Sutton House Academy officially join Fortis Trust

Sutton House Academy officially join Fortis Trust

Sutton House is delighted to announce that we have officially joined Fortis Trust on 1 September 2026.  Fortis Trust shares our commitment in delivering exceptional opportunities and outcomes for children and young people with diverse and individual needs.

The Journey

The decision to join Fortis Trust follows many months of collaboration between our academy leaders, trustees, governors, the Department for Education, staff, parents and carers. A thorough due diligence process and stakeholder consultation confirmed a strong shared vision and commitment to securing the very best outcomes for pupils and their families.

About Fortis Trust

Based across the southeast, Fortis Trust is a multi-academy trust of now three academies (Bradfields Academy, Sutton House Academy, and Victory Park Academy), a Supported Internship provision (Forward2Employment) and their Outreach service.  They were also successful in their bid to build a Free School in Whitstable.  Their founding academy achieved Outstanding in their 2022 Ofsted inspection, and Forward2Employment achieved a Good in their 2024 inspection.

Welcoming Our New Colleagues and Pupils

The beginning of September marked an exciting new chapter for us, as an academy.  Fortis’s CEO, Marie Sweetlove-Smyth, spent time with our staff team during their first INSET Day as members of Fortis Trust, sharing the Trust's vision, values and plans for the future.

As pupils returned for the new academic year, Marie also met with our students, answered questions and personally welcomed them into the Fortis Trust community.  Each pupil received a small welcome gift and handwritten message, reflecting our joint commitment to ensuring every child feels valued and included from day one.

New Developments

During the Summer Break, out staff at Sutton House Academy and Fortis Trust have been busy to ensure that the transition from our previous trust to Fortis Trust was as smooth as possible.

We are pleased to say that, as part of the trust’s ethos and values we will retain our unique identity and connection to our community, but it will be strengthened by our membership of a collaborative and supportive Trust. 

Throughout the summer, teams across Sutton House Academy and Fortis Trust worked closely together to ensure a seamless transition.  Significant work took place behind the scenes across systems, processes, communication and operational arrangements to provide continuity for pupils, families and staff.

While becoming part of Fortis Trust, we will continue to retain our own distinctive identity, culture and community connections.  New signage and lanyards have been introduced to celebrate our unique identity and unity with Fortis Trust.

Marie Sweetlove-Smyth, CEO of Fortis Trust, said:

"We are delighted to welcome Sutton House Academy into Fortis Trust.  They have a strong reputation for supporting children and young people to thrive, and their values align closely with our own. We look forward to working together, sharing expertise and creating even greater opportunities for young people, families and staff across all our provisions."

Looking Ahead

We are excited about the opportunities this partnership will bring and look forward to working alongside the dedicated staff, pupils, families and communities from across Fortis Trust.

Facts about Fortis Trust’s Academies & Provisions