Winter 2023 Trust Newsletter Issue 24
marchesacademytrust.co.uk
MAT Voice
Hello from our CEO
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As we approach the end of this busy autumn term, I would like to take time to reflect on one of our fundamental Trust values which lies at the heart of our family of schools – Equality.
We believe in fostering an environment where every student is not only given an equal opportunity to learn but is also encouraged to thrive as a unique individual. We want every child and young person (CYP) in our Trust schools to be engaged in the classrooms and feel a sense of belonging. Broader than that, we want our staff, parents, carers, volunteers and wider community to feel listened to and belong. We strongly believe that inclusion = outcomes. Our commitment to equality extends beyond the classroom, encompassing diverse perspectives, backgrounds, and abilities. It is this commitment that shapes our approach to education and underscores the importance of everyone feeling heard, respected and valued. We recognise that a key aspect of promoting equality is ensuring that each child and young person has a platform to express themselves and that we, as educators, are attuned to their perspectives. This involves actively seeking out ways to listen, understand, and respond to the varied experiences and viewpoints that our CYP bring to our school community. MATVoice is a Trust initiative comprising of three different areas designed to capture the voice of CYP from all our schools. MyVoice is a biannual student survey conducted within each school, OurVoice is an annual school-based review conducted by our School Improvement Team, with the intention to capture the views and experiences of CYP and OneVoice is a school-project-based event that spans across the academic year. OneVoice was launched in September at a student conference hosted at Aico in Oswestry with representatives attending from all Trust schools. Students choose a Sustainability or Mental Health Project that will make a difference in their school, and teams will meet regularly over the year, showcasing their achievements in July 2024.
CYP are also being trained to form safeguarding boards in their schools. They will work with staff to bring concerns from their peers to the table and help staff in all of our schools find solutions to issues that are happening in real time. By actively involving them in decision-making processes, we aim to empower them to be advocates for positive change. The Trust believes that if we listen and co-construct the way forward, we will continue to build a strong family of schools. Our Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging (EDIB) Ambassadors continue to work actively in each school so that staff, CYP, families and communities will recognise, respect and celebrate difference and our curriculum will develop and reflect the diverse society we live in. Your support and collaboration are integral in creating a school community that reflects the principles of equality, diversity and mutual respect. Thank you for being an essential part of the Marches Academy Trust’s family of schools. May I take this opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year!
Sarah Finch, CEO
Connect with us to find out more about our mission. Visit: marchesacademytrust.co.uk @MarchesAcademyTrust Together We Grow Podcast
A message from our Chair of Trustees
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What does it mean to have equality as a Trust value? It can't just be a statement that we believe in equality and fairness - these are ideas which are fundamental to our society and increasingly protected by law, and the general decline in discrimination over time is one of our best measures of society's progress. So, it is not enough to claim that equality is held in high regard across our Trust. It needs to be actively promoted and encouraged, and our assumptions and behaviour continually challenged. We all have a role to play in being open and honest in this regard, and to make sure especially that we are aware when people do not feel that the demands of equality are being met. Within all of our schools we have been making sure that we are asking and listening to how people feel, from our children and young people through to our staff and parent communities. Our "Voice" programme of surveys, activities and events has been developed as a core part of our Trust-wide initiative to promote Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging for everyone. We strongly believe that these principles underpin the healthy and successful learning environments which our schools aspire to be. The next time you have the chance to participate in any of our surveys, please find the time to make sure that we know how you feel about these issues and the school in which you learn or work. Ensuring that people feel comfortable and supported is the first vital step in our vision for Achievement through Caring.
Alex Fry, Member and Chair of the Board of Trustees
Our Vision Achievement through Caring We celebrate difference in each school, with a curriculum model that is unique to each school context. Our schools support, collaborate, and challenge each other in healthy peer reviews, linking our schools together across the Trust. We are currently working together to co-construct an education model that builds on our experience as a Multi Academy Trust enabling changes for the better across our schools.
Our Values Across our family of schools, we pride ourselves on delivering high-quality education and superb pastoral care whilst inspiring our children and young people to achieve their potential and be happy in daily life.
Newsletter Focus: Equality in Action
A focus on Equality We asked members of the Marches Academy Trust Executive Team what our Trust value of Equality means to them and how it adds value to their role.
Cavelle Priestley-Bird Executive Director of People and Development The drive across the Trust to develop an Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging (EDIB) strategy is central to my values and my role in the Trust. I believe when people work together and value what makes us different and special, opportunities and success can flourish. Equality is important to ensure everyone is given the same opportunities – we also need to ensure equity of opportunity, recognising that each of us have different circumstances and some of us need support to reach an equal outcome. Our work on EDIB across the Trust continues to develop our curriculum, train our staff and embrace our communities in celebrating differences and recognising diversity doesn’t look like anyone.
Alison Pearson Executive Director of Education Across the Trust, equality is an important value for us and is seen in the curriculum we deliver in each school, in every child and young person having access to all the planned experiences including opportunities to travel to cities and other countries, in sporting opportunities, careers guidance and time to have a voice. In my role, with a focus on assessment, the schools are working on projects to ensure that every child and young person knows how they are achieving, what their gaps are and having access to the support and resources to fill their gaps, giving everyone what they need to move onto the next phase for them, with some needing more than others to reach the same point. The experiences our children have in school opens minds and doors and is one of the best drivers of equality, giving our children a stake in their future and access to the wider world.
Mandy Jones Associate Executive Director of Education (School Improvement) Everyone deserves to be seen and heard. In education we have the wonderful privilege to be part of the life journey of every child. For me equality is about seeing the person inside the context and supporting them to grow and develop into the best person they can be in every setting. A word we have used in the Trust strategy is 'flourish' and this is about being confident in who you are, what your strengths are and how valued you are in your community. To belong, grow and flourish involves investment. I believe we must invest in each other at every level, even in the busy world we live in. We must work hard to see and hear each other without judgement or prejudice. Through this connection whether you are a child or an adult we can do wonderful things together. Since joining the Trust in September 2023, I have observed how hardworking all staff are and how everyone has a valuable role to play to ensure all our children are happy, safe and learning. A smile costs nothing and yet it ensures we all stay connected, seen and valued. I have taken great pleasure in meeting new people across the schools and learning about how our values are lived in every setting. I have enjoyed working with our Church schools and learning about the vision for the community in their settings. It has also been exciting to work across both secondary and primary schools, meeting many children and young people and hearing about the inclusive culture we strive for. I feel grateful for the warm welcome I have received, and I already feel like I belong and am part of something very exciting.
Claire Turner Director of Education Our value of equality is central to our vision for belonging. What we need to keep asking ourselves is 'are we all in the room?'. If we are not seeing every individual, hearing all voices and reflecting everyone in our thoughts and actions, we cannot achieve a true sense of belonging for all. The OneVoice Conference brought many children into the room and it was a privilege to hear their voices. Famous American children’s campaigner Marian Wright Edelman said, ‘education is for improving the lives of others and for leaving your community and world better than you found it’. It has been an absolute pleasure over the past year to see our staff, children and young people working together to forge a more equal future.
Charlotte Allsopp Associate Executive Director of Finance and Business In our Shared Services team, equality is the cornerstone fostering collaboration and efficiency. Regardless of role or background, each team member is recognised for their unique contributions, creating an inclusive environment. Shared responsibilities and transparent communication ensure we remove hierarchies, ensuring that every voice is heard and valued. Equality within the team promotes a culture where perspectives are not only acknowledged but celebrated, enhancing problem-solving and innovation which is a key driver in our Professional Development days together. This collective approach to tasks and decision-making transcends individual differences, fostering a sense of unity and shared purpose. Ultimately, in a team committed to equality, the strengths of each member converge, driving success and synergy.
Amy Chevin-Dooley Associate Executive Director of Education (Inclusions)
Trust Learning for Life Framework. Available to view at: bit.ly/TrustLearningForLife
In education, the truest pathway to equality is through equitable approaches. As we know, not all children and young people begin on an even footing: family circumstances, cognitive ability, social situations, historic experiences - they all serve to affect a person’s ability to access education. We have to therefore be flexible and adapt to meet the needs of the children and young people we serve. Our schools continue to work hard to embed our Learning for Life Framework, designed as a graduated model, anchored on five key pillars: inclusive learning, health and wellbeing, safeguarding, attendance and communities. To further support our Trust schools, we are now introducing MATi, our Marches Academy Trust Inclusion School. MATi is an innovative virtual school designed to empower children from any of our schools who may require alternative approaches to engagement and learning, providing them with the tools they need to build bright and promising futures. MATi, launching officially in January 2024 and currently delivering pilots with four Trust secondary schools, embodies the Department for Education’s special educational need and alternative provision improvement plan’s ambition for the right support, in the right place, at the right time, and further enhances the Trust’s goal of Achievement through Caring, where inclusive cultures lead to the best outcomes.
Christian Distinctiveness
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Mandy, Jones, Associate Executive Director of Education (School Improvement)
This term we have been busy across our Church schools building a network where we can share, celebrate and challenge each other. Church schools have a responsibility to stay true to their Christian foundation and support everyone to flourish. Oakmeadow CE Primary School have had a new start to the year thinking about their school vision. The Oakmeadow community are committed to ensuring they are a place where together all children dream, grow and achieve – a place where they experience ‘life in all its fullness’ (John 10:10). This new vision has an air of excitement and it certainly sounds like a place where Achievement through Caring is realised. When we look at the Christian Foundation of a school we also think about the history and heritage of the community. This was demonstrated beautifully early on in the term at the opening of the new classrooms at Lower Heath CE Primary School. Helen Morgan MP made a visit to the school along with past pupils. They heard Freda Ridgeway BEM talk about her life in school, the four generations who attended the school and the fact that you could ride your horse to school during her time! What impressed me most is that Mrs Ridgeway was awarded the British Empire Medal for her contributions to the community. She started a life of ‘helping others’ whilst at school, and this followed her throughout her life. She talked about the joy she gets from helping others and that joy radiated from her face.
Early starts in our schools provide the bedrock for our lifetime. Our Church schools are called to help children identify their purpose in life, to grow together and to be courageous advocates in the world. Perhaps many of you reading this can resonate with Mrs Ridgeway, I know I definitely can. She certainly lives a life that is distinctly Christian through helping others. Finally, I was so encouraged by the fresh approach Tilstock CE Primary School are taking to celebrating achievement. They have renamed the weekly worship as the ‘Pride and Joy Sharing Assembly’. It really raises the profile of what is special to all of us. Why don’t you go and see one of our Church schools? There is so much good news to share and the children just love talking about their learning.
Spotlight on Learning:
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Claire Turner, Director of Education
I am interested in the space between inequality and equality. What sits there?
The more I think about this, the more I think reading is a part of this. It can be something we take for granted. It is the great leveller. It is the skill we can give to all young people in our care, providing equality. Learning to read equips every child for life. Loving to read provides richness, feeds curiosity, combats loneliness, builds knowledge and ignites passion. Sue Wilkinson, Chief Executive of The Reading Agency writes; ‘Reading is such a powerful force for good that it can change people’s lives. Reading enables us to expand our horizons and grow our ambitions. It builds creativity and imagination, knowledge and skills, empathy and understanding. It connects people and strengthens communities. It improves our prospects, shapes our life chances and helps us manage our health and wellbeing. Reading enables us to be the best we can be, whoever we are, whatever stage of life we are at, whatever challenges we face. In a world where inequality is widening, where family and community networks are fragmenting and poor health and wellbeing is reaching epidemic proportions, we need the power of reading more than ever as a tool for change and we welcome a report which highlights, from a strong research base, its capacity to do this.’
The Department for Education published an updated Reading Framework in September 2023. The document sets out why reading matters: ‘To the individual, it matters emotionally, culturally and educationally; because of the economic impacts within society, it matters to everyone.’ We agree entirely. It is a vehicle for creating equality and due to the huge shifts we have seen in society over the past few years, it is even more critical. This year across our Trust, leaders of literacy are meeting regularly to devise our Principles for Literacy which includes a set of reading principles. We are using our Collaboration Days to enable colleagues to meet and work on this together for the benefit of all children and young people in our family of schools. How we are teaching reading within the curriculum and how we engage all young people in reading for pleasure continue to be key drivers for us all. Here is a photograph from Lower Heath CE Primary School. Recent new classrooms have made space for a fabulous library area which the children love spending time in. It is an inviting, warm space with lots of cosy places to settle down and enjoy a good read.
Celebrating Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging (EDIB)
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Cavelle Priestley-Bird, Executive Director of People and Development
At Marches Academy Trust we are developing an inclusive and diverse culture - enabling us to draw upon the widest possible range of views, experiences and opinions. We began our EDIB strategy in 2022 and are now beginning to see the impact on our journey to be an inclusive organisation. Our mission is to ensure opportunity for all and that everyone in our Trust feels welcome and valued. Our schools are focussed this year on two key objectives: Staff, children, families and community will recognise, respect and celebrate difference. Our curriculum will develop and reflect the diverse society we live in. Our EDIB representatives in each of our schools continue to drive the strategy through a wide range of activities in their schools. Some examples include:
Shrewsbury Academy Lucy Frederick is at the forefront of developing community voice. This includes children, parents/carers and staff. She has set up a student group who are very passionate about making change. She says; ‘Although we still have a long way to go, listening to everyone's voice is at the forefront of what we are trying to do at Shrewsbury Academy and we hope that one day we won’t need to have EDIB working parties and student groups as this will just become part of our everyday life and the world we live in.’
Trust EDIB Annual Report 2022 – 2023. View at: bit.ly/TrustEDIBReport
The Grove School Nic Warrender has introduced wall wraps that embody the protected characteristics and showcase what students will study within their curriculum areas. Nic says; ‘Moving forward is an exciting time for us as our aim is to develop our community voice more within our projects and curriculum design. Our key message being that at the Grove School we celebrate and welcome diversity.’
Oakmeadow CE Primary School Sarah Ryan has led on considering the curriculum through an EDIB lens. Milly Davies, the Science lead, has been focussed on creating diversity in Science – creating a scientist pathway and displays to try and show the children how the view of a scientist might differ. Last year when drawing a picture of a scientist an overwhelming majority, (87%) drew a generic male with crazy hair. After the focus on EDIB strategies, year groups did this again and there was a 50/50 split, with children viewing both males and females as scientists. Milly says; ‘There is still work to do, as always, but it’s amazing the shift that can be made in a short year.’
Feedback: A recent staff survey proves Professional Learning had real impact to date, with 92% saying their awareness of the importance of EDIB has increased since September 2022.
Sir John Talbot’s School ‘The professional development sessions provided by the Trust have been well planned and well-tailored to Sir John Talbot's School's needs. The EDIB session in particular provoked deep thought and allowed all staff to reflect on what inclusivity means in our setting. Feedback from staff has been that EDIB sessions allowed them to see their curriculum through different eyes. The buzz after the session has meant that staff were still speaking about ideas they have days after.’
The Marches School ‘The EDIB sessions have made it clear that this isn’t an extra thing to do, but an integral part of the ethos we want to have here at the Marches School. Staff have been full of ideas about how they can make small, yet effective, changes and tweaks to their curriculum to have a positive impact. We also collectively thought about the school as a whole and how we could make practical changes to our practice.’ It is with real commitment and great enthusiasm we embark on our second year of driving equality, diversity, inclusion and belonging ensuring inclusivity across our Trust.
Shropshire PE Conference The Shropshire PE Conference, organised by the Marches Academy Trust, took place in October at the iconic Shrewsbury Town Football Club. The event exceeded expectations with a remarkable lineup of keynote speakers, including: Former Lioness football legend, Sue Smith; Olympic Gymnast, Beth Tweddle MBE and BBC Presenter, Ryan Smith. The conference also featured a diverse range of workshops and exhibitors, providing attendees with practical knowledge and strategies to enhance physical education in schools and sports programmes. Delegates also had the chance to connect with like-minded individuals and establish valuable professional relationships using the dedicated exhibition area showcasing the latest in sports equipment, technology, and educational resources, offering attendees the opportunity to discover innovative tools and solutions for their institutions.
Shropshire PE Conference 10th October 2024! Early bird tickets available via: learning@mmat.co.uk
Our family of schools
Idsall School
#togetherwegrow
Idsall School
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Michelle King, Headteacher
Our first term within the Trust has been a busy one:
Like Marilyn Monroe once quoted ‘I believe that everything happens for a reason,’ Idsall’s path was definitely destined to join the Trust. Since joining in September 2023 we have seen so much improvement and it has been remarkable how children, young people, families and staff have come together to embrace the shared vision and values of the Trust which aligned nicely to ours. As we grow from strength to strength every day just gets better. Everyone is working hard to make Idsall the place to work, study and be; it really is a special place enhanced by the support from the Trust. Equality is all about ensuring that every individual has an equal opportunity to make the most of their lives and talents. At Idsall we are fully committed to this statement! From staff getting involved, to students and young people who are very much at the heart of our decision making. We have been busy putting our EDIB training into practice and appointing new staff for January. To strengthen the team further we welcome a new Assistant Headteacher responsible for developing Culture and Young People, who was chosen by a panel of children, young people and staff working together to find the right person for the job; a fine example of a brilliant partnership.
In the words of Nelson Mandela; ‘The only way to achieve true equality is to treat everyone with fairness, kindness, and respect.’ Just what our first OneVoice team have created as we provide an open forum to hear the voice of our children and young people. Trips are back and there have been many this term, including curriculum trips to Bletchley Park for our computer science students, Ikea for our design groups, Disneyland Paris for Years 7 and 8 and a ski trip planned for Years 8, 9 and 10. Year 11 have also planned their own away day to London. We have also renewed our licence for the Duke of Edinburgh Award, a popular choice for many to take part in. Being part of a Trust allows us to access many enrichment opportunities with one being a cross-Trust trip to Wimbledon to watch tennis. An example of our equality pledge in action is how we have made every trip available to all with financial support in place if needed. Our successful equality in sport record continues. Idsall has always competed and will continue to compete at every level in the sporting world, ensuring everyone across the school can train and take part in every sporting event on offer. We are working directly with our primary feeder schools, to build participation, running clubs and events that are very well attended by children and young people from all year groups and parents. This also enables our young leaders to showcase their sporting leadership skills working across the primary schools delivering coaching sessions. We have some incredible talent here too at Idsall. With Jasmine Hill taking a penalty throw in a Handball European tournament in Kosovo for team GB where she won Player of the Match and Oliver Meentzen Aldrit who won the Welsh national XC series event and came 4th nationally overall last season. He is currently ranked 11th in the country in Cyclocross. We also took huge pride in winning the Trust’s Varsity Games event. It has been amazing to see Idsall come to life and enjoy learning so much. Our community really is amazing.
Idsall School Connect with us to find out more about our school and sixth form! Visit:
idsallschool.org @IdsallSchool 9
Sir John Talbot's School
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Tim Stonall, Headteacher
Capturing the voice of our community is an important step to being a place where everyone feels a sense of belonging: Since attending the Trust’s OneVoice Conference in September children and young people have been working hard on creating their pitch for their Mental Health Awareness Week in February. Following a school community questionnaire five key areas of mental health have been identified: anxiety, exam stress, depression, insomnia and regulating emotions. The group have also met online to discuss their projects and have been asked to prepare a ten-minute presentation on strategic priorities, with emphasis on what the term ‘belonging’ means to them. We are also on an exciting journey with the EDIB strategy which is now in its second year. In November, staff completed the first of three EDIB training sessions which focused on making our language more inclusive. Children have also been busy leading the way on equality initiatives. In October the ADC (Anti-Discrimination Club) resourced form time activities, created a competition and presented an assembly to celebrate Black History Month. Form groups were then challenged to work collaboratively to find 31 posters located around the school, one for each day of October all about Black British History, they then used the information from these posters to answer corresponding questions. The forms who returned their quiz the quickest and with the most correct answers were 7DT and 10SHD – a special well done to them!
In the assembly stories were shared of some black women who have inspired them, in line with this year’s Black History Month theme ‘Saluting our Sisters’; children and young people chose to share the stories of Katherine Johnson, Mary Jackson and Oprah Winfrey. They also helped their audience to understand why there is a need for Black History Month.
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‘We believe that if we all do something small against racism, the small things will add up, and our school will be a much more inclusive place.’ Sir John Talbot’s School students
This half term’s unit of work in Year 8 has covered issues such as homophobia, racism, xenophobia and sexism. CYP are linking discrimination to protected characteristics and the school values of equality and empathy. They have been dissecting a poem about hate crime written by George the Poet, a London born spoken word performer of Ugandan heritage. Our young people concluded that it is important to learn about discrimination because someone may be made to feel less important than others and at Sir John Talbot’s School, we want everyone to feel welcome and achieve whatever they want to. Many CYP were unaware of what a protected characteristic was until these lessons. They can now see how important it is to know how people are discriminated against and how we can all help to speak out about it. Our young people now understand how important it is to learn about discrimination because we can empathise with victims of discrimination and bullying and understand how it can negatively affect people.
Connect with us to find out more about our school and sixth form! Visit:
sirjohntalbots.co.uk @SirJohnTalbotsSchool
The Marches School
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Alison Pearson, Headteacher
At the Marches School, our lived values have illustrated equality in many ways this half term:
Our school United Nations Summit focused on Sustainable Development and Peace – is it possible to have world peace for all? Our young people reflected on equality and the importance of treating others as you would want to be treated with a focus on kindness. Children and young people have made fabric poppies to create our school wreaths which have been laid as part of the Remembrance Day service in town. We considered how we can remember, when we did not experience an event and thought of others who did experience wars and are experiencing these now. Travel is a great opportunity to learn about how others live and build cultural awareness. This half term we have been to New York where we visited the 9/11 memorial and Stonewall, the venue on Christopher Street where the Stonewall riots began the LGBTQ+ civil rights movement in America. Another group have been to Iceland and explored sustainable housing and power generation. At home we have focused on our student’s voice being valued in how our school moves forwards and so our first student councils of the year allowed the groups to bring to the table topics that matter to them. The Key Stage 4 Student Voice Ambassadors developed their leadership skills by leading the groups ensuring every member of the school has a route to voice their views. These have now been shared with the leadership group to be worked on. Everyone also has a voice in our charity vote - our Head students were delighted to present OsNosh with a cheque from our charity fundraising efforts from last year. Dolen Ffermio has been chosen as our charity for this year, after we all listened to three presentations from local organisations. Dolen Ffermio is a small local charity working with communities in Uganda to support access to clean water, farming for food and skills to create better opportunities for young people and their families. As Christmas approached, we have joined with the local community to provide the singing for the town Christmas Lights Switch On as well as the Rotary Clubs Tree of Lights event. We hope for a more equitable society and world for 2024.
Connect with us to find out more about our school and sixth form! Visit:
marchesschool.co.uk @MarchesSchool
Shrewsbury Academy
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Jim Taylor, Acting Head of School
Shrewsbury Academy has, as always, taken the voice of our young people extremely seriously, during this the first term of the year: Our EDIB Lead, Lucy Frederick has led the way, to encourage all of our young people to have their voice and to be heard. As well as EDIB being promoted to all young people in school, it’s important to ensure that all staff understand the true meaning of equality and to this end, an EDIB questionnaire was sent out this term to gauge staff understanding of a very important topic. Nine of our amazing members of the student council attended the Trust’s OneVoice Conference this term, which was hosted at Aico in Oswestry. They worked together to devise a year long project focussing on the topic of mental health. They were an absolute credit to the school and shared their knowledge and ideas with our leadership team on their return. There was a real buzz around the conference and our young people were eager to share their thoughts.
Finally, our students were given the opportunity to visit New York this year and participate in a true ‘once in a lifetime’ experience. There was a bumper packed itinerary, visiting all the sites, from the Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty and Ground Zero, to a whistle stop tour of the rich and famous and even a Broadway show! Our enrichment programme is accessible to all and we offer a number of school and cross-Trust trips and encourage as many to take part as possible.
Connect with us to find out more about our school! Visit: shrewsburyacademy.co.uk @ShrewsburyAcademy
The Grove School
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Hugh Jackson, Acting Head of School
Equality is one of the most important elements of any school – the need to ensure that everyone is treated equally and given the capacity to be able to achieve their full potential. Our mantra of ‘a mindset to succeed’ highlights that our entire school community should be focusing on being ambitious and successful, whatever that might look like. Our Discovery Curriculum focuses on character development and an appreciation of the wide range of people within our community. We dedicate a significant amount of our curriculum time to personal development, careers and bringing in a range of voices to share their experiences and help our young people to appreciate Market Drayton and its place within both a national and global context. We are extremely proud, when asked by our Ofsted inspection team, that our young people said that they feel confident and supported to be themselves at school. The ability of young people to understand themselves better and appreciate what makes them ‘great’ and ‘unique’ is essential if they are to have empathy with others and create the conditions to be an equal community. As John F Kennedy famously said ;‘All of us do not have equal talent, but all of us should have an opportunity to develop our talent’. This is something that we endeavour to do every day at The Grove School. In November, we joined other schools from across the UK in the national AntiBullying Week. This was an opportunity to highlight bullying and consider the steps we can take together to stop it. We are trying our best as a school to ensure that young people feel safe and supported through their time here, and know that we need to educate everyone within the school about the impact that bullying has on victims and how we can collectively stop incidents of bullying taking place. Throughout Anti-Bullying Week, young people had assemblies, activities to complete in their Daily Discovery programme, a lesson focussed on the consequences of bullying with a focus on building positive relationships, and culminated in an activity about how we can better tackle bullying as part of our community.
Discovery Week included a range of visiting speakers discussing their experiences, training on Restorative Practice for our teachers in helping young people to empathise with each other following any disputes, and a range of curriculum activities across all lessons that highlighted the importance of appreciating the diversity of people within our school community. Our Discovery Day also focussed upon building relationships and having empathy with others, in order to help us create a more equal and inclusive environment for all. In Grove Sixth Form, we are currently discussing the promotion of diversity in our community. We are working alongside a group of enthusiastic young people who are a part of Grove's 'Student Leadership Group'. Through this they applied to be part of the 'Diversity' group and are currently in the process of creating a presentation to be given in an assembly to discuss what diversity means to our school community. In addition, we have also created a survey to be sent out to year groups to gather feedback on their current opinions and ideas, this will help us get a better idea of how we can make our environment more inclusive. We have created a club for all young people to attend to support this called 'No Outsiders', which is a space for young people from all backgrounds to come to who want to know more about different cultures, disabilities or identities and participate in fun activities. We have provided opportunities for our young people to experience new things and focus on developing interests, experiences and an appreciation of life beyond the academic curriculum. All of our young people have the opportunity in Year 9 to complete the Trinity Arts Award (Bronze Level) which celebrates work in Art, Music and Drama with over 300 young people receiving this award since 2022. Year 9 build on their experiences at The Birks and complete the foundation work for the Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award. This year, there have also been many opportunities for our young people to visit the theatre, we’ve been to London to see ‘The Lion King’ and ‘Frozen’ with 240 young people going to see a pantomime in Telford in December. After Christmas, we will be going to see the exceptional ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’. Our young people are now being asked for their suggestions for trips and visits so that we can enhance the access to cultural experiences. We want there to be an equal opportunity to pursue their interests and passions that could be with them for life.
Connect with us to find out more about our school and sixth form! Visit:
groveschoolmarketdrayton.co.uk @GroveSchoolShropshire
Woodlands School
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Julia Taylor, Headteacher
It has been a great start to the academic year with our young people maximising opportunities to develop: Earlier on in this academic year, the whole school visited Alderford Lake which brought both young people and staff together to collaborate. They each used their skills and qualities to succeed in a day themed around problem solving, teamwork and determination skills to complete a range of challenges. All our young people pulled together, supporting and encouraging each other - showing the true family spirit of Woodlands School. Throughout the term, we welcomed our young people to the first Woodlands Award Ceremony of the Year. Here we celebrated the diverse achievements and recognised hard work, commitment and the effort that they have given to their learning. It was a real highlight! Our children and young people continue to shine with Willow showing how far she has come at Woodlands, being selected to represent the school at the Trust’s OneVoice Conference. Reasons for her nomination included; ‘since joining us, Willow has demonstrated an abundance of kindness and empathy for others…Willow always seems to care, no matter the situation or cause, and always has a smile to brighten everyone’s day.’ At the event, the whole school community were very proud of her for bravely standing up with confidence and representing Woodlands School while speaking to the Trust-wide audience. We have seen huge success with Student Voice this term. They spoke confidently to a member of the Trust team and everyone who spoke said; ‘they felt safe in school, and they felt they belonged to a community.’ This was so lovely to hear.
Our curriculum topic has concentrated on the question; “What are morals and ethics?” In lessons our young people have been discussing fairness, ideas around “good” and “evil” and how we treat others with respect. During boxing sessions the boys followed the Queensbury rules of boxing to the letter and made sure they took care of each other, which really shows ethical behaviour in action! We have also seen some wonderful collaboration in Forest School, with regular opportunities for young people to gain confidence. The forest can be an inspirational place for learning from cooking their own choice of dinner around the campfire to using different tools and techniques to make shelters. Learners achieve and develop self-esteem, through this hands-on learning. We celebrated sporting success with a strong start for our Woodlands football team who have continued pulling together scoring many goals. Building on this, we have seen a real positive impact in school with everyone working hard to ensure they continue in their winning football journey. They are listening to each other and treating each other fairly and equally to ensure the goals keep rolling in. One match even resulted in a 11-0 win! We are excited to see what is to come for this up-andcoming team. Finally, our school community came together to make, bake and create a collection of items for our ‘Xmas Bazaar’ event. It was a great opportunity for the wider community, along with family and friends to join us to do some Christmas shopping, have fun and most importantly celebrate the efforts of our incredible students.
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‘Equality means fair and not sexist.’ Woodlands School student
Connect with us to find out more about our school! Visit: woodlands.school @WoodlandsShropshire
Lower Heath CE Primary School
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Helen Reynolds, Headteacher
Returning to school in September was an absolute joy this year at Lower Heath! Our two new classrooms were completed and ready to be used by our Key Stage Two classes, and the whole school had been decorated throughout. Not only that, we welcomed new staff to join our team. We feel very lucky to have our amazing facilities and wonderful staff, which will enable us to provide a high quality education for all of our children. In September, we were visited by Ofsted for a two day inspection. Our staff, children, governors and families were able to share all of the brilliant work we do. We were delighted to be graded ‘good’ in all areas. Inspectors made particular note of our warm and welcoming school and how our staff know our children and families well. They also praised our work with children with special educational needs and disabilities and how we have high aspirations for all of our young people. The report reflected the collaborative effort of our passionate teachers, supportive community, close work with the church and enthusiastic children who all contribute to our school’s success. Our whole school community has been involved with events to support people who are less fortunate and to be courageous to speak out and make change. Activities have taken place to mark Anti-Bullying Week, Harvest, Remembrance, Interfaith Week and Children in Need – all such important aspects of our school and country.
Ten children from Owl Class were selected to represent the school in this year’s OneVoice project. Together, they have designed a project called ‘Mental Boost’. This involves children leading playtime activities and fundraising events with a focus on developing and maintaining a healthy mind. The ‘Fellowship’ Christian value demonstrates all of our children really care about each other. We believe that all children should be listened to and made to feel noticed and valued. Our school councillors are now active throughout the school, collecting views and ideas from their classmates and bringing them to monthly meetings to drive change. They recently led an assembly about ‘Binning Banter’ following on from Anti-Bullying Week. They explained to children that jokes are only funny if both parties find them funny. An important message for all children to understand. It has been wonderful to welcome some younger children in our community as we launched our Little Wrens Stay and Play which has proved extremely popular! Enrichment opportunities in our curriculum are an important way to ensure our children have experiences they may not be able to have with their families. This term, Kingfisher Class visited Park Hill Farm, to learn about where our food comes from; Skylark Class visited Shrewsbury Castle to support their English and History learning and Robins had a visit from Sally Tonge, a storyteller. In addition, the whole school went to the theatre to enjoy a Beauty and the Beast pantomime, which was a magical experience, putting us all in the festive spirit!
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‘Equality is important as we are all human so we have human rights. Equality means we can all feel like we belong somewhere – no one should be excluded, or feel like they are being excluded. Everyone should be able to be healthy and happy together.’
Lower Heath CE Primary School pupil
Connect with us to find out more about our school and nursery! Visit: lowerheath.co.uk @lowerheathcofeprimaryschool 9
Oakmeadow CE Primary School
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Samantha Hill, Headteacher
We are very proud of our children, staff and to be a part of our local community of Bayston Hill.
We are lucky to be a setting with a diverse mixture of children and adults, all wonderful and unique. We are mindful that when children are taught to respect diversity, they gain knowledge and understanding that can help them to improve relationships and make positive decisions throughout their lives. In today’s global and diverse society, we feel strongly that we must instil young people with positive and open-minded attitudes. We have been developing our curriculum so that difference is promoted and celebrated. This term Year 5 visited Life Exhibition, a multimedia experience designed for primary children to sit alongside RE teaching which allowed them the opportunity to explore their own beliefs and those of others. To supplement their art curriculum, a group of children visited Shrewsbury School for the Big Draw where they took part in creative activities using their senses. Through a broad and balanced curriculum, we aim to provide opportunities for all children to experience excitement and a love of learning - our children who love music were incredibly excited by the opportunities provided in Live Music Week this November. Shropshire Music Service who are based on site here gave a live performance featuring a range of instruments. We work hard to be inclusive and create a sense of belonging for our children, staff and beyond this involving our local community. Our most popular annual event by far is our fireworks event in November, and this year may have been the biggest yet with amazing support from local companies with donations, and our committed Friends of Oakmeadow volunteers. It is always a delight to see the village come together for this! To provide a sense of belonging on a wider level as a Trust, we have a group of children who form our OneVoice team. This term the children attended a launch event at Aico in Oswestry with other Trust children to provide an opportunity to have their say and be part of the Trust team. From this, our children chose to lead on a mental and physical wellbeing project across school. They have been working hard to plan charity events and to help educate others on the importance of this throughout the year!
Connect with us to find out more about our school and nursery! Visit: oakmeadowprimary.co.uk @oakmeadowceschool
Grange Primary School
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Charlotte Summers, Headteacher
It has been another wonderful and productive term. Our children continue to amaze us with their hard work, creativity and resilience: We have held many events this term that really epitomize our school values of try our best, honesty, kindness, curiosity and respect. Our Grangers, children and staff alike, work together to ensure everyone is treated with respect and promoting equality is a key part of this. Everyone came together to celebrate Hello Yellow Day. We wore yellow accessories to highlight the importance of young people’s mental health and had discussions about how we can look after each other. In the same week, we also had Odd Sock Day where children came to school in odd socks to demonstrate that we are all different but have equally valuable qualities that should be celebrated. AntiBullying Week was also an important time for the children to embrace the theme of ‘Make a Noise about Bullying’ with a special assembly and a ‘shout’ about stopping bullying. We marked Children in Need by coming to school wearing a SPOTacular accessory with staff sharing positive relationships from when they were at school. We talked about how our £1 donation would be used to help children across the country and the wider world. Grangers understand that we are all part of something bigger and can contribute to helping with and solving problems in the world.
Remembrance Day was an important time for Grangers to come together to take part in the one-minute silence. We held a special assembly and created some artwork to commemorate and honour those who have died in the line of duty. We continue to enjoy being part of the wider Trust family of schools through our participation in the OneVoice scheme. The children really value the opportunity to have their opinions and thoughts listened to as well as meeting other children from across the Trust. Martha, one of our Year 6 representatives said; ‘I enjoy OneVoice because it lets us make decisions that benefit the school’. Being part of the Trust has helped us to develop and improve the school environment for our Grangers. We were lucky enough to have volunteers from Aico come to organise our library. This will really help promote a love of reading in school and the children have a shared sense of responsibility to maintain the organisation of the books. It has been fantastic to see the children and our wider community embrace all of our Christmas events and celebrations.
Connect with us to find out more about our school and nursery! Visit: grangeprimaryshrewsbury.co.uk @grangeprimaryschoolshrewsbury
Longlands Primary School
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Lisa Millington, Headteacher
Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging is a priority for us all and we are passionate about listening to the voices of our children:
Capturing the voices of our children is approached in several different ways, both through planned questionnaires but also on a daily basis by allowing the children freedom to express themselves and to be heard. We have a School Council and Sports Council which allows us to prioritise our children’s needs. They support the development of the school’s social schedule, competition calendar and they share their classmate’s ideas around topical issues in the world. This allows senior leaders to ensure that everyone has a platform to feel heard. In our recent Ofsted inspection, the inspectors interviewed our Sports and School Council and were impressed with how eloquently they talked about the wide range of opportunities here and shared their ideas about equality. This includes offering equal access to sporting opportunities for girls and for children with additional needs and disabilities through girls only clubs and pitch days as well as inclusive teams and competitions. This term, we have achieved the Gold Award for the Healthy School Scheme which is awarded by the Department for Education and celebrates the positive actions that w have taken to support children in understanding healthy eating and also providing physical activity. Equality is also embedded into the children’s everyday learning, through our inclusive curriculum. We provide a range of resources and materials so that everyone can learn in the way that suits them and meets their needs. In Year 2, adaptive teaching and scaffolding strategies have recently helped children to write their own poems. The children learned and performed a poem by putting actions to the words, so were then able to independently create their own poem. Year 5 have been looking closely at gender stereotyping and discovering the lengths people in history have gone to in order to gain equality. We discovered that there’s still a long way to go in some areas but that people such as Emmeline Pankhurst fought hard for where we are today. We also looked at the role of men in nursing and the changes that have taken place over time meaning the decline in men in that role.
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'If they're doing the same job then they should be paid exactly the same as each other. It's the same skills and the same knowledge.' Longlands Primary School pupil
Connect with us to find out more about our school and nursery! Visit: longlandsprimaryschool.co.uk @LonglandsPrimarySchool
Tilstock CE Primary School
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Rowena Kaminski, Headteacher
Equality and belonging has been a constant theme throughout activities across our school this term: Children and staff across the school have been working hard to become a United Against Bullying School. This includes providing case studies of work done to reduce bullying and improve wellbeing of at-risk groups of children. Badger Class produced a superb anti-bullying video to teach all year groups what bullying is and how we can improve positive relationships in different ways. The children chose ‘Odd Socks Day’ as an opportunity to encourage people to express themselves and celebrate their individuality and what makes us all unique! It was wonderful seeing everyone's odd socks! ‘Tilstock’s Day of Joy’ was an opportunity for all the children to experience our school value, joy, in many different ways. The staff led sessions across the school for each class to experience. Each session allowed staff to share hobbies that bring them joy outside of school with the children. These included story telling, mindfulness, Boxercise, cake decorating, walking, hiking and art activities. With celebrating World Mental Health Day in the same week, we recognised that experiencing joy has many benefits including helping to reduce stress and worry. The day was packed with fun and gave the children some inspiration on ways they can feel joy outside of school too, to support everyone’s mental health and wellbeing.
Staff and children came together to take part in a sponsored walk each day for one week to raise money for The Wildlife Trust's 30 by 30 pledge. The Wildlife Trust are calling for at least 30% of the UK's land and sea to be connected and protected for nature’s recovery by 2030. Wildlife is disappearing at an alarming rate and the threat of climate catastrophe is a constant worry. One of the affected species is the hedgehog. More than 36 million hedgehogs once roamed the UK, however there are now under one million left. The children and community came together to walk three miles over the course of one week and raised over £100. On the last day, BBC Radio Shropshire joined us along with the Shropshire Star and Reverend Sue Armstrong of Tilstock Christ Church invited everyone into church for hot chocolate and a small celebration service to reflect on their achievements. A wonderful sense of belonging and working together to make a positive difference. We strongly believe in the power of community, belonging and leadership. To instil these values in our children, we’ve diligently worked on building a robust House system that unites and empowers our children. Our school is proud to have every child as a member of one of our four distinctive House teams: Hawkstone, Soulton, Alderford and Alkmund. Our Houses are not just names on paper; they are vibrant, dynamic communities within our school. Throughout the year, they spring to life during various House events that celebrate the diverse talents and collaborative spirit of our children. From poetry competitions that stir the imagination to sports events that fuel healthy competition and art showcases that let creativity flourish, these activities provide our children with opportunities to shine. The heart of our House system lies in our House and Vice House Captains. These roles are not mere titles and badges; they are positions of privilege, pride and responsibility, that embody the values we hold dear at our school. Our House system extends beyond school events. We believe in active citizenship, and our House Captains are at the forefront of this initiative. They lead a series of charitable events throughout the school year, fostering a sense of responsibility, empathy and giving back to the community.
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‘Equality is making everyone feel special and celebrating why they are special.’ Tilstock CE Primary School pupil
Connect with us to find out more about our school and nursery! Visit: tilstockprimaryschool.co.uk @tilstockprimaryschool
marchesacademytrust.co.uk