About Us

Heartwood Federation is a partnership of four Church of England primary schools in the Stroud District: Upton St Leonards C of E Primary School, Nailsworth C of E Primary School, Bisley Blue Coat C of E Primary School and Oakridge Parochial School.

The name ‘Heartwood’ comes from the heartwood of a tree trunk — wood nearer the pith of a stem or branch, different in colour from sapwood — symbolising strength, connection and shared love.

At Heartwood, we believe we are ‘stronger together’, sharing the same vision, values and determination for educational excellence. ‘Together, we place children at the heart; nurturing love, respect and life-long learning.’

A key feature of our Federation is the belief that each school should retain its own distinct character and remain at the centre of its local community. Every school has its own Head of School, who acts as an ambassador for its pupils, families and community, ensuring decisions are made by those who know and care for our children best.

Benefits of the Federation

We believe there are many advantages to our collaborative approach:

• Collaboration and Shared Expertise: Opportunities to work together, share skills and specialist knowledge, and develop staff across schools.
• Retaining and Developing Staff: The Federation model creates more career development pathways, helping us keep high-quality staff and nurture future leaders.
• Sharing Resources: Expert staff and specialist resources can be shared to benefit all pupils.
• Skill Sharing: Our wider team works together to share strengths and best practice, enhancing learning for every child.
• Sharing Workload: Workload can be shared across schools — for example, through joint development and review of policies and procedures.
• Increased Opportunities: The combined resources of our schools mean more opportunities for extracurricular activities, enrichment, and personal growth.
• Alleviating Budget Pressures: Shared costs and economies of scale help us use funds more efficiently to support learning.

Together, we are committed to offering every child an excellent, nurturing and inspiring education rooted in our Christian values.