Our Chair of Trustees, Clive Gresham, has just completed his first year as Chairperson, and is pleased to share his thoughts and reflections on the last 12 months.
It has been a roller coaster of a year, with what feels like more downs than ups. As we started the year, there was a long list of things we wanted to do, and issues we wanted to tackle. These priorities very quickly became overshadowed and impacted by several factors:
- Unforeseen losses from the previous academic year
- Uncertainty of our future status as a Hub Lead Organisation
- Increased pressure on our finances, with impact on reserves and liquidity
- An Internal Review, identifying the need for a programme of change
- The mandated changes to TPS contributions, making our future in TPS unsustainable
- Heightened uncertainty for our whole staff team, as a result of these issues
- Instigation of an external review to satisfy that NMPAT remains a strong and robust organisation – which it does
- Recognising the stress and strain all these events have put on our CEO, the leadership team and our staff
… and the “Ups”
- Despite all these internal challenges, the breadth and quality of the services we offer, and our staff deliver, has been maintained to a very high standard
- Activity is back to pre-pandemic levels, despite increased charges
- We have retained our Hub Lead Organisation status
- We have managed to find and implement an alternative workplace pension solution, which is better funded than most
- The NMPAT events, concerts and collaborations have continued to great acclaim throughout the year, which is a testament to our staff and our pupils
Looking ahead to the next 12 months…
- There are more challenges to come – some we know about, others we don’t
- Implementing changes identified in the internal review will need everyone’s help and support
- Early indications are that demand for 2024/25 will hold up, but we need to find ways to grow
- Delivering on our Hub Lead Organisation responsibilities and building on our future relationships will be important
- It is clear that some things need to change – taking our staff on that journey and reinforcing how much we value them, and our culture, will be critical
Above all, we need to ensure the Trust is stable and sustainable – so it can continue doing the great things it does, in delivering high quality musical education across Northamptonshire and Rutland, to as many children and adults as possible.
Thank you for your understanding and continued support, during what has been a challenging year for us.
