New publication: EKST Impact Report 2024- 2025

IMPACT REPORT 2024-2025

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

East Kent Schools Together has delivered transformational educational outcomes this academic year, scaling our partnership to 13 institutions while creating measurable impact for over 2,000 students through innovative collaborative programming and strategic alliance development.

Key Performance Outcomes:

£10.5k+ external funding secured beyond core partnership investment
13-network organisations including dual university partnerships
2,000+ students directly impacted across 20+ signature events
81% participant improvement in resilience and wellbeing metrics
7 strategic wider collaborative partnerships delivering enhanced educational opportunities

STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS & FUNDING EXCELLENCE

Diversification Success

Our diversified funding strategy generated over £10.5k through targeted partnerships and successful grant applications, supplementing core partnership investment. This sustainable model enhances capacity through strategic external collaborations while significantly expanding educational opportunities for EKST students and staff.

Strategic Alliance Portfolio

Amongst others, seven high-impact additional collaborations now amplify our educational reach and programme excellence:

STEM & Innovation Excellence:

STEM Learning UK – National curriculum enhancement and teacher development
AIRDAT -World leading airport systems, training and consultancy services
Global Action Plan – Environmental leadership and sustainability education

Community & Cultural Enrichment:

Social Enterprise Kent – Community interest group with health and wellbeing focus
Greener Kent Schools – Environmental stewardship and climate education
Performing International Plays – Cultural exchange and global perspectives
Canterbury Kids Lit Festival – Literary engagement and creative expression

STUDENT IMPACT & OUTCOMES

Flagship Events: Evidence-Based Results

The Big Explore (November 2024) Leadership Development & Resilience Building

Our signature confidence-building intervention at Pines Calyx delivered experiential learning for KS3 students. Through mixed-school collaboration, students developed leadership capabilities, outdoor skills, and cross-partnership friendships.

Stakeholder Testimony: “Students enjoyed the trip so much today. Was beautiful to see students become enthusiastic and passionate about the art session… It’s a valuable opportunity that our students wouldn’t otherwise have and we are incredibly grateful.” Archbishop’s School Leadership Team

The Big Chill (February 2025) Mental Health & Resilience

Targeted wellbeing intervention reaching 60+ students across four partner schools. Expert-led workshops addressed sleep optimisation, stress management, mindfulness practices, and nature-based therapeutic approaches.

Quantified Impact: 81% of participants demonstrated measurable improvements in resilience, enhanced wellbeing indicators, and superior exam stress management capabilities.

Diverse Opportunities for EKST students this year:

Chess Championship – Strategic thinking development and inter-school collaboration excellence; peer interactions were amazing and such positive friendly attitudes! With huge thanks to The Abbey School for hosting and facilitating. Brilliant to have St. Anselm’s, St. Edmund’s and Archbishop’s booked in as well as the host’s students of course. The Abbey students did a wonderful job of facilitating the event and so impactful to have mixed teams- students interacted and supported each other really well.

Big Design Innovation Day – Creative problem-solving mastery with industry partner AIRDAT. Brilliant to welcome students from Spires Academy , St Edmund’s School Canterbury and St Lawrence College taking part today- the students are interacting really well in mixed groups with tons of amazing ideas already shared demonstrating fabulous teamwork. A huge thank you to St. Lawrence College for hosting and facilitating this together with expert input from AIRDAT colleagues who set an amazing and thought-provoking task for students giving students an opportunity to think on their feet and work innovatively and collaboratively.

Life Drawing Masterclasses – Artistic opportunities for EKST Sixth Form students

Wonderful sessions attended by Sixth Form students from Archbishop’s School and St. Anselm’s as well as the host school- great to have this in the calendar for successive years for our students with huge thanks to St. Edmund’s again for hosting and facilitating these 2 fantastic student workshops.

Summer Sports Spectacular – Physical wellness and teamwork in supportive environments

Attended by 5 schools at St.Edmund’s- a great morning with students commenting that same day that they’d made friends with students from other EKST schools attending. A brilliant opportunity to challenge themselves and engage in healthy competition too in a supportive and fun environment. With thanks to students from Spires, The Abbey, Dover Christ Church Academy, Herne Bay High as well as the host school students- very grateful to the 6^th formers at St. Edmund’s who led the groups and did a fantastic job interacting with and supporting all the pupils in mixed teams.

Year 12 Leadership/ You have the Power event- Canterbury Christ Church University-A really impactful and new event for EKST students with huge thanks to CCCU for hosting and facilitating.

Hugely grateful to the whole team at Canterbury Christ Church University for today’s wonderful Year 12 Leadership/ You have the Power event for students across the East Kent Schools Together (EKST) partnership.

Over 40 students from ST. ANSELM’S CATHOLIC MULTI ACADEMY TRUST, THE ABBEY SCHOOL (FAVERSHAM), Kent College, Canterbury and Archbishop’s School participated in really impactful workshops covering forging consensus; poetry and protest, designing your politics; provocation and a carnival of consensus culminating in a pop up event led by students. The demonstration took us around the campus with placards co-created by all the students waved in the air to the sounds of drumbeats and chants! Students voted to focus on a campaign for better pay and treatment of healthcare staff across NHS England……

Teacher feedback included the following: “Wonderfully organised. Friendly helpful staff….A really enthralling day with excellent feedback from our students , we’ll be back!”

Measurable Student Engagement

20+ events delivered across the academic calendar
2,000+ students experiencing enhanced educational opportunities
100% mixed-school integration across all major programming
Peer leadership development teamwork and leadership initiatives

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT EXCELLENCE

CPD Portfolio

Our partnership delivers sector-leading professional development across multiple educational disciplines:

Modern Languages Enhancement – Specialised CPD opportunities strengthening language pedagogy and cultural competency across the partnership network.

Leadership Excellence – University of Kent Teachers and Leaders Advisers Conference delivered cutting-edge leadership strategies and educational innovation insights to senior staff.

Oracy & Communication Mastery – Canterbury Christ Church Oracy Conference enhanced teaching methodologies around spoken communication excellence and authentic student voice development.

Challenge for All and DEI Conferences– The King’s School Canterbury- very grateful to King’s for sharing these and other fantastic opportunities for colleagues across EKST.

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Leadership

Our collaboration with EDI Specialist Ben Mearhart at partner school, The King’s School Canterbury, continues expanding professional development reach across the network. The highly successful session this time hosted by Archbishop’s School generated very positive feedback and work is underway to confirm additional rotations at partner sites responding to live requests from colleagues in terms of themes and issues most pressing to them to ensure we are meeting their current needs/ requirements.

KCC Headteacher Briefings– EKST collaborating with Kent County Council to share advice and best practice on educational partnerships. David Elliott presenting case study on this in June 2025 to share best practice across the county at their HT briefings.

Family Partnership Development

The EKST Parent Conference (March 2025) at Kent College delivered expert-led workshops and evidence-based seminars, strengthening home-school partnerships and equipping families with research-informed strategies for teenage development support.

PARTNERSHIP EVOLUTION & SUSTAINABILITY

Strategic Network Expansion

The addition of the University of Kent as our 13th partner represents significant strategic advancement, joining our founding university partner Canterbury Christ Church University to provide:

Comprehensive higher education pathways across multiple institutional options
Research collaboration opportunities enhancing educational innovation
Seamless post-16 transition support with university-level preparation for those choosing the university route

Digital Excellence & Stakeholder Connectivity

Our integrated communication strategy ensures enhanced stakeholder engagement both regionally and nationally/ internationally:

Social Media: @EKSTpartnership (X), @East Kent Schools Together (LinkedIn), @eastkentschoolstogether (Instagram)
Email: ekstpartnership@gmail.com
Website: www.ekst.org

IMPACT EVIDENCE & STRATEGIC ADVANCEMENT

Quantified Success Metrics

81% measurable improvement in student resilience and wellbeing indicators
100% positive stakeholder feedback from all participating institutions
2,000+ students accessing enhanced collaborative programming
7 strategic partnerships delivering amplified educational provision
£10.5k+ external investment secured through partnership excellence

Continuous Improvement Framework

Our community- focused and collaborative mindset drives responsive programme evolution that anticipates and meets emerging needs across our partnership. Regular EKST Management Team and Heads meetings also support this together with the work of the EKST Finance Group.

EKST Colleagues’ Feedback:

100% of respondents would recommend getting involved with EKST events/ programmes
Examples of feedback “Their wellbeing and emotional wellbeing was included; allows them outside of their own school to enjoy activities, as well as work collaboratively – it would be good to grow this even more. They were all included and took part. Confidence, working with those they were not familiar with and sharing skills.
More confidence in subsequent lessons.
Students and staff can learn from one another. Builds a foundation of respect and understanding
It widens the opportunities for students and helps with raising aspirations
Great to benefit from opportunities from other schools and to share idea and collaborate
Both independent and universities offer our students opportunities they would otherwise never have the chance to be a part of!”

STRATEGIC CONCLUSION

EKST exemplifies transformational partnership excellence through strategic collaboration, innovative programming, and measurable student impact. Our expanded 13 partner network, featuring dual university partnerships with Canterbury Christ Church University (founding partner) and the University of Kent joining this year, combined with robust external funding and evidence-based programming, positions EKST as the regional leader in collaborative educational excellence with a real community focus. EKST was asked in May 2025 to share best practice in partnership working across the region by Kent County Council further demonstrating our impact.

Our success rests on shared vision, collaborative expertise, and unwavering commitment to raising aspirations, building confidence, and expanding opportunities for every student and colleagues across EKST’s community. The partnership’s transformational impact demonstrates the power of strategic collaboration in creating educational opportunities that transcend individual institutional boundaries, delivering exceptional value for students, families, and the wider community.

The structure of the partnership has also been modified to ensure long-term sustainability and connectivity. EKST has moved from an annual rolling Chair remit to two- year partner oversight ensuring that the relevant Head and Project Lead can build momentum and impact over a longer period. Adopting a Chair and Vice- Chair strategy allows for additional support and dialogue within the organisation. In addition, the balance between the state, independent and university partners is equal and ensures that the partnership is genuinely collaborative and balanced. EKST colleagues also regularly assess the longer-term strategic aims to ensure the partnership meets the needs and ambitions of all its students and staff; there is a partner-wide desire to ensure the organisation’s continuity and sustainability which is testament to the supporters of EKST.

A huge THANK YOU to everyone involved in EKST for making it so impactful!