Westmeads Community Infant School is a member of the Coastal Alliance Cooperative Trust.

The Coastal Alliance is a collaborative group made up of head teachers of the fourteen member schools within the locality of Herne Bay and Whitstable. This large group of schools regularly work together to meet the educational needs of all children within the communities they serve.

Our collaboration includes schools working with other schools to develop good practice, value for money activities sourcing resources at best prices, moderating work together, developing shared policies and practice and the development of a number of groups and activities including a Sports Partnership. Mrs Lambirth is the vice chair for the Coastal Alliance and leads the English network group with a specific focus on Early Years and Key Stage 1.

All teaching staff are members of curriculum networks who work together to develop policies and share good practice. Westmeads currently plays a lead role in supporting other schools in providing outstanding Early Years education.

It is a very positive collaboration whereby Infant, Junior, Primary and Secondary Schools all work together and share our sites and resources. Sharing our expertise and experiences benefits everyone who is involved.

The Coastal Alliance has enabled us to give the children some rich learning experiences such as using the climbing wall and trampolines at Herne Bay High School, attend the School Council Parliament, enter many inter-school competitions in a variety of sports competitions, art gallery exhibitions, the Times Tables Bee, musical sing-songs and dance festivals.

On 5^th October 2016, the inaugural meeting of the Board of the Coastal Alliance Co-operative Trust took place. Along with the vast majority of local schools, our school has become a member of the Trust.

Our rationale for doing so was as follows:

We want to continue to raise expectations and standards in the school and improve the future prospects for all of our learners.

To do this - with the many changes taking place in education - we need to build strong partnerships and make our school improvement planning more sustainable. 

We believe that to meet the needs of our community, we can achieve more through formal education partnerships, than we will be able to by working alone.

The Coastal Alliance Co-operative Trust establishes a formal partnership with local schools and allows us to work with other co-operative schools across the country.

The Trust builds on the existing relationship between local schools and supports the schools in seeking to:

• Improve the quality of learning and teaching
• Improve the well-being and behaviour of our young people
• Enhance capacity by sharing resources and expertise
• Improve value for money in a time of real terms reduction in funding
• Support and develop current and future leaders

Please note: The governing body continues to run the school, handle the school budget and be responsible for the performance of the school. The Trust provides additional resources and expertise.

Shared Values

The Co-operative values are: Self help; self responsibility; democracy; equality; equity; and solidarity.

As members of the Coastal Alliance Co-operative Trust, we work to embody these values at trust and school level.

Members of the Trust will therefore:

• Give equal value to all our members and all our young people. (Equality)
• Have a responsibility to help other schools. (Self help)
• Be accountable for our own actions. (Self responsibility)
• Abide by democratic principles and give a voice to the Whitstable and Herne Bay community and young people. (Democracy)
• Have to make a positive contribution to the trust and local community. (Equity)
• Have to support and improve all our schools by working together. (Solidarity) 

Members of the Trust are as follows:-