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For Anna Crawte, Director of Education, and Paul Edmond, Chief Financial Officer at HEART Academies Trust, success isn't measured solely by exam results or league tables. It's measured by the opportunities children leave with, the confidence they gain and the barriers they no longer face.

That belief has shaped HEART Academies Trust since it was established in 2017. What began with four schools has grown into a family of six schools across Bedford, united by a shared ambition to give every child the very best start in life.

"We're a Bedford Trust for Bedford families," says Anna. "Our byline has always been 'Changing lives in Bedford' because that's really what it's about. We want our children to go on and do whatever they want to do, without any ceiling on what they can achieve."

Whether that means improving educational outcomes, supporting families through challenging times or helping young people prepare for a more sustainable future, every decision starts with the same question: what is the right thing to do for Bedford's children?

Rooted in Bedford

Unlike many academy trusts that have expanded across large parts of the country, HEART has deliberately remained focused on Bedford.

For Anna and Paul, staying local means understanding the communities they serve and building relationships that make a genuine difference to children's lives.

"Our schools know Bedford," says Paul. "They know the families, they know the communities and they know the organisations around them."

That local knowledge shapes everything the Trust does. From providing free breakfasts and helping families with school uniforms to keeping the cost of school meals as affordable as possible, HEART continually looks for practical ways to remove barriers to learning.

"It's about a holistic approach," Anna explains. "We want to get rid of as many barriers as possible so children can come through their education feeling they've had a really great start in life."

Raising aspirations

For Anna, one of the Trust's proudest achievements isn't simply the improvement in academic performance over the past decade. It's changing what children believe is possible.

"These children deserve the very best," she says. "They deserve to achieve just as well as children anywhere else in the country."

Today, pupils from HEART schools are progressing to leading universities, apprenticeships and rewarding careers, but Anna believes the real success is that they leave with the confidence to choose their own path.

"I'm probably most proud that we've broken down barriers for our children to take those next steps," she says. "But even more than that, we've raised aspirations. Our children can achieve whatever they want to do."

That philosophy also shapes the way HEART operates as a trust. Rather than imposing a single model across every school, each retains its own identity while benefiting from shared expertise and support.

"We're not a cookie-cutter multi-academy trust," Anna explains. "Every school serves its own community, but we work as one organisation to make sure they're equipped to provide the right experience for their children and their community."

Leading the way on sustainability

Preparing children for the future doesn't stop with delivering an excellent education. It also means helping them understand the world they will inherit and giving them the confidence to shape it.

That thinking has quietly established HEART as one of the UK's leading academy trusts in sustainability.

Working alongside organisations including Planet Mark, the Department for Education, the University of Bedfordshire and the UK Schools Sustainability Network, CAPE Alliance and the Green Schools Project, the Trust is helping schools across the country strengthen their approach to sustainability. From supporting Carbon Literacy training, climate change education and sustainable procurement to embedding environmental responsibility throughout its curriculum and operations, HEART is demonstrating that meaningful change happens through action rather than aspiration alone. Its ambitious Net Zero roadmap, targeting net zero across its operations and supply chain by 2045, reflects that long-term commitment.

For Paul, however, sustainability is about far more than reducing carbon emissions. "We want children to understand climate change without being frightened by it," he says. "They need to understand the challenges but also feel they can be part of the solution."

Just as importantly, HEART believes that good ideas should be shared. "We don't want to be the trust that says, 'Aren't we great?'" Paul says. "We want to be the trust that does it well, tells the rest of the world, supports everybody else and learns from everybody else as well."

That collaborative mindset has become one of the Trust's defining characteristics, extending its impact well beyond its own schools and helping others make progress too.

Looking ahead

As HEART Academies Trust approaches its tenth anniversary, its ambitions remain as clear as they were when it was first established.

For Anna, success isn't defined by headlines or inspection grades. "Children deserve consistency," she says. "High-quality teaching, day in, day out. If we're giving them the opportunities they deserve and helping them move confidently to their next steps, then we're doing our job."

Paul shares that view. With technology, society and the climate all changing rapidly, schools have an increasingly important role to play in preparing young people for whatever comes next. "If we can continue navigating those challenges while still delivering really consistent, high-quality teaching and children are still getting great outcomes, then that's success."

Ultimately, HEART Academies Trust is proving that education can achieve far more than academic success alone. By raising aspirations, supporting families and leading the conversation on sustainability, the Trust is helping to shape a stronger future for Bedford and for the generations that will follow.

Find out more

To learn more about HEART Academies Trust, its schools and its work supporting education and sustainability across Bedfordshire, visit www.heartacademiestrust.co.uk.