This is one of the reasons Nathan Jenkins (pictured left), newly appointed at Ralph Allen School, joined the Trust. As he said: “Ralph Allen School has earned its reputation as a high-performing school. I looked at its size, and its ambition and was really attracted to the role, but I needed to know where I could add real value. There is such outstanding teaching going on at this school, which is just blowing me away, but there is always something to improve with any school. Here, it is about looking at the provision across the whole school and ensuring every child has the opportunity to meet their expectations and future aspirations. I am not afraid of leading this improvement – it’s where I come alive. Ralph Allen is a phenomenal school. High quality teaching is in place and the subject leads are very strong. But as in all schools we still have work to do. We are striving to create an outstanding school for all our students, staff and parents and carers. It’s a journey and we’re all on board.”

As an ambitious and inclusive head and a supporter of Palladian Academy Trust’s vision and values, Mr Jenkins identified Ralph Allen School as the perfect place to continue his career. Already settled in, he is now looking at moving forward to creating an outstanding school using its new Thrive focus.

As someone who values relationships and expertise, he brought his former deputy head with him and has now recruited a further deputy head to aid school improvement and operations.
He added: “I spent my first few weeks watching, learning, and listening. I have met a considerable number of parents and carers and have already formed a strong bond with Ralph Allen School and the trust. This is a pretty amazing place to work and study. When you find a school with these foundations, you can really start to look at making it something really special.”

Some of the work will include investment in a central team of experts. This will include partnership working aiming to reduce the noise and distractions for school leaders and wider colleagues so they can focus on the things that matter. The Trust has key specialist roles to support all schools including a Trust SEND lead, Safeguarding Lead, Church School Lead, CPLD Lead.

It is also developing its ‘Pupil Champions’ which will see its Culture Champions developing the Culture Charter, Community Champions looking at how the Trust can work in partnership or support its communities, and Curriculum Champions – all working under the same premise of excellent and equitable opportunities in each strand.

To further benefit its Thrive initiative, Palladian Academy Trust has pledged its commitment to ‘Cradle to Career’, and will engage with the community to prioritise and develop the needs of its children from birth to 18 years old, The Trust has looked at the benefits of engaging with pre-natal classes and nurse referrals to listen and understand the needs of their community and young families and see how they can be supported throughout their children’s formal education.

This will aid Palladian’s journey to becoming the first ‘Thrive’ Trust, with ‘Thriving Together’ as its mantra.

Palladian Academy Trust has partnered with Devonshire-based Thrive Approach as it strives to become a ‘Thriving Trust Ambassador’ promoting social, emotional and mental health development.
Through this partnership, the trust will develop its language to improve engagement and connections with their children on an emotional level. One of these models is ‘WIN’ (Wonder, Imagine, Notice) which encourages young people to develop the skills to self-reflect. For example, if a child is finding it difficult to settle, their teacher is being encouraged to use specific wording i.e. ”I wonder if it is too noisy in here for you at the moment? I imagine that was very upsetting. I notice your sounds have changed, shall we go somewhere quiet?” This language engages and supports children in a non-judgemental approach.

Over 600 staff from across the Palladian family of 11 schools recently joined together at Ralph Allen School for the launch of its ‘Thriving Together’ approach. Amongst other guest speakers James Townsend, from Reach Academy, Ben Smith representing the 401 Foundation, and Eva Ford, relationship manager at Thrive Approach, presented a training module to help staff better understand their pupils’ emotional needs.

Eva explained: “I am supporting and guiding key staff at Palladian to give a deeper insight into behaviour and equip them with extra tools to better meet their needs. We talked about stress regulation systems and brain development from newborn to young adulthood. We also talked about the types of behaviours they might see within their classrooms and strategies to ensure the skills that they are developing are age or developmentally appropriate.

“The Trust is working towards our Thrive Ambassador awards. Each school will become a school of excellence for social and emotional development and mental health using Thrive Approach and, within that, the Trust itself will become an ambassador school trust of excellence.

“Palladian is well on its way to becoming a thriving trust and this is really benefiting its pupils.

“It is a leading light in this area and has already come on leaps and bounds in its thinking and deliverables. I’m really encouraged by this trust-wide commitment to the mental health and well-being of its pupils.”

“Using the Thrive Approach as a framework, each Palladian school is given a Thrive subscription and the training required so that the pupils benefit from the full Thrive Approach.”
Sarah Bubyer, Thrive Practitioner at Ralph Allen School, said: “One of the first things we have done since partnering with Thrive is to set up a base for our most disadvantaged pupils and those who struggle to stay in mainstream education.

“We are also working on a project to see how we can embed Thrive into each one of our primary schools by training one of their own staff up to be a Thrive practitioner. We will look at how we can effectively support young people when they become dysregulated and help enable them to ultimately achieve successful academic careers.

“It’s vital that everyone has a clear understanding of the principles behind Thrive and how they can use it – and carry this vision forward so we are able to become a Thrive Ambassador Trust. But ultimately it is about keeping the children at the centre of everything that we do and giving them the best experience that they can have.”

Together, staff from across the Trust schools will use its Thrive Approach and Cradle to Career initiative to embed its vision of providing ‘excellent and equitable opportunities so everyone can flourish and values of ‘respect, courage and curiosity’ across all aspects of school life, while fostering high aspirations and ambition for academic success across all ages.

https://www.palladianacademytrust.com  

A new Head of Safeguarding, Health, Children & Families, a School Improvement Lead, a Digital Technology and Accessibility Lead, and IT Manager have all now taken up positions at the Trust, which supports 15 schools across Milton Keynes and Corby.

Victoria Blackmore has joined IFtL as Head of Safeguarding, Health, Children & Families after two-and-half-years working for Herefordshire Council as Manager of Safeguarding in Education and Social Inclusion. She was formerly Education Safeguarding Lead at Central Bedfordshire Council, and prior to that a Family Support Worker. Having started her journey in safeguarding a decade ago, Victoria has a real passion for both safeguarding and SEND. She has worked in a variety of education settings and this has given her vast experience and a focus on maintaining a ‘child-centred’ approach.

Isabel Parker has arrived as the Trust’s School Improvement Lead, bringing extensive experience as an Executive Head Teacher at Bedford Nursery Schools Federation, and also as a senior leader at Middleton Primary School and West Town Primary Academy in Peterborough. Previously she was the National Early Years Lead on the Teaching School Council. As a National Leader for Education, Isabel has supported many leaders to improve their schools. Most recently, Isabel has held the role of His Majesty’s Inspector for Ofsted since 2020, and continues to be a serving inspector.

Shaun Hughes is the new Digital Technology and Accessibility Lead. Shaun completed his PGCE in 2013-14 at Two Mile Ash Initial Teacher Training Partnership and began his teaching career at Two Mile Ash School. At Two Mile Ash, he went on to become Head of Computing and Technological Innovation and Deputy Head of Year 6, before taking up a role at GEMS Wellington Academy Silicon Oasis in Dubai in 2018. There Shaun was Head of Year 6 and Lead Practitioner of Digital Pedagogy before returning to the UK in 2020 to become Assistant Head and latterly Deputy Head Teacher and SENCO at Quainton Church of England School in Aylesbury. For the past 10 years, Shaun has sought opportunities to impact on schools, in particular in digital technologies and SEN.

Ray Smith has started his role as IFtL’s IT Manager, after working for Oxley Park Academy Trust for the past 17 years. Since moving into education in 2006, Ray has worked in a wide range of non-teaching roles including facilities management and safeguarding, as well as IT. These appointments follow the arrivals earlier this academic year of Bridget Daffern as Trust Business Manager, Nicola Molloy as Financial Controller, and Charlotte Howard and Philisiwe Jones as Marketing & Business Support staff.

IFtL Chief Executive Sarah Bennett said: “We are delighted to welcome our new colleagues to the Trust. Attracting, retaining and developing the best leaders, teachers and professional services staff is an essential ingredient of being successful in our vision to inspire the futures of us all through learning together. Young people only get one chance and everyone who works for IFtL, within our schools and within the central team, takes this very personally.”

The Building strong trusts guidance sets out the Confederation of School Trust’s position on seven areas, or domains, on which trusts should focus to provide maximum benefit for pupils, staff, and wider society.

The work is based on discussion and feedback from across the academy sector, and develops a CST discussion paper published in February 2022. It suggests that trusts should develop a strong organisational culture across seven areas:

Strategic governance: The trust anchors its strategy in the needs of its schools, the communities they serve and the wider educational system in line with its charitable objects.
Expert, ethical leadership: The accounting officer and executive team create a culture of expert, ethical leadership based on the Seven Principles of Public Life. They create a culture of one organisation, built around the trust’s purpose and values.
High quality, inclusive education: The trust creates a culture that is motivating and ambitious for all, especially disadvantaged children, and children with SEND, so that all pupils can achieve their potential.
School improvement at scale: A strong conception of quality and culture of continuous improvement is pervasive across all the schools in the group.
Workforce resilience and wellbeing: The trust creates a positive working culture for all staff that promotes collaboration, aspiration, and support.
Finance and operations: Everyone in the organisation recognises the importance of effective and efficient use of resources for the wider benefit of all pupils.
Public benefit and civic duty: Part of the culture of the trust is to work beyond its own organisation with other trust leaders and civic actors the wider common good.

The guidance is designed to provide a counterpoint to the Department for Education’s draft trust quality descriptions, which were published earlier this week.

Confederation of School Trusts Chief Executive Leora Cruddas CBE said: “The fundamental purposes of the two documents are different. The DfE’s intention is to set out (in draft form) definitions of quality to inform the regional directors’ commissioning work. Our work is about supporting the sector to build organisational strength and resilience.

“To best do that, we need to think hard about how we create school environments where all children flourish, ensuring both the optimal continuing development of their intellectual potential and their ability to live well as rounded human beings. But we also need environments where the adults flourish, so we need to care deeply about our workforce.

“We need to think about the flourishing of our schools working together in deep and purposeful collaboration as one entity, under a single governance structure, to improve and maintain high educational standards across a trust.

“And we believe that as trusts are a new form of civic structure, anchor institutions in their communities, we need to consider their duty to contribute to the wider common good.”

The guidance is designed to be developmental and indicative, so that trusts have room to give creative and innovative expression to what it means to be a strong trust in their own unique circumstances.

Highcliffe School has partnered with HISP Multi Academy Trust to receive access to its extensive school improvement network and to receive funding to improve some of its buildings.

HISP MAT currently works with schools across wider Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Southampton and Portsmouth areas.

The partnership has brought in funding for staff training and development, as well as new facilities and opportunities for students – for example from the Solent Maths Hub and the Science Learning Partnership.

Headteacher Patrick Earnshaw said he is excited to be working with HISP MAT and can’t wait to welcome the positive impact it will have on the students, teachers and overall quality of Highcliffe School.

Acting CEO of HISP MAT Amanda Parry said: “Our partnership with Highcliffe School will uphold their outstanding standards of teaching and will provide students, teachers and staff with even more opportunities to succeed.

“It is fantastic to see the students and teachers making use of our wider support and resources such as the Solent Maths Hub.

“I am really excited about the future we are shaping for Highcliffe School.”

Patrick Earnshaw added: “Working with HISP will consistently ensure we are providing our pupils and staff with the resources they need to flourish. HISP is helping us lay the foundations for success.”

HISP MAT also works with Tanners Brook Primary, Portswood Primary and Thornden School, however it has five further schools set to join the trust in the near future.

To find out more about HISP MAT, visit its website: https://www.hispmat.org

The latest key addition is Warren Porter (pictured), who joins the company as MAT Product Specialist. Warren was previously Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at Nottinghamshire-based Esteem Multi-Academy Trust. A qualified accountant, he has also worked as a Management Accountant at the Transform Trust and Finance Consultant at SAAF Education, a leading provider of business support services in education. Warren will utilise his vast MAT experience to help shape the IMP roadmap whilst also providing support to the product and sales teams within IMP.

“I am really excited about the opportunity to join IMP Software and am looking forward to supporting the next phase of its growth,” Warren said. “As a former MAT Finance Director, and a qualified accountant, this is the perfect role for me as I have always had a keen interest in systems and software. Having previously been an IMP customer I have never used another piece of software that has delivered so much value to the sector. It transformed finance within my trust overnight. The support and implementation team was the best support from a provider, software and non-software, I have experienced as a customer. I am proud to be part of a company that has had such a significant impact across the sector.”

Warren’s arrival is the 16th appointment made by IMP Software in the last year, with other roles spanning development, implementation, support, marketing and sales, and he explained the IMP ethos that also attracted him to the role. “Having got to know them as a customer, they understand MATs completely, but every cog in the machine works extremely well, every function supports the business extremely well, all at a high level of competency,” he said. “I wanted to be able to work with an elite group of people in this space. They value their staff – and that gives you every opportunity to succeed. I want to be a person who is critical to IMP and making significant impact in various areas of the business, and whose ideas help to define the product and bring new products to market.”

Will Jordan, Co-Founder of IMP Software, added: “We are delighted to welcome Warren, and all our new arrivals, in what has been a hugely successful year for the company. We position ourselves as the experts in MAT finance and our customers look to us to provide guidance on key sector issues, so we need credible and expert people to ensure that we are able to provide the best possible advice, whilst also ensuring that our solutions keep offering significant value as the sector goalposts change. The political direction of travel, following the recently-published Schools White Paper, is for MATs to grow in size and IMP is the only system that naturally supports MAT finance teams with this challenge. In anticipation of consistent future growth, as a business we are always recruiting so the door is always open for proactive approaches from individuals who have relevant expertise, are passionate, and have a deep commitment to customer service. We are very aware that our ability to both attract and retain the very best people will be tightly linked to our continued success.”

Last year, the Trust was the only academy group in Yorkshire to feature on the worldwide Earth Day map, highlighting their dedication to protecting the environment. This year is no exception, as the Trust continues to ensure climate change – as the Government plans for 2023 outline – is at the ‘heart of education’. Climate change has been at the heart of the Trust’s curriculum since it was formed in 2019. The outstanding successes achieved to date have been recognised by the Department of Education’s Sustainable Schools Award as well as the individual schools’ Green Flag Accreditations.

Margaret Land, Sustainability Officer at SMCCAT, said: “Every day is ‘Earth Day’ for the students and staff at St Margaret Clitherow, as we continue to work towards the 2030 nationwide ‘Let’s Go Zero’ campaign.

“The theme for Earth Day this year is ‘Invest in our Planet’, and our schools are continuing their commitment to protect the planet by planting trees, litter picking, beach combing, making bird feeders and helping the wildlife to thrive.”

Ahead of the global Earth Day on April 22 – which falls in the school holidays – the Trust lined up an impressive array of speakers and environmentalists, one for each of the 17 individual schools, to visit last Thursday, March 31. As well as WWF ambassador and Cold Feet actor, Cel Spellman, and Mike Green, Chief Operating Officer of the Department for Education, offering their words of support via video, other headline speakers included the UK’s leading sea-ice scientist, a marine biologist, a beekeeper, a flood alleviation specialist, and a seal protector!

Key organisations including Surfers Against Sewage, The Woodland Trust, The University of York, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, and climate solutions charity, Ashden – who lead on the national schools’ campaign ‘Let’s Go Zero’ – also visited the schools, as well as major household names: Octopus Energy, Nestle, and Harmony Energy.

Amy Rice, CEO of St Margaret Clitherow Catholic Academy Trust, said: “Sustainability has always been at the heart of everything we do as a Trust, from investing in a dedicated sustainability manager, embedding it into our curriculum, building it into our decision-making, as well as being one of the first Trust’s to adopt the ‘Let’s Go Zero’ pledge.

“With an ambitious mission to become the first net-zero academy trust in the UK, the schools are looking forward to celebrating all that they have achieved in the last 12 months, as well as their exciting plans for the year ahead.”

The schools marked the start of their Earth Day celebrations with a live, virtual call from Arctic Scientist, Prof. Peter Wadhams, credited with being one of the first scientists to show that the ice that once covered the Arctic Ocean was beginning to thin and shrink.

Staffordshire University Academies Trust will be investing over £150k, in academic year 2021-2022, to replace the roofs at four of its academies. This will bring the Trust’s total investment in the real estate across its 20 schools to around £1.5 million over the last three years. All 20 schools have had additional investment in some aspect of their property over this time period, for example, car parks, windows, lighting, doors.

St Edward’s CE Academy in Cheddleton, Staffordshire University Academy in Hednesford, Tynsel Parkes CE Primary Academy in Uttoxeter and Church Eaton Primary School near Stafford, have all had new roofs installed over the summer. 

The entirety of the work is expected to be complete before the new school term and will provide the academies with building regulation compliant and most importantly, watertight roofs, creating a safe, warm and dry learning environment.  

CEO of SUA Trust Keith Hollins said: “We’ve invested in these academies because their roofs were flagged as high priority issues in our Trust – wide condition survey and have physically been leaking into classrooms, which has the potential to impact adversely on teaching and learning and staff and pupil well-being.  

“As part of our Trust, we ensure that all of our academies are supported not just with educational and business matters but with infrastructure too, enabling teachers and support staff to focus on teaching and learning.  

“This latest round of investment means that staff and pupils are working in a high-quality environment and that the Academy Principals have one less thing to worry about.” 

]]> https://education-today.co.uk/covid-safe-conference-demonstrates-future-for-school-cpd/ Mon, 22 Mar 2021 09:59:08 +0000 https://education-today.co.uk/?p=13805 A multi academy trust has revealed more than 1,500 education professionals gathered online last month to share best practice, setting the stage for a transformation in how CPD can be delivered in the education sector.

Wellspring Academy Trust held its annual Festival of Learning virtually, showcasing the future of trust-wide interaction and shared learning. Whilst the shift was necessary due to Covid restrictions, the process has revealed how effective, engaging CPD can be delivered on a large, geographically diverse, trust-wide basis.

Natalie Hardman, chief administration officer, at Wellspring explains: “Our Festival of Learning is a highlight of our year, and a fantastic opportunity for our community of 25 schools to get together, be inspired and share their knowledge. There was no way we could let Covid stop that!

“Moving online proved hugely successful. We had 1,696 people all online together to watch the live stream of our keynote speaker and attendees booked 5,182 sessions in total. As well as colleagues from across the trust, we also welcomed colleagues from a further fifteen non-Wellspring schools.

“Sharing best practice across a trust that is spread across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire and eight local authority areas can be a huge logistical challenge, but our virtual Festival of Learning has demonstrated quite convincingly how technology can overcome that challenge. One of the clear benefits of being part of a large trust is the vast amount of experience contained within it. By developing online opportunities for collaboration, we can really make the most of that.

“We are now exploring more options for online learning, including broadcasting of expert knowledge sessions for educational professionals across Wellspring and beyond. Professional generosity is an important part of our charitable purpose and we are committed to sharing our knowledge and expertise to benefit all. The opportunity for increased online sharing and CPD within MATs and the education sector as a whole is a really exciting prospect.”

Wellspring’s Festival of Learning was held on 12 February and attendees benefited from workshops on a huge variety of subjects ranging from behaviour management approaches to how to best use the Google Education platform. A keynote speech was delivered to all by Jaz Ampaw-Farr before attendees than joined their chosen four sessions throughout the course of the day.

Wellspring currently manages 25 schools, with that figure set to grow significantly over the next few years. It operates in mainstream primary and secondary, as well as having extensive experience in delivering special and alternative provision. Wellspring also manages a portfolio of complementary services, include mental health support services, community projects for young adults with special needs, and a host of training and consultancy services around behaviour management in schools.

Thrybergh Academy and Foljambe Primary School have joined 11 other schools – 7 primaries and 4 secondaries – under WPT’s umbrella.

The vision for both of the schools echoes WPT’s key aim – to send every young person into the world able and qualified to play their full role in it.

David Burnham, Headteacher at Thrybergh Academy said: “We are delighted to officially become part of Wickersley Partnership Trust after having been supported by the Trust for the past two years. The support that the school has had means that we are now in a position to drive forward our aim of providing all of our students with an outstanding education. Being part of a local multi-academy trust is important for us because all of the schools within it truly have a voice and this means the needs of our communities are fully understood and catered for. Thrybergh Academy is now part of a caring, ambitious family of schools and we look forward to what the future holds for our students, staff and local community.”

Academising under the Trust means that both schools receive funding directly from the government rather than local authorities. Other benefits include more control over how things are done within the schools and access to more readily available support and advice to raise the standards of the schools.

Foljambe Primary School has already started improving the school facilities after joining WPT with plans to rebuild the campus starting at the end of February.

Beverley Tate-Brier, Headteacher at Foljambe Primary School added: “This is a very exciting time for the future of Foljambe. We have been working in partnership with Wickersley Partnership Trust for some time now and we are proud of the changes we have already made in moving the school forward. We cannot wait for the building work to take place to give our children and their families an environment that they deserve.”

Steve Calvert, Chair of Directors at Wickersley Partnership Trust added: “The Trust had long discussions about whether we should bring Thrybergh into our family of schools – lots of debates about financial risks and capacity.

“In the end the core question was ‘did we feel we could help the students become happier and have better life outcomes?’ and we believe the answer is yes. We are delighted to bring the schools on board and I’m sure the talented team and amazing students will ensure it’ll be a success story for years to come.”

Helen O’Brien, CEO at Wickersley Partnership Trust added: “At Wickersley Partnership Trust, we aspire to send all young people into an ever-changing world, able and qualified to play their full part in it. The students at Thrybergh Academy and Foljambe Primary School deserve every opportunity to meet these same goals.

“We have worked with both schools for two years and already have a strong and embedded ethos of collaboration between our schools.

“We are building on the school curriculum to provide rich opportunities for learning, both within and outside the classroom, and will ensure all stakeholders are empowered to work in partnership.

“We have already begun the regeneration of the primary campus and look forward to opening this new site with its extensive improvements.”

Wickersley Partnership Trust was founded in 2014 and serves a community of 13 schools across Rotherham and Gainsborough – ‘one school across multiple sites’. It is committed to ensuring all students have the best educational experience possible by raising achievement by providing active, co-operative and independent learning through dynamic, high quality teaching.

www.wickersleypt.org 

CET (which included Chesterton Community College and Downham Market Academy) and MET (which included Impington Village College, Impington International College and Witchford Village College) each had strong track records for academic excellence and innovation. Together, they now offer the widest range of subject and qualification options of any non-selective secondary school or sixth form in Cambridgeshire. These include GCSEs, A Levels, the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme, Diploma Programme and Career-related Programme, and BTECs.

Heading the new trust’s leadership team are Lucy Scott, of Chesterton Community College, which consistenly achieves in the top 1% of schools in the country for exam performance and is rated outstanding by Ofsted, and Ryan Kelsall, previously Principal of Impington Village College, which was selected as State School of the Year in East Anglia in the Sunday Times Parent Power list 2020.

Lucy Scott, CEO of TLA, said: “Our new Trust is a small purposeful family of schools, each with its own distinct identity which, combined, offer more choice than any other group of schools, enabling every student to pursue their dreams and passions. As our Trust grows, each school will retain that identity but share the same values and standards of academic rigour, excellent extra-curricular opportunities and exceptional arts and performing arts.

“What makes TLA so very different is that it is born out of an alliance between two existing trusts, not out of a need for one school to grow. Our joint commitment is to being proudly international and internationally minded, serving a diverse community of families from Cambridge, across the UK and overseas, facilitated by our host family network, with a broad, specialist and inclusive provision.

Ryan Kelsall, Deputy CEO of TLA, added: “Our new Trust offers a truly international experience for students with over 40 different languages spoken by students at Chesterton Community College alone. We value equality and promote diversity in our schools and are committed to continuing to increase the number of our students studying languages in KS4.”

Rolf Purvis, Headteacher at Downham Market Academy, is part of the Trust’s new senior leadership team and has become the new Executive Headteacher at Witchford Village College. He said: “Within the Trust’s team we really do have an enviable wealth of teaching and school improvement experience, evidenced by the success of Downham Market Academy and its Athena Sixth Form College, since they became part of CET in 2017.”

Lucy Scott concluded: “Our existing schools have long track records for supporting students in achieving their full potential in a happy, respectful and nurturing environment. They also have reputations for providing excellent professional development opportunities for teachers and staff and, through our merger, we are combining all of this knowledge, experience and insight.”