Latest News
from John Taylor Multi Academy Trust
National Apprenticeship Week 2026
As part of our support for National Apprenticeship Week this week, we want to share success stories across the Trust, highlighting the different roles apprenticeships can take and how valuable this learning can be – today…
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National Apprenticeship Week 2026
One of our core Trust values at John Taylor MAT is keeping learning at the heart of all we do, and apprenticeships can help develop our staff team and give them opportunities for CPD. Today Charlotte,…
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CEO’s Blog: January 2026 – “Learning at the heart of all we do.”
For this month’s post, I want to highlight how inspired I have been by the exemplification of one of our Trust values, “Learning at the heart of all we do.” Whilst it may seem obvious for…
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CEO’s Blog: December 2025 – “Show up on time, know the text, and have an idea!”
Regular readers may be aware that there has been a break in my blogging for several months. I can only blame a lethal cocktail of busy times whilst working, a period of very welcome annual leave…
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The King’s Birthday Honours recognition for local leader of governance and finance executive.
John Taylor MAT is delighted to announce the recognition of Trust Member Gareth Moss in the King’s Birthday Honours List 2025 with an MBE (Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) for services…
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CEO’s Blog: May 2025 – “Go Out and Play!”
In the context of a forthcoming Bank Holiday weekend at the time of writing, and just following the Easter break, I wanted to share with you an extract from a piece by American author Kurt Vonnegut. …
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CEO’s Blog: March 2025 – Preserve what we value
John Taylor Multi-Academy Trust is a member of the Confederation of School Trusts – an excellent organisation that advocates for the academy sector and highlights developments in schools and wider themes across education. In its latest…
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Welcome Letter from Ms. Powell, Executive Headteacher for Rugeley John Taylor School
I am delighted to have been appointed as the founding Executive Headteacher of Rugeley John Taylor School, a brand-new all-through school for children aged 3 years to 18 years, whose secondary phase is set to open…
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Branston’s newest primary school is officially open!
A milestone was celebrated last Friday (31st January) as John Taylor MAT’s newest primary school, Branston Locks Primary and Nursery School was officially opened. Children and staff from the school were joined by members of the…
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CEO’s Blog: January 2025 – “If you would tell me the heart of a man, tell me not what he reads, but what he rereads.”
Happy New Year to all my blog readers. I was asked recently by a colleague associated with our Teaching School Hub and Research School for some details of my professional reading habits, and so I thought…
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New Year’s Honour Recognition for Trust Chief Executive Officer
John Taylor MAT is delighted to announce the recognition of Trust CEO, Mike Donoghue in the New Year’s Honours List 2025 with an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) for services to education.…
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CEO’s Blog: December 2024 – “Work hard”
This festive fortnight sees numerous end-of-term events across John Taylor MAT. Many of those events are school-specific: Christmas Fayres and concerts, nativities and other fun and games, but several are times we share together as a…
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CEO’s Blog: November 2024 Men’s Mental Health Month
One of the best aspects of working within a Multi-Academy Trust is the fact that efficiencies we create and working at scale enable us to do more for our schools than they would independently. This includes…
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Construction milestone for Staffordshire’s first all-through school
A construction milestone was celebrated last Friday at the site of Staffordshire’s first all-through school, Rugeley John Taylor, which will provide continuous education for children from Nursery (over 3 years old) to Post-16, and which is…
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CEO’s Blog: October 2024: Rugeley John Taylor School
Regular readers of my blog may have noticed that a couple of months have elapsed since my previous piece, and I was reminded of this by a colleague earlier this week. One of the causes of…
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CEO’s Blog: July 2024: All Right Now
One of my ‘guilty pleasures’ is to listen to a weekly radio show called “Sounds of the 70s”. I enjoy the nostalgia that allows me to reminisce of popular songs I heard from my childhood (often…
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CEO’s Blog: June 2024: “If it doesn’t challenge you…”
Longstanding readers of my blog will remember back in October 2021 I wrote about my experiences running The London Marathon. I was very fortunate to get a space through running for a charity (“The Rainy Day…
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CEO’s Blog: May 2024: The Guide to Good Parenting
This summer includes two milestones that have drawn me to reflect in this month’s blog on the role of parents in our schools. The first is a personal one. My younger son leaves school this term. …
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CEO’s Blog: April 2024: “Like a King”
In this month’s Blog I want to take the opportunity to focus a little on an aspect of provision in schools that has become more prominent in recent years: character education. Our schools are social settings…
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