TrustEd issue 2 v16_comberton temp.qxp 18/10/2018 14:00 Page 1
TrustEd
Issue 2 Autumn 2018
The staff magazine of The Cam Academy Trust
Chance to focus on all-through education
Welcome to our second issue of TrustEd, which has clear examples of how colleagues across The Cam Academy Trust are working together to strengthen their skills, teaching and outcomes for students. Cross phase working has become a reality for our Trust over the past year, with Thongsley Fields Primary and Nursey School and Everton Heath Primary School joining us this September.
Our major growth area has been in Primary Schools and we now have the very exciting opportunity to focus on allthrough education opportunities. Our Year 6 and Year 7 teachers across different schools are now working more closely than ever, developing their skills across Primary and Secondary education.
curriculum content is providing an effective transition for our pupils as they progress through their education. It is something we are really keen to develop further moving forward. We have already seen a strong start to the new academic year. Melbourn, Cambourne and Comberton Village Colleges together with St Peter’s School have all seen their Year 7 pupil intake increase, which demonstrates the positive work that is happening right across our Trust. Finally, as we continue to steer through uncertain financial times, it is essential that all colleagues can support one another by sharing best practice and making sure that the resources we do have go as far as possible.
Primary school is poised to move This close relationship of sharing teaching techniques and
If you have an idea for an article that could be used in a future issue of TrustEd then please do get in touch by emailing publicity@catrust.co.uk Stephen Munday, CEO
The new Gamlingay Village Primary building is on track to be completed by 9th November.
Since April, monthly site meetings have been taking place and the building is really taking shape. New school furniture and IT equipment are being sourced now to ensure that the school will be ready for its transition events once the build is officially signed off and handed over.
There are several events planned to introduce the students, parents and staff to the new building, including a book corner design competition, parent events and school activities such as playtimes and assemblies. The school will then begin to move from the old site on Tuesday 18th December and will welcome students to the new site on Monday 7th January. Chris Jukes, Primary Executive Leader, will also be based at the new site.
What’s inside the latest edition l Page 1 — Chance to Focus on All-Through Education; Gamlingay Poised to Move l Page 2 — New Trust Guidelines for Social Media; First Teachers take the Lead l Page 3 — Kitchens Serve up Tasty New Meals; iPad Trials Roll Out l Page 4 — New Schools join Trust l Page 5 — New Head driving an Evolving Sixth Form; Inspiring a Different Way to Learn
The refurbished and expanded site for Gamlingay Village Primary opens to students in January 2019.
l Page 6 — Benefits of Digging into the Past l Page 7 — Taking Learning out of Classrooms l Page 8 — Helping our Schools Work Together l Page 9 — Team Represent the Student Voice l Page 10 — TA is Charity Champion l Page 11 — Removing Barriers to Education l Page 12 — Identifying Leaders of the Future; Exceptional Education Recognised
The Cam Academy Trust cat-info@catrust.co.uk (01223) 262503 www.catrust.co.uk
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New Trust guidelines for social media
THE CAM ACADEMY TRUST
Trust Focus: Social Media Policy
This year, The Cam Academy Trust will be having a key focus on social media with the launch of our Trust-wide Twitter profile @CamAcademyTrust and new social media policy. If you haven’t seen this already then you will be able to find it here: http://www.catrust.co.uk/information/policies/ Our Trust recognises the numerous benefits and opportunities which a social media presence offers. Staff, parents, carers and students are actively encouraged to find creative ways to use social media, however, there are also some risks associated with social media use, especially around the issues of safeguarding, bullying and personal reputation.
The new policy covers a range of topics from setting up a social media account, to personal use on social media and handling negative comments. We are very lucky to have such fantastic and dedicated colleagues and this policy has been designed to support communication leads to maximise their social media outputs.
Top tips for social media
All schools across The Cam Academy Trust will have one Facebook page and Twitter profile. One profile per school will increase followers to the school’s main updates and streamline messages for the audience. These accounts should be:
Consistent — There should be a clear processto feed updates to the communication leads to enable the account to share a variety of posts with a consistent tone of voice.
five updates a week. This will, of course, change during school holidays and over the weekend. It is possible to set up an automated reply to inbound Facebook messages asking the user to contact the school directly.
Engaging — Posts are much more than just short text announcements — think of how a story can be told through images, video or links to web pages or news articles on the school website instead. Focus should be on the ‘content’ and the fewer words you type in the post the better.
Chatty — Social media is conversational – so posts should be written like a friendly email to a colleague. Words should be spelled correctly, but sentences might not need to be perfectly formed (e.g. ‘Great news! Our netball team become county champions last night — read more here’: www.bitly.com)
Strategic — While it is important that social media provides instant updates, it should also consider the wider strategy and meet the overall aims and objectives of the profile. Is the goal of your account to engage with parents or to strengthen your teacher recruitment campaign? Safe — Make sure that at least two members of staff are monitoring the social media channels regularly and refer to the social media policy for further guidance. It is important that pupil’s photo permissions are respected and that full names aren’t used. Social media is in the public domain, so it’s important that posts reflect the values of the school and of the Trust.
First teachers take the lead . . . Regular — Content works best on Facebook and Twitter when it is updated frequently. Aim for between three and
If you have any questions, please contact The Trust’s Communications and Publicity Manager, Judy Czylok. Email: jczylok@catrust.co.uk
In September, Spanish teacher Paco Fernandez, and Maths teacher Julie Jacques, from Cambourne Village College, became the first members of the Trust to be accredited as SSAT Lead Practitioners.
The Lead Practitioners accreditation was established by the SSAT in 2007 after consultation with leaders, teachers and support staff. It is a nationally recognised qualification, which aims to support, develop and retain future leaders. Through a framework of professional standards for school staff at every level, it builds a culture of effective teaching and learning, underpinned by action research, self-reflection on impact of practice and how it can be shared. In September 2017, Cambourne recruited its first cohort of six members of staff. They each identified a small-scale research project that serves to embed and extend teaching and learning initiatives that have positive impact on learners.
A range of different projects were undertaken, covering the following areas: n Mastery in Maths n Metacognition and Self-regulation n Knowledge Retention in MFL n Sustained Use of iPads n Hands On, Minds On’ approaches to teaching practical and theoretical molecular genetics n Use of video Technology for Professional Development in
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Julie Jacques and Paco Fernandez are leading the way!
Schools.
The Lead Practitioner programme provides a tool for evaluating impact, and for identifying leadership strengths and recommended next steps, within and beyond school. Further accreditation of the first cohort will continue this year and next, and further such opportunities will be launched soon. If teachers from any of the Trust schools would like to discuss any of the project areas or are interested in taking part in the Lead Practitioner Accreditation Programme, please contact Liz Taylor on etaylor@cambournevc.org
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Kitchens serve up tasty new meals
THE CAM ACADEMY TRUST
Three schools in The Cam Academy Trust have become the first in Cambridgeshire to have their school lunches supplied by Hertfordshire Catering Ltd (HCL).
Enticed by the appetising, healthy menus with a greater choice than was previously available, Hartford Infant and Hartford Junior Schools in Huntingdon and Gamlingay Village Primary are blazing a trail with other Trust primary schools poised to follow suit.
HCL won the contract with The Trust after promising staff and students a daily choice of four hot and cold meals, with innovative ways of children selecting what they want to eat. A ‘live kitchen’ touch screen system is set to be installed in each school in the next few months.
Trust Facilities Manager Jan Berridge said: “HCL offered the best value and we were really impressed with what they had to offer. We talked to schools who already use HCL and they were all complimentary not only about the food but the service too.”
For the first couple of months a dedicated team are working in each school overseeing the catering transition with all transferring staff at the schools receiving personal one-toone inductions. Rae Lee, Head at Hartford Infant School, said: “We are impressed with the wide choice of meals available for the children; there is even an uptake in staff meals. Service is speedy, with a smile and children are, most importantly, eating up their meals.” Shelley Desborough, Head of Gamlingay Village Primary, added: “Children are enjoying the choice the new menu offers and as a result we have a had an increase in our daily numbers.”
Steve Davis, Head at Hartford Junior School, commented: “HCL have worked with our existing kitchen staff to ensure a smooth transition. Lunch service has become much more efficient and we regularly feed all the pupils with time to spare. In addition, the food looks more appetising and there is less waste.”
iPad trials roll out across schools IT Strategy Leader for the Trust, Sean Sumner, the Deputy Principal at Cambourne Village College, talks about the iPad project and its progress.
“We have been working on developing a fully comprehensive IT strategy for the Trust to ensure quality and consistency across all our schools. As part of the this, we launched the iPad project to enhance students’ and teachers’ learning.
“The aim of the project is to test the benefits of pupils and teachers having access to their own iPad device. So far, we have piloted the project in Cambourne Village College with 104 students and 36 staff, between March and July this year. We have just launched our second pilot at Comberton Village College with 115 Year 8 pupils and 38 staff which will run until December. We then have plans to trial it in The iPad project was piloted at Cambourne Village College and is now being testing at Comberton Village College.
Lunch is served at Gamlingay Village Primary.
Melbourn Village College and St Peter’s School in the new year.
“We have already had very positive feedback, with students reporting that they are more organised, more engaged with learning, researching and preparing more for homework and even enjoying lessons more. Parents are noticing a more independent approach to their child’s learning as they are benefiting from access to technology that they ordinarily may not have. “Teachers are also echoing the benefits of students having the ability to access class resources anytime to undertake independent learning. They are also finding it easier to share resources with other teachers and personalise resources for their students. We have seen teachers engage in new ways of teaching and have found that their pupils are more engaged with new media, including videos and software such as One Note, which makes group work easier.
“Our next steps are to see if we can find an affordable lease package for the iPads and ensure all our schools have the correct infrastructure to cope with the regular use of iPads. We are continuing to develop our SharePoint solution, which will be called CATalogue, so resources from across all the schools in the Trust can be shared through an online portal. “We want to use technology to facilitate learning and sharing across our schools and to prepare our students for working in the 21st Century. It is an incredibly exciting project and could potentially transform the way we teach and learn.”
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‘It feels like joining a new family’
THE CAM ACADEMY TRUST
School Focus: Everton Heath Primary School
‘We are excited to work closely with the other Trust schools and share best practice’ — Aileen Russell, Headteacher
We are extremely excited to welcome Everton Heath Primary School to The Cam Academy Trust. Everton Heath Primary School first opened in 1837 and was originally set up with the Headteacher’s house as part of the school building.
The school is still based on the same site and continues to provide a warm and friendly atmosphere. Currently, the school has 13 members of staff, 62 pupils in the main school and 13 additional pupils enrolled within the school’s pre-school, Evertots.
Headteacher, Aileen Russell, was previously Deputy Headteacher at a local school but loved the idea of working in a small village and took charge at Everton Heath in 2014. On joining the Trust, Aileen said: “We love our school and community, however being a small school can sometimes limit our opportunities. By joining The Cam Academy Trust, we will have access to a huge number of new opportunities, which is really exciting for our local community. “Our staff will have access to more continued professional development training and I know, for me, being able to connect closely with other Headteachers has already been very helpful. The Trust provides a big support network for
Being part of the Trust will allow Everton Heath to access new opportunities.
us and it really feels like we are joining a new family. We are excited to work closely with the other Trust schools and share best practice.
“The local community and parents are very supportive of our school becoming part of the Trust. They value the new experiences this will bring their children and the stronger links it will provide with Cambridge schools. By joining The Cam Academy Trust, we now have the ability to build these important relationships, benefiting both our students and parents.”
‘All children are capable of greatness’ School Focus: Thongsley Fields Primary and Nursery School
September 2018 saw Thongsley Fields Primary and Nursery School proudly becoming part of The Cam Academy Trust, at the same time as David Jones became the new Headteacher. David, formerly the Deputy Headteacher at St. Michael's Church School in Peterborough, has 20 years of teaching experience and a strong ethos to ensure that all pupils have access to an excellent education.
On joining the Trust, David said: “I believe that all children are capable of achieving greatness and I will be working
with the fantastic team at Thongsley to ensure that we have the right resources, knowledge and people in place to make that a reality for the local Huntingdon community.
“Being part of The Cam Academy Trust means that Thongsley Fields will be able to strengthen links with schools across the Trust, which is so important for our pupils and their families. There is a natural progression from Thongsley Fields to St Peter’s School, so it’s important that we make the transition simple for pupils.” Thongsley Fields will have the freedom to determine its academic curriculum, allowing it to be innovative and more responsive to pupils’ individual needs. As a member of the Trust, the school will be supported by new professional development opportunities and best practice, while strengthening its links with colleagues from nearby Hartford Infant School, Hartford Junior School and St Peter’s School.
The appointment of new Headteacher David Jones co-incided with Thongsley Fields joining the Trust.
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David added: “I have already received a wealth of support from the Trust. I have been working alongside the existing team since the summer term and supported by Chris Jukes, who is responsible for all the Trust’s primary schools, to ensure that my transition into the role has been as productive and seamless as possible. This has allowed me to get to know the school, its pupils and the community more quickly and start improving the quality of education that we offer.”
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New head driving an evolving sixth form
THE CAM ACADEMY TRUST
School Focus: Comberton Sixth Form
There have already been several developments at Comberton Sixth Form since the beginning of the new academic year, with the introduction of several new vocational courses as well as a new style prospectus for the next cohort of prospective students.
There is also a new Head of the Sixth Form, David Clarke, who has moved into the hot-seat from Linton Village College, taking over from Lorna Conroy at the start of term. David Clarke said: “Comberton is a high performing, firmly established Sixth Form with a strong track record of both academic excellence and student progress. It’s a really exciting time to join Comberton Sixth Form, especially as we have lots of new opportunities on the horizon.
“The transition from school to Sixth Form and beyond is an exciting time, and one which brings many opportunities and challenges, some of which may initially seem a little daunting! I’m really looking forward to working closely with the teachers and students, to be part of their journey towards the next stage of their lives.” Comberton Sixth Form has more than 400 students, both from the UK and international, from more than 25 schools. This summer, 87 per cent of A-Level grades were at A*-C and the current Department for Education league tables show that Comberton is in the top 5 per cent of all providers nationally for student progress.
Comberton Sixth Form is in the top 5% of providers nationally for progress.
Comberton Sixth Form offers a wide variety of A-Levels and BTEC Level 3 courses, which form the core of each student’s study programme. This is then enhanced with a range of additional qualifications and activities to ensure students are prepared for life after Sixth Form.
David continued: “Comberton Sixth Form offers a fantastic learning environment with a vibrant atmosphere. Our size means that students are exposed to a wealth of opportunities while being small enough to ensure that students are known by David Clarke is the new Head of teachers and treated as adults.”
“I believe that it is so important that our students gain a rounded education from sixth form,” said David. “Students enjoy an extensive range of additional opportunities that help to develop other skills to benefit them in the future. These include enrichment and social opportunities alongside subject trips, both within the UK and internationally. “This year, 99 per cent of students applying for university places gained offers, with 77 per cent being placed at their first-choice university and more than a third going to Russell Group universities, including Oxbridge.”
Inspiring a different way to learn Sixth Form.
School Focus: Hartford Infant School
Hartford Infant School has completely reinvented its learning environment as part of developing an enquirybased curriculum.
An enquiry-based curriculum is a form of active learning whereby children see themselves as researchers, using skills taught to them to investigate questions and solve problems collaboratively.
The school believes this style of learning celebrates the uniqueness of their Key Stage One children, while developing all areas of the National Curriculum. The system enables children to have the right to learn in a way that develops their natural curiosity.
restructured our day to make sure children across the school have self-directed learning time, which we believe is extremely important for their independent development.”
The school’s creative and engaging new learning space includes hessian backed boards and a consistent approach to how resources are stored and accessed by the children throughout the school, including interactive and on-going displays.
They aim to achieve this through a child led enquiry-based curriculum, facilitated by an inspiring environment and engaging adults.
Rae Lee, Headteacher at Hartford Infant School, said: “The new classrooms are engineered to inspire the children and support them in their learning. We decided to make the changes following our peer review and sought support from Early Excellence, a known company that supports our Early Years philosophy. In addition to the new space, we’ve also
A new learning environment has been created at Hartford Infant School.
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THE CAM ACADEMY TRUST
Benefits of digging into the past
Cambourne’s budding archaeologists excavated land near the college then opened a pop-up museum for the community and primary school children from Jeavons Wood.
Cross-School Collaboration
At the beginning of the last academic year, students from Cambourne Village College made an amazing discovery! Thanks to funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund and expertise from the Oxford Archaeology East group, the students excavated land near the school and discovered the remains of a Roman-Iron Age settlement.
The week-long excavation took place last September and was an amazing experience for the students. The funding also enabled the students to set up a pop-up museum to share their findings with the public. The museum came to life in May this year as 30 students from the college spent two whole days preparing artefacts, photos and descriptions for the museum as well as setting up a variety of interactive activities. Among the visitors to the museum were pupils from Jeavons Wood Primary School. The pupils had a fun-
packed day, taking part in lots of activities and learning about what life was like during the Roman-Iron Age.
Pupils from Jeavons Wood viewed the artefacts and learnt about zoo-archaeology. They also made roundhouses and designed helmets, even meeting Roman soldier, Marcus. After digging for artefacts themselves, the pupils created Roman-Iron Age style mosaics and pottery and cooked bread over an open fire.
The event was a great success and it was brilliant to see pupils from across our schools and of all ages, engaging with and enjoying learning about history and archaeology. It was an invaluable learning experience both for the Cambourne students who took part in the excavation and set up the impressive museum and also the pupils of Jeavons Wood who loved discovering about life in the Roman-Iron Age.
Jeavons Wood pupils met a Roman soldier and took part in lots of activities to find out what life was like in the Roman-Iron age.
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Taking learning out of classrooms
THE CAM ACADEMY TRUST
Exciting developments are afoot at Hartford Infant and Hartford Junior Schools! Becky Lynch and Jacquie Woodcock have been working together to develop the schools’ outdoor learning provision, building a five-year plan for excellent joint practice. Both schools believe that every child should experience the world beyond the classroom as an essential part of learning and personal development, and that is why they have made this one of their key priorities. The schools are collaborating to provide year-round Forest School learning and outdoor learning opportunities for every child. Children begin their journey at Hartford Infant School through weekly Forest School sessions which run in all weathers (except in extreme circumstances). Becky, a qualified Level 3 Forest School Practitioner, leads on planning outside and delivering these sessions, ably supported by Cheryl Esaw, a level 2 Practitioner. These sessions include focused, planned activities where children are encouraged to participate with the support of an adult, as well as child-initiated activities using natural resources to stimulate imagination, creativity and investigation. The allimportant boundaries, rules, risk-management and life skills are embedded before the children join Hartford Junior
Hartford Infant and Junior Schools share a year-round Forest School to stimulate imagination and creativity and promote investigation skills.
School, where the learning continues and is enriched with weekly cross-curricular outdoor learning opportunities.
Learning need not take place solely within educational buildings – outdoor time often provides the most memorable learning experiences and helps children to make sense of the world around them by putting their learning into a meaningful context. It enables a holistic and child-centred setting in which children are encouraged to set their own pace and challenges, learning in the style that suits them best. Hartford Junior School strives to develop the aspirational and meaningful nature of children’s learning and have found that outdoor learning ‘levels the playing field’ so that every child can shine. Class teachers use the outdoor area at least one morning a week, to support and enhance learning in Maths and English. Afternoons are used to enrich any topic work or arts and wellbeing subjects. Additionally, outdoor time can be used as a reward or when children just really need the space to roam! Class teachers plan and share ideas with Year 6 teacher Jacquie, and external experts are invited in to support the promotion of imagination, independence, perseverance, risk taking and confidence in learning.
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Helping our schools work together
THE CAM ACADEMY TRUST
Cross-School Collaboration: Primary Phase
“Another tactic that is working well is our Peer Review system. For the last two years Headteachers and Senior Leadership Teams have visited different schools across our Trust to learn from good practice as well as to give honest but non-judgemental feedback.
“We have also developed a bespoke continued professional development Leadership Programme for our primary leaders in partnership with SSAT (the Schools, Students and Teachers network). It began with a day and a half residential course which brought everyone together to discuss excellence in education and develop increased collaboration. The programme will conclude in December with an opportunity for each of the schools to attend the SSAT National Conference in Birmingham.
The Cam Academy Trust Primary Executive Leader, Chris Jukes, explains the strategy behind his role and plans for the next academic year.
Chris Jukes has been a qualified teacher, working in a variety of schools, since 1988. Throughout his time as a Headteacher, Chris developed and established a strong philosophy for nurturing pastoral support. The successful development of early reading led to his last school being a national model school for phonics.
“All of our primary schools are involved with DET (Developing Effective Teaching) and DOT (Developing Outstanding Teaching). The Trust has created a four-day bespoke course that gives teachers an opportunity to develop their skills while networking and visiting other schools. Feedback is always very positive, in part because course leaders are from each of our schools. Again, it is another opportunity to collaborate and develop professionally.
“Ultimately, my analogy is to compare The Cam Academy Trust to one large school with six primary school bases (and four secondary, which are out ‘The Trust really listens to of my remit), growing and developing together, collaborating staff. It is not a top-down through sharing best practice and approach, it is collaborative, supporting each other.
During his Headships, Chris developed his school-to schoolsupport through his role as a School Improvement Partner and, more recently, as a Local Leader of and we want this to continue’ “Our Trust has grown so much in the last year, especially with our Education where he provided — Chris Jukes, Primary new primary schools, so I think this regular support to three other year is about consolidation and Executive Leader schools. He is now using this developing consistency across the experience in his role with the Trust. schools. As two schools have joined us recently, I will be He said: “Within The Cam Academy Trust, we have a focusing on supporting and settling them into the Trust, wealth of innovation, creative ideas and skills – and it is my ensuring they have all the necessary infrastructure in place. role to identify areas where our primary schools can “To help achieve this consistency, we are working on a support each other and share best practice.” school improvement model. All of our primary schools have The Trust currently has six primary phase schools, to which Ofsted inspections in the next three years and our aim is to Chris provides strategic advice and guidance. work towards achieving a ‘Good’ rating or above for every one of our schools. He continued: “I work with each Primary School Headteacher to develop their school and staff sustainability, “It is also important to us that we ensure our teachers are using my expertise and previous Headteacher experience. I growing with the Trust and feel supported, so we want to also provide coaching and support to the Heads, some of continue to develop strong networks and training for them. whom are relatively new to the position, to identify school It has been fantastic to see the confidence of our teachers improvement priorities and develop strategic approaches. and Headteachers blossom, which is what makes The Cam Effectively, my role is a key link between each school and Academy Trust special as it really listens to staff. It is not a the Trust. top-down approach, it is collaborative, and we want this to continue.” “The number of Primary Schools that are part of The Cam Academy Trust has grown quite significatnly over recent “Another exciting event this year is the opening of the new years. The great thing about this growth is how building for Gamlingay in January 2019, which will provide collaboratively we can now work. great facilities both for the pupils and the community – and will also be my permanent office! “Across our Primary Schools, I facilitate conversations to develop staff relationships, allowing teaching departments “I think it is important to remember that the strength of our from different schools to support each other. So, when a primary schools is in their flexibility and the willingness of all teacher at one school is finding an aspect or certain topic staff at the school to engage and embrace being part of the challenging I will bring them together with another school to Trust. Our schools must support and look out for each other share their expertise. and fully commit to being part of our community.”
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THE CAM ACADEMY TRUST
Team represent the student voice The student leadership team at St Peter’s represent the whole student body.
Focus on Student Leadership: St Peter’s
Across the Trust we have several student leadership teams, which are made up of elected students who become role models to the rest of their school. At St Peter’s School, the student leadership team represent the entire student body voice and help to support the school, teaching staff and the Headteacher.
This year, the selection process for the student leadership team began by asking Sixth Form students interested in the role to send a letter of application to the Headteacher. This letter outlined why they should be considered, what contributions they had already made to the school and why they thought they would be a good fit.
‘It’s an additional commitment to everyday school life, it can be challenging and time consuming, but overall it is rewarding. I am proud that I am Head Girl and that I am able to represent my school in this way’ — Alfa Runnegar, Head Girl
Interviews were then arranged with the student council before applicants gave a final presentation to a panel, including the Headteacher, about what they personally wanted to change, or implement should they be selected as part of the team. Christopher Bennet, Headteacher at St Peter’s School, said: “There are many things to be considered when forming the student leadership team. Members need to be reliable, approachable, conscientious; we need to find someone who can take and give instruction, someone who others can identify with and someone who is able to manage being part of the team without it having a negative impact on their school work.” “When looking for the student leaders, we wanted a variety
of students who would each be able to bring something different to the role. We weren’t just looking for confident students, but also those who could grow in confidence within their roles. Each student had so much potential, which made it very difficult to narrow down the applicants to just 10.” Sixth Form student and Head Girl, Alfa Runnegar, was one of the students selected for the student leadership team. Alfa said: “One of the first duties that we had to undertake as part of the leadership team was to select the Year 11 student leaders by interviewing all of the applicants. After the interviews had taken place, we discussed each student and made a final decision as to who would be selected to become the Year 11 leaders.
“It was incredibly rewarding telling the students who had been selected. However, the ‘job’ of telling the unsuccessful students was extremely difficult because each and every applicant had qualities that we were looking for. “In my opinion, it’s an honour to be chosen as part of the leadership team. It’s an additional commitment to everyday school life, it can be challenging and time consuming, but overall it is rewarding. I am proud that I am Head Girl and that I am able to represent my school in this way.”
Year 11 student leaders are selected to support the student leadership team, to represent the school, to be good role models to students and to bring ideas and views both from themselves and their peers. The Year 11 student leaders at St Peter’s are easily recognisable as they are given the privilege of wearing a different uniform consisting of a blazer, shirt and tie, rather than a sweatshirt and polo shirt.
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THE CAM ACADEMY TRUST
TA is also a champion for charity
A charity day at a Cromwell Golf Club club helped boost the total raised for the National Brain Appeal.
People Focus: Mandy Webb
Over the past year, Everton Heath Primary School Higher Level Teaching Assistant Mandy Webb has been spearheading fundraising efforts to raise money for the National Brain Appeal.
The National Brain Appeal raises funds to advance treatment and research at The National Hospital for Neurology & Neurosurgery and the UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology – together known as 'Queen Square'. Mandy said: “The National Brain Appeal is such a fantastic cause. I first became aware of the charity when my friend and former colleague, Jane Walker, was diagnosed with a brain tumour in June 2016. Fortunately, Jane has now made a full recovery, but the support that the charity provided her was just phenomenal.”
“Not only do they raise funds to advance crucial treatment and research, but they also provide support for people who have suffered a stroke or people with cancer, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and many more conditions that effect our brains.” Mandy chose to support the charity after her husband was selected as the Captain of their local Golf Club in November 2017 and the couple were tasked with
fundraising for a local cause.
Over the past year, Mandy has organised a number of fundraising events such as a charity day at the Golf Club, which included a disco and a raffle where the top prize was a week’s stay at a holiday villa in France.
On 21st June, the UK’s longest day, Mandy’s husband, Andy, held a golf match from 8am until 8pm, raising £1,000, which was then matched by Barclays. Mandy added: “The fundraising events have been a pleasure to organise. It’s lovely to bring different people together to share their stories as brain health touches and effects so many of us and our loved ones. Jane has also been fantastic and such a role model. She has been helping out at all of the events possible and has even recently ran a half marathon to raise more money for the charity.”
“The National Brain Appeal itself has also been fantastic to work with. It’s not a big team at all - they probably have around three full-time members of staff - so they were incredibly grateful for the awareness that we were raising. They of course helped out wherever they could, providing us with t-shirts and collection tins.” If you are planning to raise money for a cause that is close to your heart, then Mandy’s top tip is: “Persevere. For the raffle especially, I had to contact so many local businesses and people to support the event. Inevitably you’re going to get some knock backs or leads that come to nothing, but the main thing is to keep going because you’re also going to meet some fantastic people with great opportunities.
Mandy Webb’s former colleague Jane Walker hands over a cheque for nearly £5000.
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“In the end, all of those calls, emails or knocks on the door are so worth it. Bringing people together to share stories, raise awareness and support such a fantastic charity is truly priceless.” For more information about the National Brain Appeal, please visit: www.nationalbrainappeal.org
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Removing barriers to education
THE CAM ACADEMY TRUST
People Focus: Caroline Deadman
Melbourn Village College Pupil Premium Champion, Caroline Deadman, has been with the school for more than 10 years; seeing her role change from behavioural management to a pastoral role supporting mental health awareness, pupil premium students and those who have been identified as young carers.
Caroline said: “My role within the school has changed dramatically over the years. Our approach used to be to work with a school framework and make it fit the student, whereas now we start with the student and tailor the school support depending on their needs. I really enjoy getting to know the students, some who I see for a very short amount of time and some who I support right through secondary school. “Initially, my priority is to identify how I, and the school, can create a trusted partnership with the student and their family. This relationship is key to making sure the student gets the best possible support to make the most of their education and access all experiences on offer.
“Often, you can find that if a parent has had a negative school experience in their past, whether that’s due to anxiety, a disability, or lack of trust, then those feelings or cautions could also become present for the student. I work closely with the families to break down those barriers. A simple act such as holding a Parents’ Evening discussion in a private room could put the family at ease and make them feel comfortable, and likely, to come into school to discuss their child’s progress.
“I also go on a lot of home visits. It’s important that students know me around school, but equally that I’m in contact with those students that are unable to make it into the school building. This allows me to maintain links with students who, perhaps, aren’t thriving in the school environment and ensure they don’t become cut off from their education.
Caroline Deadman works with young people to give them the support to make the most of their education.
where our young carers are invited along to chat and take part in an activity just for them. We’ve had craft days, pottery sessions and even made Christmas decorations. It’s a pleasure to see the students having fun and being able to take something they’ve made back to their families.” The pastoral team works closely with the teaching staff at Melbourn Village College. As part of the newly qualified teaching training programme, Caroline delivers a session which covers the school’s support offer for pupil premium students, mental health and the additional responsibilities that can fall to young carers and how that affects their school life.
“I help them to overcome barriers. For example, if a student is anxious about leaving their family home, I will help to build their confidence by supporting them through different social situations like walking around the garden centre or going to a café and working on an art project to keep them engaged in schooling.
Caroline said: “Working directly with teachers on pastoral support is vital to ensure that students don’t fall through the cracks in education. I inform teachers of when they should take a different approach with students that I work closely with. I also liaise with staff if a student is concerned about being able to complete a piece of work, for example. This also works in the reverse. Now if a teacher has a concern about a student, they will often approach me first to see if we need to look at an intervention technique to support them.”
There are 37 students at Melbourn Village College that have been identified as young carers, and 20 of those students also receive pupil premium funding. Young carers are identified as students who have additional responsibilities, which could be having an immediate family member that has been diagnosed with an illness, mental health problem or addiction.
In recent years, Caroline and her team have funded a punch bag for a student with behavioural challenges, which helped them to have a release at home. As a result, the student showed a marked improvement in their school performance. The team have also supported funding for students that face financial barriers, allowing them to take part in the prom, school trips and sports matches.
“It’s a wonderful thing when a pupil premium student or young carer knows they have a familiar face at school; somebody who understands reasons why they may not have the correct school uniform or were unable to complete their homework. Somebody who thinks outside of the box.”
Caroline continued: “The emotional impact that a young carer faces is something that you can’t predict. At MVC, we hold regular interventions, such as our Young Carers group run with Centre 33 sessions,
After recently completing her Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) training, with CAMH, Caroline has demonstrated that having the knowledge to provide bespoke support is invaluable for students’ mental wellbeing.
Caroline finished: “The most rewarding thing for me is knowing that the work we’re doing is ‘My priority is to identify how I, making a real difference to our students’ lives. There isn’t a quick fix to and the school, can create a mental health, this isn’t black or white, trusted partnership with the right or wrong – it’s supporting a variety of people, with different needs student and their family’ — and backgrounds, to remove the barriers to their education.” Caroline Deadman
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THE CAM ACADEMY TRUST
Identifying the leaders of the future SSAT: the Schools, Students and Teachers Network
This term, we’re delighted that Samantha Minnaar, Head of Year 8 and Photography at Cambourne Village College, Charlotte Joyce, History teacher at Melbourn Village College, and James Baker, Head of KS5 maths at Comberton Village College, have succeeded in gaining a place on the prestigious Leadership Legacy Project, organised by the SSAT, the Schools, Students and Teachers network.
prestigious education system leaders. SSAT is fully committed to supporting the development of the next generation of education system leaders and is investing in this prestigious project, which is free to participating schools. The opportunity will allow SSAT Leadership Fellows to engage with some of the best leaders nationally and internationally and to examine leadership in other sectors.
As part of the same project, the SSAT invite current Headteachers to mentor the Leadership Fellows. This year, Melbourn Village College Principal, Simon Holmes, has been asked to be one of these Leadership Experts. He will help his mentees by sharing his knowledge and experience of school leadership and by helping them reflect on their practice and develop their own vision.
Last summer, Cambourne Village College’s Laura Clash became the first member of the College to successfully complete the prestigious project.
The trio will form part of an impressive group of future education leaders from across the country designated as SSAT Leadership Fellows. Successful Leadership Fellows are all in their first two-four years of teaching and have been selected by their headteachers as already showing the potential to become outstanding school leaders. Involvement in the programme demonstrates commitment by the colleges and SSAT to developing the next generation of system leaders.
SSAT has been designing and delivering school leadership development programmes for 15 years and has over 14,000 alumni, among them are some of the country’s most
We already know the impact of this project at an individual level is very impressive. Leadership Fellows enrolled on last year’s programme have achieved increased leadership responsibilities at an early career stage, through exposure to a wide range of knowledge and information which boosts confidence levels. We also know the activities that the Fellows have undertaken impact at classroom and whole school levels, bringing additional benefits in terms of school-wide performance.
Laura was newly appointed as Second in the English Department this term, alongside her responsibilities for development of Literacy and for Gifted and Talented pupils. Laura commented, “The opportunity to attend the SSAT conference, visit other schools and generally have time to reflect on leadership as opposed to being a classroom practitioner, was really valuable.”
Exceptional education recognised
Leaders of the future Laura Clash, receiving her certificate from SSAT Chief Executive Sue Williamson, and new recruits Charlotte Joyce, James Baker and Samantha Minnaar.
Melbourn Village College’s drive to offer an innovative, wide-ranging and personalised curriculum for its students has been nationally recognised. The school has recently achieved accreditation for transforming practice under the Schools, Students and Teachers network (SSAT) Framework for Exceptional Education.
The Framework for Exceptional Education is a self-review and planning tool incorporating SSAT's 30 years of experience in school improvement. Co-developed with a group of high-performing schools and reviewed by leading academics, the framework supports schools in qualityassuring their work and sharing effective practice.
To achieve accreditation for transforming in practice under
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the strand of Principled Curriculum Design, Melbourn was reviewed by another high-performing school and an independent moderator from SSAT.
SSAT's Chief Executive, Sue Williamson said: "For a school to be accredited for transforming practice is a real credit to their team and the quality of the work that they are doing." Melbourn Principal Simon Holmes, said: “Our approach to curriculum planning is firmly based on our school principle of ‘Everybody is Somebody’. “Despite the financial constraints facing all schools, we have always done our best to offer a wide-ranging and personalised curriculum to all our students.
“It’s fantastic to achieve national recognition for this ongoing work.”