The Pioneering Schools - our founders

Although SCS only became legal as a co-operative in 2011, the original schools and trusts that joined together to develop the society, had been working since 2009 to develop the idea of a co-operative that would co-ordinate the sector.

The Co-operative Group, Co-operative College and Cobbetts (the legal firm that was providing much of the legal support for the new sector) worked with the founding trusts and schools to established the rules and remit for the society over this period. This led to an interim SCS board being established in the Autumn of 2010.

Dave Boston, then Head at Sir Thomas Boughey High School was elected the society's first Chair of the Board and Cassie Ellins Head at Upper Shirley was elected Vice Chair. In the summer of 2011 Phil Arnold from Reddish Vale Technology College became the Chair of the Board when Dave Boston left his post as Head to become the society's first Chief Executive.

The original pioneering founders of SCS were:-

• The Co-operative Group
• The Co-operative College
• Reddish Vale  Co-operative Trust, Stockport
• Campsmount Community Partnership Trust, Doncaster
• The Upper Shirley Learning Community Trust, Southampton
• The North Telford Children's Trust
• The Alsager Schools Trust
• The Trust for Innovation and Learning, Birches Head, Stoke-on-Trent
• North Pennine Learning Partnership Trust
• Lipson Learning Co-operative Trust, Plymouth
• Cressex Co-operative Learning Trust, High Wycombe
• Westwood Co-operative Learning Trust, Leek
• The Sir Thomas Boughey Co-operative Learning Trust, Newcastle Under Lyme
• The Co-operative Academy at Brownhills, Stoke-on-Trent
• The Failsworth Learning Partnership
• The Golborne and Lowton Co-operative Learning Partnership
• The ASPECT trust, Weymouth