The Mercian Trust - Digital & IT

Operational Excellence at The Mercian Trust

The Operational Excellence Department sits within the Finance, Business and Operations service of The Mercian Trust, bringing together IT, Communications & Marketing, Data Science, and User Experience into a single service dedicated to enabling exceptional outcomes for our schools. Drawing on expertise across technology, data, communications, service design and digital innovation, the team works collaboratively with school leaders, educators and support staff to make systems simpler, decisions smarter and services more effective. The department leads strategic transformation projects, develops trust-wide digital capability, strengthens communication and engagement, and ensures that technology and data are used purposefully to improve experiences for staff, pupils and families. By combining this expertise with a strong understanding of education, the team helps schools focus on what matters most, delivering outstanding learning opportunities and supporting every child to thrive. Operational Excellence is not simply a support function; it is a catalyst for innovation, continuous improvement and sustainable organisational growth.

INCREASING OPPORTUNITIES, IMPROVING OUTCOMES

As one Trust we share a common purpose.  We call it our social mobility and social justice mission to change our communities through the very best equitable education.  When we get this right, it enables our children and young people to fulfil their potential, thrive in the world of work, and make a positive contribution to the local, national and international community.

Put simply, our common purpose is to increase opportunities and improve outcomes for our students.  We are particularly committed to students who are under-served and under-resourced.  We prioritise those who have special educational needs and disabilities, or who are more likely to face discrimination for whatever reason.

It is this common purpose that fuels everything we do. We deliver impactful,  sustainable and ethical continuous school improvement in our schools to ensure the children and young people in the communities we serve learn in the very best and most inclusive schools. 

We are deeply rooted in the communities we serve (which are the education investment areas of the West Midlands). We adopt a pioneering spirit and look to lead the sector with innovative solutions to the problems our students and families face.

We are proud of our achievements so far: 

Our selective schools are the most successful in the country at increasing the number of local disadvantaged students passing the entrance test and joining our grammar schools.

Our St Matthew’s campus in Walsall Town centre has brought new investment and innovation to the town and is home to our Alternative Provision Free School for students at risk of exclusion from Mainstream education.  the campus is home to our Studio School where students can take a more technical or vocational route to university and employment - and also the home of our Digital Skills Hub connecting schools with employers and our students with industry professionals.

Our social mobility and social justice mission goes beyond traditional education and training. We are proud to have hosted the region’s first Youth Suicide Awareness and Prevention Conference at Villa Park, building on our pioneering work in youth mental health.

Our innovative multi-disciplinary team of clinicians and allied health professionals support our vulnerable students, reducing clinical assessment waiting times from nearly 12 months to just 2 weeks

Our social mobility and social justice mission is both what we do, and who we are. We exist to enable all our students to fulfil their potential, thrive in the world of work and make a positive contribution to their local, national and international community.

Leadership - Dan Parkes, our Chief Executive Officer

Dan was appointed CEO of The Mercian Trust in 2019. Since his appointment the trust has grown from five to twelve schools and is now responsible for the education of more 10,000 children and young people.

Dan has a wealth of leadership experience across the education sector. Prior to his appointment as CEO Dan was the founding Principal of Walsall Studio School (14-19 academy) where his track record of successfully introducing new programmes of study for students and supporting teachers’ re-training in different specialisms proved particularly successful. Previously Dan was a senior leader in Further and Higher Education responsible for large staff teams, systems, and structures within multi-campus organisations. His organisational change experience includes mergers within FE colleges and school Trusts.

Our contribution to the sector

Alongside supporting our twelve schools in Walsall and Sandwell, we see our Trust as being at the heart of collaborative practice, alongside other education organisations, to increase opportunities and improve outcomes for all students, teachers, and communities.

We are proud to participate in the following public forums:

• West Midlands Advisory Board - our CEO, Dan Parkes, is a co-opted member
• Microsoft UK Education Leadership Steering Group - our CEO, Dan Parkes is chair 
• Departments for Education Headteacher and CEO Reference Group - our CEO, Dan Parkes, is a member
• We are a key member of the steering groups for the Priority Education Investment Areas of Walsall and Sandwell 
• Trust-wide CPD Leaders Forum - Our Director of Teacher Development, Tracy Goodyear, is the  founder of this new national group
• TES, Schools Week and other education publications - our leaders in our Trust and schools are regular contributors
• Global and national education events and conferences - our leaders in our Trust and schools are regular speakers and facilitators.