Little Way Catholic Educational Trust

Achieving consistency, compliance and confidence through HR transformation with support from Capita Entrust

Little Way Catholic Educational Trust (LWCET) is a Multi‑Academy Trust comprising six primary schools across Gloucestershire. Established in January 2024, the Trust is committed to delivering high‑quality Catholic education rooted in shared values, collaboration and excellence.

LWCET engaged Capita Entrust to support a bespoke HR consultancy project aimed at building consistent, compliant and future‑ready HR foundations across the newly formed Trust.

The challenge

As a newly established Trust, LWCET inherited varying employment practices, documents and policies across its six schools. This presented several challenges:

• Inconsistent job descriptions and person specifications - support staff roles—including Teaching Assistants, Administrators and Midday Supervisors—had different job descriptions (JDs) and person specifications (PS) at each school. The Trust needed a standardised suite to ensure fairness, clarity and consistent recruitment. 
• Varied HR policies across schools - each school had adopted different HR policies, making consistent application and communication difficult. There was an urgent need to align these with Catholic Education Service (CES) standards.
• No Trade Union Recognition Agreement (TURA) - without a TURA, there was no formal mechanism for consultation with Trade Unions, increasing risk and reducing clarity around employee relations.  

The solution

Capita Entrust worked collaboratively with LWCET to deliver a comprehensive HR transformation programme. Key elements included:

• Policy and contract review - comparison between CES model contracts and Gloucestershire County Council (GCC) Statement of Particulars
• Trade Union engagement - development of a Trade Union Recognition Agreement (TURA) and support throughout the consultation process to secure full agreement
• Standardisation of job roles - creation of a suite of model job descriptions and person specifications for key support staff roles across the Trust 
• Consultation & adoption of policies - Guidance for consultation with Trade Unions regarding adoption of CES HR policies, including Appraisal, Capability, Disciplinary, Grievance, Sickness Absence 
• Leadership training - delivery of training sessions for Headteachers, ensuring they clearly understood new policies and felt confident and equipped to implement them consistently

“Working with Capita Entrust has enabled us to bring clarity, consistency and confidence to our HR practices across the Trust. Their support in standardising our policies, contracts and job documentation has created a strong, fair and transparent framework for all our schools. This partnership has been instrumental in helping us establish the right foundations as a newly formed Trust.”

Kevin Parker, CFO, Little Way Catholic Educational Trust

The outcomes

The Trust has already seen significant benefits:

1. Consistent and fair recruitment processes
A standardised suite of job descriptions and processes ensures all schools follow the same robust and fair approach when recruiting key support staff.

2. Strengthened Trade Union relationships
A formal TURA is now in place, creating clear consultation mechanisms and supporting stronger, more collaborative relationships with Trade Unions.

3. Trust‑wide adoption of CES HR policies
Following full consultation, LWCET successfully adopted key CES policies, providing a consistent, transparent framework for all schools.

4. Confident and knowledgeable leaders
Headteachers have been trained on all new policies, enabling consistent and confident application across the Trust.

5. Clear employment terms for new staff
It has been agreed that CES contracts of employment will be used for all new starters, ensuring clarity, compliance and fairness from the outset.

Conclusion

Through its partnership with Capita Entrust, Little Way Catholic Educational Trust has strengthened its HR infrastructure, created a fair and consistent experience for staff, improved compliance with CES standards, and established strong consultation mechanisms.

This work has created firm foundations for the Trust’s continued growth and its mission to provide outstanding Catholic education across Gloucestershire.