Issue 9
Marches Academy Trust Vision and Values Vision: ‘Achievement through caring’ Mission: We believe: Successful, creative, lifelong learners participate in a journey of self-discovery. They know how to learn and acquire skills to be happy and thrive in a changing world with confidence and courage. Values: Excellence - striving always for mastery and personal success Integrity - consistently acting with honesty, compassion and respect Empathy - embracing and supporting the uniqueness of every individual Creativity - inspiring and challenging through invention, experimentation and exploration Equality - ensuring fair opportunity for all
A Message from the CEO Welcome to the Marches Academy Trust Spring Newsletter. 2019 kicked off with some of the biggest dates on the Trust calendar; the Education Conference which took place in February and the Middle Leaders’ Conference in March. This year saw the education conference moving to a new venue to accommodate the growing number of delegates attending. Four hundred and fifty educational facilitators, teachers and senior leaders descended on the spectacular International Conference Centre in Telford. The event gave attendees a fantastic opportunity to challenge their thinking and broaden their professional knowledge to meet the needs of a challenging curriculum. Plans for the next Alliance of Leading Learning Conference are already underway, with the event scheduled to take place on Monday 24th February 2020. The theme will explore “Navigating the Chameleon Curriculum”, equipping delegates and schools with the knowledge to successfully adapt to changes in the educational landscape. On 1st April we welcomed our second primary school, Lower Heath, into the Multi-Academy Trust, complementing our family of schools in North Shropshire. The leadership team at Lower Heath CE Primary School are innovative and nurture all members of the school community. We are delighted to welcome them into our family of learning professionals and greatly value the expertise they bring. In the second half of the newsletter we showcase the fantastic cross-Trust activities that have taken place this term and these highlight the advantages of being part of a family of Trust schools. These activities engage both staff and students and have included a cross-Trust ‘Dragon’s Den’ themed Young Enterprise competition which saw students from each of the schools battle out head-to-head in an entrepreneurial challenge. Our students benefit from teachers visiting schools across the Trust and sharing their knowledge and expertise. This term a Spanish and P.E. session was delivered at Tilstock C of E Primary School by staff from Sir John Talbot’s and a Joint School Student Council took place. Our Middle Leaders’ Conference is a clear example of how cross-Trust collaboration provides staff with the opportunity to share best practice and assists to instil The Trust’s core values, ensuring that these remain consistent throughout all schools. We are an ambitious learning community with a clear focus and shared aspirations. When a new school joins the Trust, their leadership team and staff bring with them expertise, experience and knowledge that enriches the learning experience for all. We are amidst exciting times as we go from strength to strength and I look forward to updating you with further developments in the summer CEO The Marches Academy Trust edition.
Trust Members and Trustees The Marches Academy Trust is governed through the Board of Trustees. This Board is made up of some Trustees appointed by the Members and representation from the following: • Trustees from Academies (Chairs of Local Governors Bodies from individual Academies) • Chief Executive Officer of the Trust on an ex officio basis • Other Trustees appointed by the Board of Trustees
Members
Arthur Walpole Arthur Walpole Chair Chair
Bob Pearson
David Griffiths
Robert Forrester Robert Forrester
Trustees
Arthur Arthur Walpole Walpole Chair Chair
Bob Pearson Associate Trustee
Judy Hunt
Alex Fry
David Griffiths
Sarah Longville
Mark Liquorish
Anna Burgess
A Message from the Chair of Trustees It is very pleasing to welcome Lower Heath CE Primary School who joined our Academy Trust from 1st April. They are a near neighbour to Tilstock, our other Primary School already in the Trust, and both are ‘feeder’ Primary Schools in the catchment area for Sir John Talbot's School. Our Trust has the strength and structures to support all schools in the Trust. Our Trust is a powerful agent in achieving continuous school improvement. Our Teaching School (Alliance of Leading Learning) achieved a very strong and influential status through the impact of its training and development courses and annual conference. I have huge faith in the Trust Learning Community, and in the positive influence that we have on the lives of the young people that we serve.
Mr. Arthur Walpole Member and Chair of the Board of Trustees The Marches Academy Trust
Third Year of Success for Whitchurch 10K The community came to support third road race in Whitchurch where over 900 runners took part. The third Whitchurch 10k road race sponsored by Agro Merchants, took place on Sunday 7th April. The race has doubled in size since the first race in 2017. Starting and finishing at Sir John Talbot’s School, over 900 runners took part in this popular event. The course is mainly flat but does have incorporated in it some short, challenging hills just to keep runners a little challenged! It is confined to roads within the boundaries of the historic market town. The town centre, with its half-timbered buildings, bustling pubs and an imposing Georgian Grade 1 listed St Alkmund’s Church forms part of the course, where residents of the town and visitors alike, congregated to shout, cheer and encourage all runners. The support along the route was incredible this year with more and more residents each year getting out and supporting the runners. Race Director, Hayley Alldridge comments: “I never thought that the Whitchurch 10k would become so popular with not only runners but the local community who were out supporting this event. I was overwhelmed to see so many runners taking part this year and look forward to seeing this race grow year on year and become a firm favourite on the events calendar for the town. The school field had an amazing atmosphere where we saw the children’s fun run with nearly 200 youngsters taking part and earning their medal and goody bag. Alongside local businesses and sports clubs showcasing what they have to offer. Thank you to each and every one that supported this event including Agro Merchants, our sponsors and the vast number of volunteers that make this event possible.” The 2020 Whitchurch 10k is already booked for Sunday 5th April and information can be found at whitchurch10k.niftyentries.com
Associate Staff: Shared Services Team Human Resources
Julia Hipkiss Trust HR Administrator
Sheila Smith Personnel and Administration Assistant
Facilities
Attendance
Joanne Jones Trust Business Director
Andy Lowe Family Support and Attendance Officer
Marketing
Hayley Alldridge Marketing & PR Manager
Charlotte Smith Marketing & PR Assistant
Finance
Gareth Bridges Trust Finance Director
Alice Wynne Management Accountant
Karen Evans Finance Officer
Amy Gilbert Finance Assistant
Continued Professional Development The Marches Academy Trust actively encourages staff to participate in continued professional development and further their knowledge and skills. In this addition we focus on Joanne Jones and Julia Hipkiss who we have asked for their insight. Joanne Jones, commented: “I am currently studying for the NEBOSH Diploma (National Exam Board for Occupational Safety and Health). The qualification is nationally recognised as one of the industry’s highest levels of certification for Health and Safety practitioners.” Julia Hipkiss, commented: “ I have recently completed the CIPD Level 5 Intermediate Diploma in Human Resource Management. The CIPD is not only the world’s oldest and most globally respected HR and L&D organisation, but they are also the most prestigious HR accreditation in the world.”
Alliance Of Leading Learning The Alliance of Leading Learning believe, “Successful, creative, lifelong learners participate in a journey of self-discovery. They know how to learn, acquire skills and feel safe to take risks with confidence and courage”. The Alliance’s remit is to focus their work on six key areas, known as the ‘Big 6’: ● Initial Teacher Training ● School-to-School Support ● Continued Professional Development (CPD) ● Research and Development ● Specialist Leaders of Education (SLEs) ● Succession Planning and Talent Management The Alliance of Leading Learning prioritises: The co-ordination and delivery of high quality school-based initial teacher training (ITT). Providing high quality school-to-school support to spread excellent practice, particularly to schools that need it most. Providing evidence-based professional and leadership development for all in our learning community across our focused areas – the West Midlands and the North West and also nationally and internationally.
Cavelle Priestley-Bird Executive Director
Helen Lloyd Courses and Conference Coordinator
Kate Aspinall Business Development Manager
Anna Leach Professional Learning Administrator
Gemma Hargreaves Professional Learning Coordinator
Alliance Of Leading Learning Conference On Monday 25th February 2019, 450 educational facilitators, teachers and senior leaders descended on the spectacular International Conference Centre in Telford. The continued professional learning event, was organised and hosted by the Alliance of Leading Learning who are part of the Marches Academy Trust. This was the fourth Alliance of Leading Learning conference building upon the outstanding success of the 2018 event and this year’s conference certainly delivered! The event launched with a fascinating talk by guest speaker Paul Howard-Jones, a leading expert in neuroscience and education. The professor’s particular interest in enhancing child learning really shone through as he spoke to delegates about the importance of eating breakfast as well as the neuroscience behind jellyfish swimming efficiency. Delegates also had the opportunity to attend a number of informative workshops throughout the day. These sessions covered a variety of topics: How to Build Resilience in Learners, championed by Haroon Asghar; Practical Strategies to Enhance Engagement and Progress for Disadvantaged Pupils lectured by Ian Nurser; along with a workshop talking about the Importance of Taking on a Challenge and Setting the Vision for Learning, delivered by Simon Bramwell. At midday, former Crystal Palace, Arsenal and England striker Ian Wright gave an emotive keynote. The football superstar discussed how a challenging home life in his early years contributed to his disruptive behaviour in the classroom, which ultimately lead to a challenging start to school life. Ian went on to outline how meeting the impressionable figure of Sydney Pigden had made a resounding impression on him. The former teacher gave Ian the time and guidance he so needed to help him turn his life around through football and instilled in him the principle of a good work ethic and the importance of never giving up on your goals; principles that really struck a chord with all those in attendance. Afternoon highlights included a very motivational talk by Matt Burton who rose to fame on Channel 4 documentary Educating Yorkshire. The Headteacher at Thornhill Academy spoke about the importance of being your best self and being consistent throughout the whole of the academic year to really encourage and engage students. The star also revisited the poignant emotional moment in which he helped Year 11 pupil Musharaf Asghar overcome his stammer by replicating a learning method inspired by the film the King’s Speech. The method was a huge success and it was fantastic to see the change in Musharaf’s confidence reading in front of his fellow peers, reinforcing the importance that every child matters. Executive Director for Alliance of Leading Learning, Cavelle Priestley-Bird, commented, “I am thrilled that the event has once again proven to be such a success. It has given delegates a fantastic opportunity to challenge their thinking and broaden their professional knowledge to meet the needs of a challenging curriculum and also provided the opportunity for all participants to come together and take inspiration from the stories shared by our fantastic speakers.” Plans for the next Alliance of Leading Learning Conference are already underway, with the event scheduled to take place on Monday 24th February 2020. The theme will explore “Navigating the Chameleon Curriculum”, equipping delegates and schools with the knowledge to successfully adapt to changes in the educational landscape. For further information, keep an eye on the Alliance of Leading Learning website: www.leadinglearning.co.uk and social channels @ALLearning1.
Middle Leaders’ Conference A fantastic turnout was had at the recent Alliance of Leading Learning Middle Leaders’ Conference, which took place on Friday 29th and Saturday 30th March 2019. The two-day event was held at the impressive Rookery Hall Hotel and Spa, near Nantwich. The event saw a jam-packed schedule with delegates listening to a variety of presentations covering key topics under the theme ‘Together we are stronger’. Middle leaders are the engine room of the school. They lead teams of teachers, helping to turn the senior leadership's strategy into outstanding classroom practice on a daily basis. High-performing middle leaders drive consistent teacher quality in their areas of responsibility through curriculum leadership and data analysis which can help to identify pupil under-performance. Middle leaders play an important role in lesson observations, holding staff to account and developing staff. They also ensure consistency across the school by collaborating and challenging their fellow middle leaders, influencing whole school behaviours through sharing, coaching and mentoring. The residential event gave delegates the opportunity to gain a better understanding of how The Alliance of Leading Learning invests in middle leaders and supports them through professional and future career development. As delegates congregated at the event from across the Marches Academy Trust, it gave attendees the chance to build positive working relationships with one another, an opportunity to take part in team building activities and discuss the sharing and modelling of good practice. Delegates also listened to presentations which discussed the importance of building consistency across the Trust. The Alliance of Leading Learning are intent on utilising the exemplary professional learning they provide and investing it into leaders across the rapidly developing Multi Academy Trust. One of their aims is to instil the Trust’s core values and making sure that these remain consistent throughout all schools. The group also aims to invest in quality professional development which has been proven to drive success. The Alliance of Leading Learning has a clear focus to ensure that all staff across the Trust are committed to excellence, integrity, empathy, creativity and equality. By supporting our middle leaders in professional learning and helping them to acquire additional skills they have the confidence to drive our schools forward. The conference gave delegates a quality experience and the time to focus solely on their leadership learning without the distractions of their day-to-day role. It is hoped that the experience provided Marches Academy Trust staff with the chance to network with colleagues, allowing them to really make an impact upon return to school to drive success.
New Beginnings For Lower Heath As the newest member of the Marches Academy Trust, Lower Heath CE Primary School is in for an exciting time. This week, the CEO of the Marches Academy Trust, Sarah Longville, visited Lower Heath to outline the exciting opportunities that the school has. The CEO presented to staff, parents and pupils in an assembly to welcome the School to the Trust. The pupils took part in worship along with a presentation from Mrs Longville on the opportunities the pupils will have being part of a wider family of schools. Mrs Sarah Longville, CEO of The Marches Academy Trust, commented: “This is an exciting time as there is a drive nationally towards collaboration between schools, and with Lower Heath CE School joining, it complements our family of schools in North Shropshire. The Trust has a common aim of giving the children a first-class education and we will ensure Lower Heath remains the school of choice locally.” Mrs Deborah Sadler, Headteacher at Lower Heath CE Primary School, added: “I am absolutely delighted to be part of the Trust and the exciting opportunities it will bring for the staff, pupils and wider community. It was wonderful to welcome Mrs Longville today and we cannot wait for what the rest of this academic year brings, as well as the years to come. It truly is an exciting time to be a part of the Marches Academy Trust.”
Training Facility Named After Ruth Lloyd A training room at The Marches School has been dedicated to much missed colleague Ruth Lloyd. Ruth originally began working at one of the former schools, Fitzalan School. In 1985, she moved to the pastoral team as a Head of Year before joining the Leadership Team. Many aspects of the school have been a direct result of Ruth’s hard work, not least the launch of the Training School, which is now known as the Alliance of Leading Learning, the educational trip to New York and the Year 11 Presentation Evening. Countless students have been taught and educated by Ruth, many members of staff have benefited from Masters and other qualifications delivered from the Training School and the bid to become a Teaching School was written by Ruth. The Marches School owes a lot to the work and commitment Ruth has given to the school from training the next generation of teachers, to the support she has given to leaders and students in the school. In her memory, one of the training rooms has been named after her.
Young Enterprise Students from across the family of Trust Schools: Sir John Talbot’s, The Grove College and The Marches, recently travelled to the Young Enterprise Presentation Day, which took place at Wolverhampton University Campus, Priorslee, Telford. The Young Enterprise programme challenges students to set up and run their own business idea. During the initiative students develop skills, knowledge and experience which are proven to have a long term impact on their lives and careers. After selling their products at trade fairs over the past three months, the Presentation Day gave students the opportunity to discuss their Young Enterprise experience. During the day the teams experienced a challenging ‘Dragon’s Den’ style interview on their business by a panel of business experts from around the area. Students were then given the opportunity to practice their presentation in the large auditorium and receive feedback on their performance. The teams then took to the stage again in the auditorium where they delivered their four-minute presentation about their Young Enterprise experience and their journey taking part in the programme. The students presented in front of several other schools from Shropshire, whilst being judged by a panel of eight industry experts. It was a challenging day with the students competing against ten other teams in a number of categories including: Best Product, Best Trade Stand, Best Presentation and Best Team. The Grove College was represented by the team Picturesque; Sir John Talbot’s School were represented by team iCan and The Marches School were represented by three teams: Grow ‘n’ Co, ReTuned and Vintology. The students from across the schools really did themselves proud, presenting fluently and confidently about their ideas - they should be extremely proud with what they have managed to achieve. The teams now eagerly await to hear how they got on in the competition. The results of the programme will be announced during a celebratory presentation and awards evening and dinner on the 2nd May at the Park Inn Hotel, Telford.
British Science Week The Marches Academy Trust Schools all celebrated British Science Week recently, which took place between the 8th - 17th March 2019. The national awareness days spanning ten days, aimed to encourage students to celebrate science technology, engineering and maths, through a variety of engaging events and activities. The emphasis was on encouraging students to peruse STEM based subjects in the future. The Grove School put on three fantastic events. On Friday 8th March and Wednesday 13th March the school welcomed the Animal Man as part of their Party Animals event. This was a well-received and sold-out activity, which was enjoyed by children of all ages from both school and the wider community. The children had the opportunity to interact with a variety of exotic animals and learnt about their incredible evoloution and amazing adaptations. On Friday 15th March Wonderdome attended the school. Again the event was well attended by both students and the local community. The planetarium proved to be an excellent opportunity to discover the galaxies in a fun and informative way.
In celebration of British Science Week, local feeder schools, including: Whitchurch Junior School, Lower Heath CE Primary School, The White House and Tilstock C of E Primary School, visited Sir John Talbot’s to take part in various activities associated with the topic of space. All pupils sat inside the planetarium where they enjoyed an exciting display of star formations and galaxies. Pupils used their knowledge of aerodynamics to make space rockets which was extremely popular. Finally, pupils tested the pH of soil samples to learn about the difficulties of growing food in a hostile environment.
World Book Day On Thursday 7th March, schools from across the Trust celebrated World Book Day: a celebration of authors, illustrators, books and most importantly a celebration of reading. The day was a fantastic opportunity to bring some of the students best-loved and favourite characters to life whilst encouraging them to read more. Staff at The Marches were given the ‘mission’ by the English Nurture Groups to come dressed in ‘disguise’ as a character from the books of famous authors, to ‘spy’ on the authors themselves. Students were also encouraged to dress up, with a multitude of fantastic and creative outfits on display. In response to World Book Day, Year 8 Art students worked on developing their digital creativity based on the aforementioned theme. We were incredibly impressed with the standard of work that the students produced. You would not believe the pictures shown are the first time the students have used Photoshop. As a transition day, a group of students were delighted to be invited to the Houses of Parliament to celebrate World Book Day. The Marches hosted the event and took some of our local primary school pupils to experience this special event in London. The day started with a range of activities celebrating the love of books, then a tour of the Houses of Parliament. The pupils had a fantastic day and we look forward to welcoming them to The Marches School again soon. Tilstock C of E Primary School also encouraged the children and teachers to dress up for World Book Day. The costumes on display were magnificent, everyone really made an effort and looked amazing. Darwin Class dressed as their favourite book character; Owen Class dressed as their favourite Roald Dahl Character and Talbot class dressed as a character from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. All the children went on to receive a book voucher to use against a book of their choice.
Peace Project This term, Year 9 students from The Marches School, along with their cross-trust colleagues from The Grove School and Sir John Talbot’s School, have combined to participate in a Peace Project. The project, which has been developed with Rotarians, is designed to encourage young people to become conscious of their responsibilities in the world and will inspire them with confidence in a future of happiness for mankind.
Sharing Best Practice One of the benefits of being part of a family of Trust schools is that, students benefit from the knowledge and experience of teachers from across the Trust. Teachers from Sir John Talbot’s School: Mr Brown and Ms Turrado regularly visit fellow Marches Academy Trust School, Tilstock C of E Primary School to share their knowledge and subject experience. The pupils really enjoy their PE lessons with Mr Brown and are improving their sporting skills and team work. Whilst also benefiting from the vast subject knowledge that Ms Turrado has developed, through their Spanish lessons. Students also help each other by being able to discuss and share ideas. Recently, a Joint School Student Council meeting took place between students from Sir John Talbot’s and pupils from Tilstock C of E Primary School. From the agenda, students maturely discussed the progress relating to healthy eating and recycling around the schools, coming up with some excellent points and ideas. They then concluded by creating a list of actionable tasks to be looked into prior to their next meeting. The students were very mature in their discussions and it is hoped that meetings like this will allow the schools to make changes that the students feel passionately about, and really allow students to have their say.
Sporting Success This term, Marches Academy Trust schools: Sir John Talbot’s, The Grove School and The Marches School, travelled to Oswestry to compete in the North Shropshire Football Tournament. The Grove Year 7 Boys’ Football Team travelled to the match in high spirits on the basis that they remained undefeated throughout the tournament. The boys were very solid in defence, not conceding a single goal in four games. They played some great football but were also unable to find the back of the net at the other end. Drawing all four games against Sir John Talbot’s School, The Marches School, Thomas Adams School and Lakelands Academy 0-0, the boys finished third in their group, just missing out on progression to the knockout stages of the tournament. The Marches School entered two Year 7 boys’ football teams into the competition. The 'B' side gave a good account of themselves, however did not qualify from their group. The 'A' side performed well in the group stages winning two of their games and drawing the other two games, winning their group and setting up a semi-final against Oswestry School. After putting pressure on the Oswestry School goal, the boys could not find a breakthrough, meaning the game went to penalties. Oswestry School won the penalty shootout 2-1 with The Marches very unfortunate not to make the final. Sir John Talbot’s Year 7 boys’ football team did exceptionally well as they went undefeated throughout the tournament. The boys progressed through the group stages to play Lakelands Academy in the semi-final, winning on penalties 2-1, before taking on Oswestry School in the final. The game also produced a stalemate; with no team able to score in normal time, the game came down to a penalty shootout with Ethan Berry and Harry Barber scoring the winning penalties to win 2-1 and become tournament champions! Well done to all the Year 7 boys who took part from across the schools.
Duke Of Edinburgh's Award It has been a busy term across the Trust for students taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh's Awards Scheme. A fantastic programme which really helps students work on key skills and makes a great addition to any CV, whether applying for university, apprenticeships or a job. Thirty students from Sir John Talbot’s and their parents/carers attended the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Evening held at Prees Cricket & Recreation Club. A fantastic evening was had where students celebrated the completion of Bronze, Silver and Gold awards. The awards were presented by local author, Pen Taylor, who spoke about following your dreams and making your wish list of life become a reality. It was wonderful to see present and past students collect their awards. The evening ended with homemade cakes provided by the parents and students which were excellent! Gold Duke of Edinburgh's Award participants from Sir John Talbot's and The Grove School also joined forces to complete some navigation training in Snowdonia. This was excellent preparation for their forthcoming training expeditions and it was fantastic to see the students working so well as a team, despite the rugged environment. Fourteen Year 12 students from The Marches went on a Duke of Edinburgh's Award training expedition to Arenig Fawr, near Bala. The aim of this expedition was to encourage the students to work in small groups to really focus on, and improve their map work. Conditions were really challenging, with gale force winds and torrential downpours, but the group braved the storm and demonstrated great resilience in tackling the activities. This term also saw the the annual Duke of Edinburgh’s ‘cook-off’ take place between Gold and Silver participants from Sir John Talbot’s. The aim was for students to come up with the tastiest dish they could create using standard camping cookery equipment. The four judges then chose their favourite based on appearance and taste. All three dishes were deemed excellent but the overall winner by a small margin was the Silver DofE A team with their dish of spicy noodles with pancetta.
T. 01691 664400 | E. admin@mmat.co.uk W. www.marchesacademytrust.co.uk