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.”

Released today as an academic working paper, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, the study explores work-related anxiety of more than 13,000 classroom teachers and headteachers in England at 75 points between October 2019 and July 2022.

It reveals that prior to the pandemic, one in four (25%) headteachers were highly anxious about work – only slightly above the level of class teachers. However, during the pandemic, around 35% of headteachers reported that they regularly had high levels of anxiety about work during term time, which was consistently higher than for class teachers. This reached a peak in January 2021, when almost two-thirds (65%) of headteachers in England felt highly anxious about work, compared to 42% of class teachers.

With the study also revealing that the share of deputy and assistant heads who say they want to become a head teacher one day has fallen from 56% pre-pandemic to 48% post-pandemic, the authors have raised concerns around the declining levels of those seeking headship.

Study co-author Professor John Jerrim (UCL Social Research Institute based at IOE, UCL’s Faculty of Education and Society) said: “The COVID-19 pandemic led to one of the biggest shocks the world has ever seen – with schools closed and disruption to working patterns and conditions. Coupled with ever-changing government policy around schools, it’s unsurprising that the pandemic had a major impact on staff across the sector.

“However, the differences in levels of anxiety are quite shocking, and the additional strain that was put on headteachers in particular is clear. It’s vital that the government now reflect on guidance and support given to school leaders during difficult periods, with greater attention paid on ensuring that schools can recruit and retain the best headteachers in future.”

The study also highlights the substantial differences in working hours across the pandemic and between teacher roles. During the first lockdown in March 2020, class teachers worked around 25-30 hours per week, compared to a pre-lockdown norm of closer to 45 hours. Headteachers reported that they were regularly working around 20 hours more per week during the first lockdown than class teachers, and around 10 hours more per week during the rest of the pandemic.

The researchers found that during the first wave, delivering direct instruction on-site rather than at home, providing live lessons and working longer hours were all associated with higher levels of work-related anxiety.

However, the paper also highlighted that levels of anxiety were not uniform across different groups of teachers in the study, with differences seen across gender and parental status. Before the pandemic, male and female teachers with young children (under five) had reasonably similar levels of anxiety about work, with around one in five experiencing high levels of work-related anxiety. But, at the height of the pandemic in winter 2020, around a third of female teachers with a child under five felt highly anxious about work, compared to a fifth of males.

Study co-author Dr Sam Sims (UCL Centre for Education Policy & Equalising Opportunities) said: “What’s clear from this study is that the effects of the pandemic have been felt unevenly across the school workforce. Prior to the pandemic, women already had higher work-related anxiety than men. We found that amongst teachers with pre-school children, it was mainly women who became more anxious about work.”

Dr Emily Tanner (Programme Head at the Nuffield Foundation) said: “By tracking anxiety levels, this research provides an important new perspective on the immediate and longer-term impact of Covid on the school workforce. The heightened pressures faced by school leaders and the declining appetite for headship among deputy and assistant heads highlight the need for better support to shore up sustainable leadership.”

To establish their findings, the researchers collected data using an app called ‘Teacher Tapp’. Respondents were asked to rate their anxiety about work on a given day from 0 (‘not at all anxious’) to 10 (‘completely anxious’), with ratings given at the same time and day each week.

Respondents were also asked questions about their work environments, such as the learning activities they had done that day, number of hours worked, and how often during the pandemic they were on site (at school).

The researchers then used statistical modelling to explore differences in average work-related anxiety scores before and during the pandemic between groups with different characteristics (gender, job role, parental status (and age of children), and school characteristics), as well as whether teachers were working from home or on site.

The researchers note the limitations of their study, highlighting that the Teacher Tapp panel is a self-selecting sample rather than a random draw from the teacher population. They also note that their analysis focuses specifically on the work-related anxiety of teachers and does not include other related aspects of mental health such as depression and stress, which may have been impacted in subtly different ways.

A recent inspection judged the school to have made sufficient progress in relation to the recommendations following the most recent core inspection. As a result, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education and Training in Wales has removed Ysgol Bro Sannan from the list of schools that are in need of significant improvement.

The inspection report highlighted efforts made by the school and Caerphilly County Borough Council in developing a robust leadership structure, which has helped Ysgol Bro Sannan make good progress against nearly all of its priorities following the core inspection. A reorganisation of the staff structure has also helped ensure the school is making best use of its teachers’ and assistants’ expertise.

Richard Edmunds, Director for Education and Corporate Services at Caerphilly Council, said “This report is excellent news and demonstrates the efforts by everyone involved. It’s reassuring to see that the report recognises the challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic and, despite these, teaching staff have still shown great progress in supporting pupils to improve their numeracy and literary skills, as well as their independent learning skills.

We understand that there are still aspects of the school’s work which could be developed and are committed to supporting them to improve even further.”

Chief Education Officer for Caerphilly, Keri Cole, added “I am delighted to celebrate the progress made at Ysgol Bro Sannan. Under the leadership of the headteacher and Governing Body, the school has worked tirelessly to secure rapid improvement, which has had a very positive impact on learners and their families.”

Education Support will deliver the new mental health support scheme for school leaders. The service will run until March 2023.

The scheme builds on a pilot involving over 350 school leaders which was launched in response to the challenges brought about by the pandemic. Eligible school leaders can access the programme from today through the Education Support website: https://www.educationsupport.org.uk/get-help/help-for-your-staff/wellbeing-services/school-leaders-support/

Education Support also provides a free and confidential helpline for everyone working in education. It is staffed by qualified counsellors and open 24/7: 08000 562 561

Sinéad Mc Brearty, CEO of Education Support says: “School leaders have done a heroic job over the past 18 months, and we’re delighted to be continuing to support them through the services announced today. They have moved mountains to keep children learning, while implementing Covid measures, supporting families and so much more.

“School leaders keep children learning, while rarely pausing to check in on themselves. They prioritise everyone else first, which is why we’re so pleased to provide them with professional support, and a space to care for themselves.

“Today’s announcement is a welcome acknowledgement that educator mental health is a vital part of our education system. We’re delighted to be providing these services with the support of DfE, and look forward to working together to support the mental health and wellbeing of everyone working in education.”

The Romero Catholic Academy, made up of seven primary schools and one secondary school based across Coventry, has announced its latest staff survey results which demonstrate just how far it has come in four years.

The Romero Catholic Academy launched its survey in 2016 and has since held them at the end of 2018 and 2020, asking employees about their understanding of the Academies strategy, how satisfied they are with management, staff and pay benefits, their role, teamwork, change, decision making, culture and values.

Despite the latest survey being held during the Covid-19 pandemic, it highlighted improvements across the board, including some significant positive changes.

This includes staff believing that their work is valued by their line manager, with almost 92 per cent of employees agreeing or strongly agreeing with this compared with 83 per cent in 2016, and that their wellbeing is considered in the workplace, with almost 83 per cent agreeing or strongly agreeing compared with 68 per cent in 2016.

Almost 90 per cent of staff surveyed also said they would recommend the Academy as a good place to work compared with 69 per cent in 2016.

Patrick Taggart, Director of Operations at the Academy, said: “Uniting eight separate schools to form a Multi-Academy Company comes with its challenges, but one thing we wanted to focus on from the start was staff satisfaction to help ensure we were an employer of choice.

“One thing we learnt early on was that the Academy’s vision, mission and aims were key in joining the schools together, so we ensured these were not just on posters and in marketing, but spoken about in performance management, covered at key events such as our annual staff conference and included in our strategic plan.

“Going from just 63 per cent of staff agreeing or strongly agreeing that they understand the Academy’s strategy in 2016 to almost 90 per cent at the end of 2020 is an achievement we should be proud of.

“Our management styles have also developed, and whereas everyone used to have their own individual styles, school leaders are now shaped by our vision, mission and aims.

“As part of this we have developed our performance management processes, adopting a culture of listening, praising and appreciating employees and giving staff the opportunity to provide feedback and be involved in decisions that will affect their job roles.

“Although teamwork was highlighted as a strength when we set up the Academy, this was when the schools still thought of themselves as separate entities, so the fact we have managed to improve these results further is testament to the joined-up approach we promote.

“Job satisfaction has also improved, and a key thing that has been a driving force behind this is how we have improved the working environment at each school, thanks to how we have handled our finances since becoming an Academy.

“We have invested hugely in technology with laptops now being replaced every three years, the installation of Promethean whiteboards in every classroom and each school receiving new LED lighting – all made possible by making savings through rationalising the supplier base and bringing services such as catering and IT in-house.

“A key part of setting up the Academy was gaining the trust of our staff, and it’s clear from our results that we have made huge progress, particularly in the last two years when we have seen some dramatic increases in employee satisfaction.

“This improved mindset within our 500 staff means we are able to deliver a better provision for our children, providing them with better life chances, which is what we strive for.”

Patrick added: “Our next steps will be improving communication with employees across all levels even further by implementing a new staff intranet site, as well as encouraging more staff innovation.

“But we want to also use these results to support other schools making that transition to Academy status or those who have already begun the process, sharing our knowledge of what we have learnt to support the education sector.”

Schools and academies looking for further advice can contact Patrick Taggart on p.taggart@romeromac.com

An established figure in the education landscape and former Head of Mathematics, Jemma is a published author, and has been writing and reviewing content for education publishers for a number of years, including for TES and Teach Secondary. She’s also worked on textbooks, revision workbooks and teacher guides, as well as guest starring on well-known podcast Mr Barton Maths.

Ms Sherwood is a PD Lead for the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM) and has sat on an Ofsted working party for mathematics inspection. She was awarded with a Silver Pearson Teaching Award for Teacher of the Year in a Secondary School, and has spoken at a number of national conferences, including MathsConf and ResearchED.

She was drawn to the Senior Lead Practitioner role at Ormiston Academies Trust by the opportunity to bring her teaching skills and creativity to the table whilst also supporting other teachers, all of which she already has had a lot of experience in.

Ms Sherwood joins alongside David Didau, successful author and English expert, who has taken up the role of Senior Lead Practitioner for English at Ormiston Academies Trust.

Ms Sherwood said: “I am extremely pleased to have taken up this new role at Ormiston Academies Trust, which combines my love of teaching with the opportunity to develop and create a curriculum that will help students to enjoy mathematics as much as I do. I really admire the Trust’s approach to ensuring every child can excel. I’m excited to learn more about their methods and hope I can make a valuable contribution.”

Tuesday Humby, Ormiston Academies Trust’s National Director of Teaching and Training, said: “Jemma brings with her an absolute wealth of experience to the role, as well as an unrivalled enthusiasm for mathematics and the doors it can open for everyone. We are all really pleased to have her on board and looking forward to seeing her passion and ingenuity inspire our students.”

Wellspring Academy Trust has launched its Vision 2025 – a manifesto for developing its community of schools and associated projects as an engine for social change and improving life chances.

With its slogan, ‘We Make A Difference,’ the 25-strong school trust has clear ambitions to build on its success to date and demonstrate how multi academy trusts can operate ethically, sustainably, inclusively and effectively in the communities they serve.

Mark Wilson (right), Chief Executive at Wellspring, said: “Wellspring has grown at a tremendous rate since we began in 2013 and has firmly established its reputation for integrity, inclusive practice and our relational approach. Now is the time to take stock and look towards the future. Our Vision 2025 lays out our priorities for the next five years, covering five specific areas – People, Doing, Innovating, Assuring and Sustaining. Through strategic planning, we are committed to delivering exceptional value for the public purse and adding value that goes far beyond delivering an excellent education for all children in our care.

“One particular focus is around sustainability and long-term planning. Wellspring schools are being encouraged to develop ‘100-year plans’ and design strategies with the next 100 years in mind. Whilst this may seem far-fetched, it is only by looking far into the future that we can begin to embed the sort of long-term approach I believe we need. When previous generations set out to build the world’s most impressive cathedrals, they did so knowing they were embarking on projects that would take decades, if not centuries, to complete. We need ‘cathedral thinking’ in education and beyond.

“Other priorities include the development of our teacher training and CPD provision, the launch of community projects designed to improve environments and young people’s life chances, and a focus on wellbeing throughout the Trust.

“By outlining our vision for the next five years, I am confident that we will further cement our role as a vital part of education provision and wider community action across the north of England and beyond. We have all been through an unparalleled period in terms of its challenges, but now is the time to look forward and build the kind of society that works for all.”

In its seven years since inception, Wellspring has built eight new schools, had fourteen consecutive positive Ofsted reports, improved finances, enhanced premises and developed a number of non-profit and charitable enterprises.

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.

The East Anglia Anti-Racism Education Collective (EEAREC) will collaborate at a regional level to undertake and deliver anti-racist work across schools to benefit pupils and teaching staff.

The EEAREC was set up by Prof. Paul Miller, Professor of Educational Leadership and Social Justice, Tim Coulson, Chief Executive of the Unity Schools Partnership and Stephen Chamberlain, Chief Executive of the Active Learning Trust.

While the scandalous and tragic deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor in the USA have further highlighted the need to break down the systemic racism and inequality that continue to exist in society, the EEAREC is committed to promoting through education equity, inclusion, diversity, and social justice for all.

Stephen Chamberlain, Chief Executive of the Active Learning Trust which runs primary and secondary schools across Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, said: “At the forefront of the East Anglia Anti-Racism Education Collective’s ambition is the facilitation of purposeful collaboration and partnership in pursuing an anti-racist education agenda.

“Although many would like to think of ‘education’ as a subject and as a practice as ‘squeaky clean’ or racism free, that is not the case. Education perpetuates racism in two main ways: institutional racist practices, systems and structures, and through the delivery of a curriculum that is not racially inclusive.

“It is important schools across East Anglia do more than just make statements and we must all commit to robustly reviewing existing practice and curricula, and support and challenge each other to increase the diversity in our workforce.

“This will ensure East Anglia is a leading example in the promotion of anti-racism and in the guarantee of an education system that is equitable for every pupil.”

Education leaders are invited to sign up as a member to the collective where they will benefit from a range of professional development modules and bespoke support tailored to their educational institution. The inaugural East Anglia Anti-Racism Education Collective virtual conference will take place on Tuesday 10th November.

The group has received very positive responses from local authorities across the region, many of whom are joining as members and offering subsidies to their schools to allow them to join. They have also offered to sponsor and host future events and conferences.

Professor Paul Miller, Principal Consultant & Director of Educational Equity Services, who has undertaken extensive research in the area of social justice in education, and racism and educational leadership, said: “From the outset of the East Anglia Anti-Racism Education Collective, our ambition is to talk about race openly and help each member and the group to develop a shared vocabulary and practice in anti-racism.

“We want to offer training and meaningful engagement activities in order to develop capacity and probe reflection for our membership at all levels.”

Tim Coulson, Chief Executive of the Unity Schools Partnership, added: “We want to engender and facilitate real and purposeful progress in the education of anti-racism across schools in our region. In decades’ time, when we look back at this pivotal moment for racial and social justice activism, we want each leader, each organisation and the EAAREC as a whole to be able to say, ‘I did something to challenge and stomp out racism’.”

To find out more about the East Anglia Anti-Racism Education Collective email eaarec@gmail.com and follow the collective on Twitter @EAAREC

The programme has been initiated in response to the DfE identifying significant challenges in attracting and retaining talented leaders in DCS roles. For example, in 2018/2019 alone, over 25% of local authorities experienced a change in DCS. It was also found that the current average length of tenure as a DCS is 47 months.

The “Upon Leaders Programme” co-created by a consortium awarded with the tender comprising of The Staff College, Institute of Public Care, Skills for Care, and GatenbySanderson, aims to increase the pool of talent leaders that flow into DCS roles with up to 20 participants in the first year, providing support that results in DCS’ remaining in the post for a longer period of time.

The programme has been designed with guidance from current DCS’s, and is looking to attract a diverse range of applicants from both the public and private sector, to find and develop those with the core behaviours and skills that are needed in a DCS role.

The programme will develop leadership and management skills, including personal leadership qualities and resilience, systems leadership and building alliances and partnerships; working in political and corporate contexts; leading in complexity; engaging communities; delivering results; innovation and change.

The first programme is open to 20 candidates with at least 3 years effective senior leadership and management experience in local government children’s services or related fields and sectors.

The application process launches today, selection will occur in October, ahead of the first programme commencing in November and running until June 2021.

Jo Davidson, Director of upon, commented: “The role of a DCS is wide-ranging, challenging, yet incredibly rewarding. Due to the nature of the role, current DCS’s very rarely get the time to share what’s involved and just how much of an impact they make. Our aim is to demonstrate what life is like as a DCS and prepare our candidates for the journey they’ll take, stoking a fire in the belly of future leaders that truly want to make a positive change to children’s lives”.

For more information, or to apply to join the programme, visit: www.uponleaders-apply.co.uk

Literacy levels and confidence amongst England’s young people is worryingly low. Last year, a third (36%) of 16-year-olds failed to get a good grade in English language GCSE and more than a quarter (28%) of young people reported feeling like they are going to fail in life.

Building on Becoming’s central themes of empowerment through education and the important role of self-belief in achieving your potential, the new teaching resource features a range of activities designed to give students in Key Stages 3-5 new opportunities to use and develop their reading, writing, speaking and listening skills.

The resource also includes a wealth of motivational materials for students, including excerpts from Becoming, a video link to Michelle Obama’s Penguin Talks event with students at Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School in London, and a clip of her final speech as First Lady of the United States.

The publication of the resource kick starts a week of activity to celebrate Becoming, which includes the BGF x Becoming Festival from Black Girl Fest and Penguin from 9-11 April, and culminates with Michelle Obama’s appearance at The O2 this Sunday as part of her sold-out Becoming book tour.

The publication of the resource follows the launch of the National Literacy Trust’s Words for Work: Women in Leadership programme in partnership with Lancôme, which supports girls and young women to develop the literacy skills, leadership abilities and confidence they need to achieve their potential. The programme also aims to broaden young women’s career aspirations by giving them the opportunity to both hear from and question women in work about their journeys to success, the challenges they faced and how they overcame them.

Billie Dunne, Words for Work Programme Manager at the National Literacy Trust, said: “Michelle Obama is one of the most iconic and compelling women of our era. We are so thrilled to have teamed up with Penguin to bring the former First Lady’s inspirational words and powerful messages around the importance of education, self-belief and community into UK classrooms. Through this resource and our Words for Work: Women in Leadership programme, we hope to empower a whole new generation of young people to use and develop the literacy skills they need to lead happy and successful lives.”

Amelia Fairney, Communications Director at Penguin Group UK, said: “Penguin is delighted to partner with the National Literacy Trust on the Becoming resource pack in order to in bring Michelle Obama’s messages of the value of education and self-empowerment to a wide audience of young people across the UK.”

Download the free resource at literacytrust.org.uk/becoming