St Francis Of Assisi Catholic Academy Trust
250 staff gather for Trust's biggest training day yet Behaviour strategies, SEN support, and curriculum leadership take centre stage at annual training day, January 2026
Teachers and teaching assistants from across the St Francis of Assisi Catholic Academy Trust came together at St Mary's Catholic School for the annual conference — this year expanded for the first time to include a dedicated programme for teaching assistants.
The 250-strong gathering heard from guest speakers and took part in workshops covering behaviour management, support for children with special educational needs, and curriculum leadership.
At the start of the conference CEO Andrew Celano emphasised the vision of the Trust as a collaborative enterprise. "Our schools, staff, pupils and communities are stronger as a result of working together," he said. "That vision has become our lived reality and now we are ready to take this approach further. We are looking forward to growing our Trust family, with more secondary and primary schools joining over the coming terms and years."
Underling this approach, Deputy CEO Barbara O'Connor drew on Pope Leo XIV's recent Apostolic Letter on Catholic education, quoting the pontiff's call for institutions to unite: "Where in the past there was rivalry, now we ask institutions to converge. Unity is our most prophetic strength.”
Teaching staff spoke positively about the training:
"The workshops will be useful in reframing strategies for our school going forward."
"So relevant to the child I work with — so many tips to trial in school."
"As this was the first TA inset, it was most beneficial and a great experience."
"A good reset button for the start of the year. Makes you think!"
Photo caption: Some of the 250-strong gathering as they listen to the keynote speaker.
About St Francis of Assisi Catholic Academy Trust (https://www.stfrancistrust.net)
St Francis of Assisi Catholic Academy Trust (St Francis Trust) is a multi-academy trust established in 2021. It currently serves nine Catholic schools – eight primary schools and one secondary school and which is growing to welcome two more Secondary schools and four more Primary schools over the next one to two years.
The Trust’s mission is to provide an outstanding Catholic education for all the children in our schools, helping them to grow in faith and reach their full potential. Guided by the values of St Francis, the Trust promotes academic excellence, spiritual development, and service to others.