Welcome to this edition of the ‘Whistle’. I know that everyone is ‘full-on’ at the moment doing all they can to ensure our children get a great education and I hope everyone remains in good spirit despite the dreadful weather and the challenging circumstances we currently face.

As you may be aware, due to significant staff shortages, we had to take the very difficult decision to close Callington Community College for three days this week, hopefully re-opening the doors tomorrow. Students have been engaged in remote learning since the weekend however we are keen to see them back in school as soon as possible. This situation is a clear illustration of how the rising number of coronavirus infections are now impacting on our schools.

On a far more positive and reflective note, we are taking some time to review our current values. These were crafted a couple of years ago since which we have seen several schools and new colleagues join our trust. Furthermore, through experience, we have developed a deeper understanding of what being in a trust means and how we can harness our collective expertise for the benefit of all our children.

It is already becoming apparent that the spring term will see many WeST schools busy with staff recruitment. Do keep an eye out for up-coming opportunities.

I took the opportunity through the first few autumn term editions of the ‘Whistle’ to share our Strategic Plan and highlight some key strands of activity. My intention in future editions is to introduce more widely to colleagues who support the work of the core team since they may not necessarily be visible to everyone.

Thank you to everyone for your hard work and determination in keeping our schools safe and open.

Best wishes

Rob Haring, CEO

Recruitment update:

We are delighted to inform you that there are a number of exciting career opportunities within our Trust:-

WeST Core Services Team have the following vacancies:-

  • Executive Director of Mathematics - for more information click here.
  • Business Administration Apprentice -for more information click here.
  • x2 ICT Technicians - for more information click here.

South Dartmoor Community College & Atrium Studio School have a number of vacancies including:-

  • SENDCo
  • Deputy SENDco
  • Drama Teacher
  • Music Teacher
  • Science Teacher
  • Resources Technician
  • Exam Invigilators

For more detail on any of the above vacancies, please click on the adverts linked to the above positions or visit the school's website here.

Oreston Community Academy are looking to appoint a Caretaker (37 hours per week, 52 weeks per year (Grade D). Hours: Term Time Monday - Friday am/pm split 07:15am – 11am and 14:30pm – 18.15pm - flexible approach possible during  school holidays). For more information please visit the school's website here.

Callington Community College have two Teaching Assistant vacancies. These positions will work within the Student Support Team (1 x 17 hours per week - term time only and 1 x 30 hours per week - term time only). For more information regarding these vacancies please click here.

Calling all newly appointed Teaching Assistants and Support Staff Line Managers....

The next WeST cohort of Teaching Assistant Level 3 Apprentices will be starting in January 2021.

This training is funded through the Apprenticeship levy.

If you have plans to appoint, or have recently appointed new Teaching Assistants and would like to find out more about The Learning Institute Teaching Assistant Apprenticeship programme, contact: ginny.honey@learninginstitute.co.uk.

For other apprenticeship enquiries, please contact:  apprenticeships@learninginstitute.co.uk.

WeST Whole Staff Survey

Following the whole WeST staff survey which was completed at October half term, we are continuing to review and analyse the information. In an earlier edition of the Wednesday Whistle we shared some statistics of the feedback levels, with 672 colleagues responding and over 1200 comments. Each and every comment has been reviewed and collated to explore key themes. We are pleased to share the full report for all colleagues to review here.

We are now working with the Executive Team and Senior Leaders to prepare a action plan and explore how we can support next steps for our Trust. Thank you to everyone who shared their feedback. Your input is invaluable in helping shape our future services and delivery.

Director of Inclusion update

WeST Mindfulness Group

If you wish to access the resources and online support from this network please email me (rwoodland@westst.org.uk) and I will add you to the MS Teams. In addition, you can join colleagues for a short guided mindfulness practice each week at either 4pm on Tuesdays or 1.30pm on Thursdays. 

Mental Health First Aid

I have been exploring the possibility of running a WeST cohort of the Mental Health First Aid training. It is a 2-day course designed to increase knowledge and awareness of common mental health issues. On completion colleagues should feel better equipped to spot the warning signs in others and feel more confident about how to sign-post them towards help. ‘Hot of the press’ I can confirm that the cost will be £50 per person if we are able to get a cohort of 15 together (a third of the cost of other providers!). If you are interested please discuss this with your Headteacher, CPD Lead or Line Manager before contacting me to secure your place.

iHeart Teacher Resilience and Wellbeing 

This 8 week online course will be running on Wednesdays from 4.00-5.30pm (exact dates to be confirmed). Details of the programme can be found here. The cost will be approx £115 per person but could be reduced if we have a larger cohort. If you are interested in taking part please secure the agreement of your Headteacher / CPD Lead then email Roger Hutchinson (rohutchinson@westst.org.uk).

SENDCO Network

A reminder that the first meeting of our WeST SENDCO network will take place at 4pm this Thursday 19 November. For the first part of the meeting we will be joined by Alison Betts, one of the regional leads for Whole School SEND.

FREE Mental Health Champions Foundation Training

Place2Be are offering free training to school-based staff aimed at increasing confidence and understanding around supporting children and young people with mental health issues. The online course runs over 5 weeks and takes approximately 1 to 1.5 hours per week to complete (at a time of your choosing). Having just completed the course myself I can recommend it to you. To find out more and to sign up for the courses starting later this month please follow this link: https://www.place2be.org.uk/our-services/services-for-schools/mental-health-champions-foundation-programme/ 

Richard Woodland, Director of Inclusion

Delt Payroll – Core HR

As detailed previously, colleagues based at the following schools are supported by DELT Shared Services for payroll processes.

  • Ashburton Primary School 
  • The Atrium
  • Boringdon Primary School
  • Buckfastleigh Primary School
  • Chaddlewood Primary School
  • Dunstone Primary School
  • Glen Park Primary School
  • Oreston Community Academy
  • Plympton St Maurice Primary 
  • South Dartmoor CC
  • Woodford Primary School

Staff members at these sites will have recently received details of individual user accounts (issued to their workplace email address) along with full instructions on the required multi-factor authentication (which requires a personal mobile number). The new system will enable staff to access their payslips online from the November payroll onwards – in anticipation of next weeks payroll run, please ensure you test your log in and familiarise yourself with the new system ASAP.

DELT have provided a range of supporting training materials and guides which are available online at: https://deltservices.com/corehr-training-support/

The system web address can be accessed by clicking here.

Should you have any queries regarding the system please liaise with your local senior school administrator / business manager in the first instance or alternatively contact DELT to raise a system query.

Onboarding Survey

We hope you have now settled into working for Westcountry Schools Trust and had the opportunity to complete a Starter Experience Survey when you first started.  Let the HR Team know if you did not and would like to take part by emailing HR@westst.org.uk and we will send you a link.  

As part of the Trust aim of continual improvement, we would appreciate it if you would spend a few minutes completing the form about your experience of your first term with the Trust.  We are interested to know what you felt; went well and, your view of what did not go so well and what could be improved on. To complete the survey click here.

Did you know.....its Alcohol Awareness Week!

With the challenges that many of us have faced this year we may not have realised that our alcohol consumption has increased. 

Alcohol Change Uk have some great resources and information to support you in cutting down your alcohol intake and explain the benefits of doing so on your mental and physical health. Visit their website here for more details. You can also view their informative guide here. Further resources can be found at:
https://www.drinkaware.co.uk

10% off all groceries at Morrisons!

Just a reminder that Morrisons are offering teachers and school staff 10% off all groceries - their way of saying thank you for keeping our schools open!

For more information you can visit their website by clicking here.