The February break sees us arrive at the half-year point and what a half-year it has been. As I reflect on the last six months, I firstly want to explicitly acknowledge everyone’s gritty determination to do their best, ability to adapt to new circumstances and resolve to ensure the children in our care continue to experience a meaningful curriculum experience.

I secondly wish to take this opportunity to reflect on our collective journey as WeST. The experience of coronavirus has seen us draw great support and camaraderie from across our family of schools. This could quite easily have been a time of isolation and vulnerability, but we have been able to call on our collective expertise and resources to the benefit of all.

If I look further back, WeST was born in September 2017 because we believed that by working together in a collaborative and supportive fashion we could make a greater difference to the children in our care and thus have a stronger influence on social mobility and community cohesion. School leaders and governors were brave in seeking a new way of working with the common aim of giving our children the strongest possible life chances.

We thus embarked on a period of co-construction, collaboration and shaping the style of our work. Whilst this has taken time, and involved many stakeholders, it has helped ensure that we have a strong foundation on which we can build future improvement. As we come out of the COVID crisis we can look forward to a bright future and begin to accelerate our improvement journey. Although we will be busy in many ways I wish to boldly suggest that two ‘big ticket’ items deserve the utmost attention of everyone; curriculum and culture. The blend of education in which we believe, has, at its core, an ambitious, well thought through curriculum where concepts and skills are sequenced with meticulous precision. Our curriculum is the gateway to our children’s acquisition of knowledge and their wider understanding of the world in which they live. It is fundamental to their success in life.

Through establishing a common culture, to which we all commit and understand, we will be able to unleash the full potential of our professional expertise and fulfil our desire of excellence.

So, as we break for half term do expect to hear more on these two themes.

I would also like to take this opportunity to signpost the forthcoming WeST Staff Survey. We really value your views. 

I close by wishing you all a safe, peaceful and restful half term break.

Best wishes

Rob Haring, CEO

Continuing recent articles to introduce the School Improvement Team, this week sees the spotlight fall on Ruth Woodhouse, Teaching and Learning lead:- 

Ruth’s career started by working for the British Council in Asia, after which she began teaching in Staffordshire. Following successful roles in middle leadership she took up the post of School Partnership Manager with Teach First. In 2016 she was appointed as Director of Excellence with Oasis Academy Trust, based in Southampton. 

Subsequent relocation saw her take on the role as Director of Teaching School of PTSA in Plymouth. She was appointed as Director in 2018 and began working with a great network of people. Developing and implementing school to school teacher-led improvement work across the city and wider region. Specifically, running a school direct programme for both primary and secondary trainee teachers, planning and delivering DfE national programmes and evidence informed CPD to all levels from CEOs, governors to recently qualified teachers. Other work includes international projects with Erasmus+ and connecting classrooms as well as founding and delivering nationally The Plymouth Oracy project. Ruth still leads PTSA when she is not working with WeST.  

It was through this work that Ruth came to WeST, initially spending some time supporting T&L at Coombe Dean. She then accompanied Kev Dyke to South Dartmoor Community College in September 2019 as a member of the senior leadership team, leading on T&L pedagogy and principles.

In September 2020 Ruth was delighted to join the central school improvement team and work more closely with Rob Diment, Richard Light, and Scott Davies on developing and implementing the WeST Principles of Teaching and Learning and broader school improvement priorities.

Ruth Woodhouse, Teaching and Learning Lead 

Recruitment update:

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

Hele's School are currently advertising for Learning Support Assistants – 26 hours 40 mins pw x 38 weeks pa required as soon as possible. Salary - Grade B, SCP 3 (Actual pro-rata salary £11,160, FTE Salary £18,562). For further information please visit the school's website here.

 

 

 

 

 

WeST Staff Survey

You may recall that in the Autumn term staff across WeST were asked to provide feedback in a whole staff survey, results were shared in the Wednesday Whistle and used to inform the work of the Executive Team and Senior Leadership Teams.

Today we are launching our next whole staff survey to ensure staff have an opportunity to voice their feedback and shape our positive wellbeing culture. 

The short survey will be open 10th—26th February 2021, with 12 questions to share your perspective. You can access this link on any Internet enabled device or use the QR code. Results will be anonymous and every entry will be reviewed centrally. A summary of the results will be published in future editions of the Wednesday Whistle. 

To complete your survey go here. 

Or Scan this QR Code: 

 

Ask for 'ANI'

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse and need immediate help, ask for 'ANI' in a particular pharmacy. 'ANI' stands for Action Needed Immediately but also phonetically sounds like the name Annie.

If a pharmacy has the 'Ask for ANI' logo on display, it means they're ready to help. They will offer you a private space, provide a phone and ask if you need support from the police or other domestic abuse support services. The more people who know about this scheme, the more people who can reach the help they needed, why not share on your social media streams for a day? For more resources, look here. 

LGBT + 2021

The month of February marks LGBT+ history month and with the 2021 theme focusing on Body, Mind, and Spirit there has never been a better time to explore these resources. Visit the main site here for full details. The aim of LGBT+ History Month is to support a vibrant, exciting, informative and celebratory month, to educate out prejudice and make LGBT+ people visible in all their rich diversity.

There is a bank of resources to draw upon which may be useful to develop relevant learning opportunities – visit the site for more details here. 

We also have a role in creating our culture of the workplace, and if you’d like to reflect on the responsibilities of WeST employees, please see the Dignity at Work Policy on the Staff Portal (also available here) with appendix 1 providing a key reference how how we can support an inclusive and diverse environment.

'My Wellbeing' Online Course

Teach First have made their ‘My Wellbeing’ online course available as an open source during the pandemic. The course is written and overseen by psychologists who were themselves teachers. Although originally aimed at Teach First trainees it is suitable for all staff at an individual level. The resources could also be used as a prompt for staff meetings at any level within a school. To register for free, click here.

NASEN is now offering free membership. The resources to support pupils with special educational needs offered through their SEND Gateway are excellent. I would highly recommend that all classroom-based staff take advantage of this offer.

Many of you will be aware of the excellent materials produced by the Education Endowment Fund. However, finding time to read their Good Practice Guides in one-sitting can be challenging. They run a series of ‘bite-size’ emails summarising their advice around topics such supporting pupils with SEND, working effectively with Teaching Assistants and meta cognition. You can sign up here.

Finally, can I add my thanks to all you are doing to support our vulnerable and disadvantaged learners at the moment - whatever your role. I hope that some of you will receive emails or letters from parents/carers thanking you for the support you have provided. But even if you do not, please rest assured that you are making a difference. I wish you a safe and restful half-term. Above all be kind to yourself!

Richard Woodland

Director of Inclusion

Wellbeing for Education Return – new webinar and supporting resources for all education staff

There are new and updated Wellbeing for Education Return resources available for staff who do not have access to locally adapted training and support. These include a short, recorded webinar - 'Every interaction matters'. It introduces a simple framework for promoting wellbeing, resilience and mental health, building on staff’s existing roles, skills and personal qualities. 

This sits alongside the original Wellbeing for Education Return content covering issues such as bereavement, loss, anxiety, stress and trauma and signposting to free information and resources for education staff, children and young people, parents and carers.

For more information, click here. 

Oreston Community Academy Recognises Children’s Mental Health Week  

Children at Oreston Community Academy both in school and as part of remote learning, have recognised Children's Mental Health Week. During the current pandemic, we recognise how difficult things are for children and families and wanted to raise awareness to help children and families get the emotional support they need. To launch the week, we asked families to consider their mental health and share any photos of them relaxing or doing something they enjoy! We loved seeing the photos shared of the children (and their families) taking a few minutes o relax! We had children sharing their mindfulness moments which included walks in the woods noticing the flowers, Yoga, art and craft activities, baking as well as building Lego!

This year’s theme was Express Yourself. The children took part in a virtual assembly to consider how they express themselves creatively and how this made them feel. Children came to the live sessions with bow and arrows, Harry Potter Cloaks and Art materials to show some of the ways they express themselves. They also took part in activities to promote wellbeing and mindfulness.  

Lindsay Houghton Deputy Head teacher KS2 Oreston Community Academy