The sound of bagpipes and the smell of freshly cooked haggis filled the Arthur Terry Learning Partnership’s newest school, when business leaders from across the West Midlands visited for an event organised by the trust’s growing Partner Programme.

Dunstall Park Primary School, which opened in Tamworth in September last year, provided the ultra-modern setting for a traditional Burns night meal, along with an opportunity for members to network.

Partner Programme manager Brian Davies introduced four new businesses - Ark Media, The Media Collective, Floral Jazz and Partners in Travel – taking the partnership to 17 in total.

He said: “It’s great to see new members here tonight, and our aim is to grow the partnership to 30 businesses by 1 September.”

The Partner Programme enables its members to foster connections, share expertise and support the educational community.

Through networking events, partnerships and fundraising activities, it offers informal opportunities for professional growth, community engagement and educational advancement.

The programme’s first partner, Kate Curry of Cudos Creative, then talked about her company’s work with ATLP, outlining how the Sutton Coldfield-based design studio had helped shape the Trust’s branding, messaging and in-house communications across its 24 schools.

Kate said: “It was a real pleasure to speak at the Partner Programme event for Burns Night and explain just some of the work we have done to help shape ATLP’s branding and messaging over the last seven years.

“It was also great to be at Dunstall Park, which is their newest school, because we recently helped design its branding, from the school’s logo to the colourful area where children eat every day.

“ATLP’s schools are at the heart of their communities, and the Partner Programme helps extend that engagement to bring in the business community.

“Its social events provide great opportunities to meet people from all kinds of businesses in an informal setting, allowing you to make valuable connections while supporting a Trust which always puts its thousands of students first.”

Upcoming events for the Partner Programme include:

May: ATLP Retro Olympics – fun team building through retro games such as ‘egg and spoon’ races.

September: Golf Day at Aston Wood.

November: Business Lunch at Moor Hall Hotel, featuring keynote speaker.