most important decisions a school will make. It is about trust. It is about values. And it is about the future you want for your children, young people, staff and community.

At Haberdashers’ Academies Trust South, we believe deeply in the power of education to change lives. Every day, in every school, for every child. That belief has guided us for more than 20 years as a Trust, and for over 150 years through our wider Haberdashers’ heritage.

We are a family of nine primary and secondary schools serving richly diverse communities across south-east London. Our contexts differ, but our purpose is shared. We work together to build knowledge, confidence and character, so that every child and young person can thrive at school and beyond, whatever their starting point.

We set high expectations and match them with care, support and challenge. Schools are never left to face complexity alone. When one school succeeds, we all learn. When one school faces difficulty, we step in together.

Being part of Haberdashers gives our schools something distinctive. It combines the strength and expertise of a collaborative Trust with the reach, relationships and opportunities of a wider educational family. Our schools benefit from connections across primary and secondary education, state and independent education, professional networks and experiences that extend beyond any individual school.

But the value of partnership goes beyond access to individual opportunities or services. It is about becoming part of a community of schools and people who share expertise, challenge thinking, solve problems together and invest in one another’s long-term success. Schools bring their own strengths to that community and gain relationships, capacity and opportunities that would be difficult to create alone.

We also understand that schools considering joining us will have important questions. What would joining mean for your school’s identity? What would remain locally led? What would we expect to align across the Trust? And what role does the Haberdashers’ Company play?

We will answer those questions openly. We do not assume that one model will be right for every school or that everything should change on entry. We take time to understand each school’s context, strengths and priorities, and work together to agree a thoughtful and proportionate approach. We are equally clear that joining a Trust brings shared responsibilities, including safeguarding, governance, financial sustainability, educational improvement and a shared commitment to values that are closely aligned.

Schools that join us do not simply adopt a template. They become active partners in a values-led community, bringing their own strengths, learning from others and helping to shape the Trust’s future, while remaining rooted in and proud of the communities they serve.

Thank you for taking the time to learn more about us. If our purpose and approach resonate with yours, we would welcome an open conversation about what we might achieve together.

Jan Shadick
CEO, Haberdashers' Academies Trust South

Why choose us?

What partnership makes possible

The strongest partnerships do more than provide services. They create opportunities, capacity and connections that would be difficult for any school to achieve alone.

Collective expertise

Work alongside school, Trust and specialist colleagues who share successful practice, challenge thinking and solve problems together.
Strong foundations
Benefit from educational and operational expertise that gives leaders greater capacity to focus on pupils, staff and sustainable improvement.
A wider educational family
Connect across primary and secondary, state and independent education, with networks and opportunities extending beyond any individual school.
Long-term partnership

Gain relationships, support and stewardship designed not only for the point of joining, but for the opportunities and challenges ahead.

Strong local schools. Shared expertise. A wider educational family. Long-term partnership.

The Haberdashers' Experience

1. From 3 to Forever: developing knowledge, confidence and character

Our schools work collectively to ensure that every learner, regardless of background, is supported to succeed at school and be prepared for life beyond it, by intentionally developing their knowledge, confidence and character, from one phase to the next.

2. A Place to Belong: inclusion at our core

Inclusion is who we are—we are committed to creating an environment where everyone is valued, supported and empowered to thrive. Our culture is firmly rooted in the belief that we all belong, every voice matters and every success is celebrated.

3. Proud to be Haberdashers: our unique advantage

Belonging to the Haberdashers’ family of schools opens doors to unrivalled networks, creating life-changing opportunities and deep-rooted connections for our learners and staff. Haberdashers' learners are empowered and prepared to make a positive impact in tomorrow's world through our unique network, which unlocks professional opportunities and real-world experiences.

4. Investing in our People: the best place to work

We are committed to being a great employer—attracting, retaining, and developing talented staff—while championing teaching as a profession of choice, ensuring that future generations continue to be inspired to enter and strengthen the sector.

5. School Improvement: built in, not bolted on

Our schools receive continuous and comprehensive support as standard, not just when needed. We aim to create a culture of continuous growth and high expectations, where self-evaluation, challenge and targeted support drive excellence. Collaboration is key to this, with our schools sharing expertise to strengthen outcomes.

6. Strong Governance and Leadership: a key to our success

Our strong leadership and prestigious networks drive excellence in every school. Rooted in our 'Leaders Who Care' framework, the combined strength and commitment of our experienced Trust/School leaders and expert Trustees and Governors ensures our schools thrive and our learners excel.

7. Trust Support and Expertise: a sustainable, scalable operating model

Our operating model provides the infrastructure and high-quality professional expertise to support our commitment to be excellent schools. This ensures that school leaders can focus on what really matters—educating our children and young people

What joining means in practice

Joining Haberdashers means becoming part of a values-led family with shared responsibilities and ambitions. It does not mean every school must look or feel the same.

What your school brings

Local identity and community relationships
Existing strengths and expertise
The voices of pupils, staff and families
New perspectives that strengthen the Trust

What we share

Ambition and closely aligned values
Safeguarding and strong governance
Financial responsibility
Educational improvement and professional learning

What we work through together

The priorities and pace of onboarding
Identity and shared belonging
Leadership and governance arrangements
Where consistency adds value and where local flexibility is appropriate

We will be clear about what must be shared, open about what can remain local and thoughtful about what we agree together.

Your identity matters

A school’s history, identity and community relationships are important strengths. We do not begin with assumptions about what should remain or change.

Questions about identity, leadership, governance and onboarding are considered in the context of the proposed partnership as a whole. Our aim is to develop a strong relationship between local identity and meaningful belonging to Haberdashers.

Explore common questions

Part of the wider Haberdashers’ family

Being part of Haberdashers connects pupils and staff with relationships, educational partnerships, professional networks and experiences extending beyond any individual school.

The Haberdashers’ Company helps make many of these opportunities possible through long-term stewardship, investment, relationships and governance expertise. Its support strengthens the Haberdashers’ Advantage, our Trust-wide approach to character and enrichment.

The Trust remains responsible for strategy, governance, accountability and the operation of its schools. Day-to-day decisions are made by Trust and school leaders in the interests of pupils and communities.

Discover the Haberdashers’ Advantage

Common Questions

Why choose Haberdashers as a long-term partner?

Haberdashers offers more than central services. Schools join a collaborative community with the expertise, relationships and capacity to help them respond to challenges, build on their strengths and create new opportunities for pupils and staff.

Our schools benefit from primary and secondary expertise, strong educational and operational support, professional networks and connections across the wider Haberdashers’ family, including relationships across state and independent education.

Schools bring their own knowledge and successful practice to this community, while gaining the support, challenge and long-term relationships to achieve more together than any school could alone.

What can our school expect in terms of its identity?

We recognise that a school’s name, uniform, culture, traditions and visual identity can hold deep meaning for pupils, families, staff and the wider community. We do not apply a single approach without first understanding the school’s history, context and aspirations.

Joining the Trust also means developing a meaningful sense of belonging to the wider Haberdashers’ family. Identity is therefore considered as part of the proposed partnership as a whole, alongside our shared vision, values and expectations.

Any arrangements, including their scope and timing, are discussed openly as part of creating a clear, coherent and sustainable long-term relationship.

What can our school expect in terms of leadership, governance and local voice?

Joining Haberdashers does not automatically mean immediate changes to a school’s leadership or governance. We begin by understanding what is already working well, including the strengths of existing leaders, governance arrangements and relationships with the local community.

Future arrangements are considered in the context of leadership capacity, accountability, long-term sustainability and what will best support pupils and staff. Where change is needed, it is discussed openly and planned thoughtfully and proportionately.

Full member schools operate within the Trust’s governance and accountability framework, while local knowledge and community insight continue to inform each school’s leadership and development.

How will a new school joining the Trust be supported?

From the outset, joining schools are welcomed as partners. We take time to understand each school’s context, strengths, priorities and ambitions, and shape our educational and operational support accordingly.

School leaders work alongside experienced Trust and peer leaders who provide challenge, guidance and practical help. Strong systems and shared expertise provide a secure foundation, while professional relationships across the Trust create opportunities to solve problems together, develop people and share successful practice.

This gives leaders both the support to navigate complexity and the capacity to focus on what matters most: delivering an excellent education for children and young people.

What role does the Haberdashers’ Company play?

The Haberdashers’ Company is our sponsor and helps strengthen the wider Haberdashers’ family through long-term stewardship, investment, relationships and governance expertise.

Its support creates connections, educational partnerships and opportunities for pupils and staff that extend beyond any individual school. It also helps us deliver the Haberdashers’ Advantage, our Trust-wide approach to character and enrichment.

Different ways to start the conversation

Schools approach us from different contexts and at different stages. In some cases, the conversation may lead directly towards full membership. In others, a defined or time-limited arrangement may help both parties develop a better understanding of whether full membership is the right long-term decision.

Any route is shaped around a clear purpose, expectations and outcome. Where full membership is being explored, an interim arrangement is a pathway towards an informed decision, not an alternative form of permanent Trust membership.

Talk to us about your school

Start with an open conversation

You do not need to arrive with a preferred route or a completed plan. We can begin by understanding your school, its ambitions and the opportunities and challenges ahead.

We will be equally open about our expectations, responsibilities and capacity. The aim is to explore whether there is a strong and sustainable fit for both parties, and what we might achieve together.