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Dear Colleagues,

Welcome to this week's edition of the Weekly Whistle!

The week started with our Trust Board Meeting, where, amongst other matters,  we were able to share our anticipation of another uptick in GCSE outcomes. Our optimism is based on the series 2 Year 11 mock examinations whereby our Year 11 cohort demonstrated that they are on track to do themselves proud.

A huge thank you to all the Trust Board members for their dedication and hard work in supporting our schools and children.

On Tuesday, we held our Primary Headteachers' Meeting, which brought together our inspiring Primary Headteachers and Executive Team members. It was a particularly special meeting as it was Susie Evans' last WeST Primary Headteachers' Meeting. We celebrated Susie's contributions and dedication to her community, reflecting on the positive impact she has had on our schools and students. A heartfelt thank you to Susie for her unwavering commitment and leadership.

Tuesday afternoon saw the HAB 4 meeting take place at Eggbuckland Community College, bringing together our dedicated Hub Advisory Board members to discuss key topics for the Spring Term. These meetings serve as a platform for collaboration and information exchange, ensuring that the Hub Advisory Board’s goals and objectives are aligned and effectively pursued. We deeply appreciate the commitment and efforts of all HAB 4 members in making a positive impact on our schools and students. Thank you for all your support and dedication.

On Friday morning we held our Managing Allegations training, led by Jon Galling from Devon Education Services. The training covered essential topics such as understanding the nature of allegations, the procedures for reporting and investigating allegations, and the importance of safeguarding practices. Participants engaged in interactive discussions and practical exercises to enhance their knowledge and skills in handling allegations effectively. A huge thank you to Jon Galling and Devon Education Services for delivering this valuable training session. Your dedication to safeguarding and supporting our educators is greatly appreciated.

To end the week, we wrapped up with a fantastic Science CPD session, bringing together primary colleagues to delve into exciting topics such as living things, animals, states of matter, electricity, and sound. The session emphasised the importance of working scientifically, engaging students in hands-on experiments, and using practical demonstrations to visualise scientific concepts. From creating ice cream to understanding the digestive system, the activities were designed to make learning fun and interactive. One of the standout moments was the introduction of resources like TAPS Focussed Assessments and Working Scientifically Ladders, which will help track and model scientific skills progression throughout the year. These tools are set to revolutionise how we assess and develop our students' scientific abilities. A huge thank you to Linzi Bell for organising such a fantastic session, especially in celebration of Science Week.

A huge thank you to you all for your dedication and commitment to everything you do. Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend.

Best wishes, 

Rob Haring

CEO

British Science Week

Since it is British Science Week, we asked our very own Simon O'Neill (Executive Director of Science) to make a statement on this amazing week for our students!

"British Science Week is an annual ten-day celebration of science, technology, engineering, and maths held in March across the UK. It is organised by the British Science Association and encourages people of all ages to engage with science through activities like experiments, talks, exhibitions, and school competitions.

Every year has a different theme and this year’s theme is "adapt and change". Pupils across WeST will be taking part in activities ranging from watching caterpillars change to butterflies, testing how changing a rocket’s design affects its flight and examining how we could change our energy resources to be more environmentally friendly.

Hele's School has even looked at how analysing moon rocks and meteorites provides evidence for how the Earth and solar system has changed over its 4.5 billion year lifetime (yes, they are actually rocks collected by the Apollo missions to the moon)!

Paediatric First Aid Course

Ugborough Primary School is hosting a two day Paediatric First Aid course, taking place on the 28th March. The course is designed to equip attendees with essential skills and knowledge in responding to emergencies involving young children. This invaluable training is open to all school staff, ensuring they are well-prepared to handle medical situations confidently and effectively.

For more details and to book a place, please contact Ugborough Primary School directly on admin@ugborough-primary.devon.sch.uk.

Word Of The Week!

This week's word is "balance". 

We have selected 'balance' as our Word of the Week because navigating a busy week can often present challenges. 'Balance' effectively captures the concept of managing workloads in a way that minimises stress while maximising productivity.

Definition: The ability to juggle multiple responsibilities without overwhelming yourself.

Example: "This week is hectic, but I'll try to balance my tasks so I don't overwhelm myself". 

Careers Fair

Last week, the WTI Team attended a Careers Fair at Ivybridge Community College. It was wonderful for us to meet pupils and parents to discuss our programme offerings in partnership with Ambition Institute. We also managed to meet other fantastic businesses who were showcasing their career offerings for the students. Here is our Executive Director of Training & Learning, Amy Pearce on our stand; ready to talk Teaching with attendees!  Thank you to Ivybridge for hosting such a well-organised event! 

If you have any upcoming events that you feel would be suitable for the WeST Training Institute to attend, please email the team on: adminWTI@westst.org.uk.

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Mindful March

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Recruitment update:

We are delighted to inform you of the following exciting career opportunities within our Trust:

Boringdon Primary School are looking to appoint an inspirational and creative class teacher to join their accomplished and dedicated team for September 2025. The candidate would also join the Senior Leadership Team as both the English and Personal Development Subject Leader. For more information please click here. Closing date: 19 March 2025.

Eggbuckland Community College are looking to fill the following vacancies: 

Casual Exam Invigilator - The successful candidate will assist examinations staff and students with their examination processes. Closing date: 22 March 2025.

Teacher of Mathematics - The successful candidate will carry out the duties of a teacher as set out in the most recent School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document. Your aim is to be an effective teacher and tutor who challenges and supports all your students to do their best. Closing date: 26 March 2025.

Morning Cleaner - The successful candidate will carry out cleaning duties that are necessary to meet the required standards (e.g. hygiene clean, sanitary clean, standard clean) within a designated area. Closing date: 24 March 2025.

Vice Principal - This crucial post is to support the Principal in raising standards for all students across the College with a focus on Culture and Standards. Closing date: 24 March 2025. 

For more information on the above vacancies, please click here.

Ermington Primary School are looking to appoint a Teaching Assistant. The successful candidate will have the skills and qualities necessary to demonstrate great support to children, with a secure level of understanding of SEND needs. For more information please click here. Closing date: 31 March.

 

Ivybridge Community College are looking to fill the following vacancies: 

Casual Examinations Invigilators - Hours of work are by negotiation, to cover examination sessions throughout the year. The ability to work at least three days a week during the peak times in May and June. Full day, morning (start 8.30am) and afternoon sessions are offered. Closing date: 18 July 2025. 

Teacher of Physical Education - The successful candidate will join a dynamic, committed and hard working department. We have a range of ages and experience within our staff and many have responsibilities in the wider College. All colleagues take on responsibilities within the department and all contribute to the high quality of extracurricular opportunities available, driving the enrichment opportunities for our students. Closing date: 17 March 2025.

For more information on the above vacancies, please click here. 

Plymstock School are seeking to appoint a Sports Centre Assistant. The Sports Leisure Assistant will support the Sports Centre Manager in all aspects of the Sports Centre operations.  The successful applicant will be flexible and hard working. For more information, please click here. Closing date: 17 March 2025. 

Westcountry Schools Trust are seeking to appoint Secondary Initial Teacher Trainees (unpaid). Are you passionate about teaching and ready to make a significant impact on the lives of young people? We are seeking an exceptional individual with vision, energy and passion to join us as an Aspiring Secondary School Teacher, to uphold our core values and guide our vision of Every Child in a Great School. This is a 12-month, full-time, postgraduate programme in a Secondary School environment where you’ll experience a mix of study modules, live training sessions and classroom practice. Study modules can be completed at your own pace through our online learning platform, which will provide you with a foundation of theory to build your practice on. At every stage, you'll be guided by your own personal mentor. For more information, please click here. Closing date: 20 June 2025. 

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